Karité

What Karité does

Karité is a privately held, bootstrapped skincare brand founded in 2016 by three Ghanaian-American sisters: Dr. Naana Boakye (CEO, a board-certified dermatologist), Abena Slowe (COO), and Akua Okunseinde (CCO). The company produces shea butter-based moisturizers and related body care products, anchored by its hero Crème Corps Body Cream and expanded to include Crème Mains Hand Cream, Baume à Lèvres Lip Balm, bundle sets, and gallon-size formats, with retail prices spanning $25 to $240. Sourcing is positioned around direct relationships with women-led shea cooperatives in Ghana, providing both a supply chain narrative and product provenance.

The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market model combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce, the Faire wholesale marketplace, Amazon, the Coupang marketplace in Asia (added in 2024), and more than 50 independent retail stockists across the United States and Canada. Distribution was further supported by selection into the Maesa Magic Incubator in 2024, providing access to prestige retail and operational resources. The brand has built earned-media equity through recurring placements in outlets such as Oprah Daily, Bloomberg, Refinery29, and ESSENCE, along with industry awards including Refinery29's 2021 Beauty Innovator and ESSENCE's 2022 Best in Black Beauty recognition.

Karité has operated without external funding since inception and remains led by its three founders with no disclosed broader executive team. The business is headquartered in New Jersey with operational ties to Ghana, and its growth has been incremental, driven by product line extension, wholesale scaling, and selective geographic expansion rather than large capital infusions.

Name

Karité

Legal name

Karité Shea Butter

Website

https://mykarite.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Karité is a bootstrapped, dermatologist-founded skincare brand selling shea butter-based moisturizers and body care products DTC, on Amazon, and through 50-plus retail stockists across North America and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Body Care Skincare

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural/Organic & Clean Skincare (CRABAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dermocosmetics & Medical-Grade Skincare (CRABAAAF)

Keywords

• Shea butter skincare
• Natural body moisturizers
• Clean beauty products
• Dermatologist formulated skincare
• Hand and body creams

Headquarters

HQ city

New Jersey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct e-commerce sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through their Shopify e-commerce website with products ranging from $25-$240. Offers subscription model with 10-15% discount for recurring orders.
2. Wholesale distribution: Sales to retail stockists through Faire wholesale marketplace and direct relationships with retailers like The Detox Market and spa locations.
3. Marketplace sales: Products sold through Amazon and Coupang marketplace partnerships for broader reach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Karité develops, formulates, and sells dermatologist-founded, shea butter-based body care products including body cream, hand cream, and lip balm. Products are formulated with high concentrations of raw, unrefined shea butter and botanical oils sustainably sourced from Ghana and sold direct-to-consumer online, through retail stockists, spas, and online marketplaces such as Amazon, Faire, and Coupang.

Product overview

Karité is a dermatologist-founded skincare brand offering a focused portfolio of all-natural, shea butter-based moisturizers and body care products. The core product line consists of three main offerings: Crème Corps Body Cream (available in 5.5 fl. oz. and gallon sizes), Crème Mains Hand Cream, and Baume à Lèvres Lip Balm — all formulated with high concentrations of raw, unrefined shea butter and organic coconut oil sustainably sourced from Ghana. These are complemented by curated collections (The Travel Collection, The Full Body Collection), an eco-friendly cloth bag accessory, and gift cards. The brand positions itself as a clean beauty alternative free from parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, and sulfates, with products targeting dry skin, eczema, and general skincare maintenance across all skin types.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crème Corps Body Cream (5.5 fl. oz.) A rich, luxurious body cream that deeply moisturizes and absorbs quickly, leaving skin smooth, supple, and baby-soft. Formulated with shea butter, glycerin, organic coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, rooibos extract, and rosemary leaf extract to hydrate, nourish, and provide antioxidant protection. Targets dryness, aging, fine lines, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and dullness; suitable for consumers with dry, sensitive, eczema-prone, or aging skin.
• Crème Corps Body Cream (Gallon, 128 fl. oz.) A bulk 128 fl. oz. (2000 ml) gallon-size version of the Crème Corps Body Cream offering the same fast-absorbing, moisturizing, luxurious body cream that improves skin appearance and leaves it feeling smooth, supple, and baby soft. Targeted at high-volume personal users, families, spas, and retail stockists.
• Crème Mains Hand Cream (3.4 fl. oz.) A fast-absorbing hand lotion that hydrates, smooths, and softens dry hands while improving skin appearance. Packed with antioxidants from tocopherol and catechins and reduces inflammation via triterpene alcohols in shea butter. Effective for eczema, psoriasis, and dry skin conditions; formulated with sustainably sourced palm oil from Ghana, organic coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower seed oil, rooibos extract, and rosemary leaf extract.
• Baume à Lèvres Lip Balm (0.45 fl. oz.) A hydrating lip balm that soothes chapped lips and protects against environmental damage. Features raw unrefined shea butter for essential fatty acids and vitamins, organic jojoba oil for gentle hydration, rosehip oil to repair dry skin, and murumuru butter for intense moisture. Suitable for normal, dry, and sensitive skin types; addresses dryness, chapping, irritation, environmental damage, and loss of moisture.
• The Travel Collection A curated collection of travel-sized Karité products designed for portability and on-the-go moisturization. Sold as a single bundle priced at $81.00.
• The Full Body Collection A bundled collection of Karité body care products providing a complete skincare routine for the full body. Sold as a single bundle priced at $109.00.
• Karité Cloth Bag An eco-friendly cloth pouch designed for carrying Karité products on the go. Sold as a stand-alone accessory item.
• Karité Shea Butter Gift Card A gift card allowing recipients to choose from Karité's full range of shea butter skincare products. Available in denominations up to $200 USD.

Quantifiable outcome

• 223.17% increase in skin hydration immediately after application
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CoupangcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Coupang, a Fortune 150 U.S. tech company and the largest online marketplace in South Korea, enables Karité to reach shoppers across Asia. Karité's products are now available to consumers throughout South Korea and broader Asian markets through this distribution partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• L'Occitane en Provence: Global beauty brand with a foundational shea butter product line sourced from Burkina Faso through women-led cooperatives. Most direct comparable on shea butter sourcing model and sustainability narrative, though far larger and publicly traded.
• The Body Shop: Iconic natural and ethically-sourced beauty brand with strong body care category presence and Community Fair Trade supply chain. Comparable on ethical sourcing narrative, body butter/cream core products, and global retail distribution.
• SheaMoisture: Unilever-owned natural haircare and skincare brand built on shea butter and African botanical heritage. Directly comparable to Karité on ingredient story and target consumer, but operates at massive scale with full product lines across hair, skin, and bath categories.
• Tatcha: Japanese-inspired skincare brand (Unilever-owned) with culturally-rooted botanical ingredient story and premium positioning. Comparable on heritage-inspired botanical formulation, Sephora prestige retail presence, and dermatologist endorsement, though focused on Japanese rather than West African botanicals.
• Drunk Elephant: Biocompatible skincare brand founded by a dermatologist (Tiffany Masterson), now owned by Shiseido. Directly comparable on dermatologist-founded positioning, clinical-grade clean beauty positioning, and premium pricing model, though with broader SKU range.

Direct peers

• Epara: Luxury skincare brand founded by a Nigerian-born entrepreneur, formulated for melanin-rich skin with African botanicals. Most directly comparable on founder heritage, dermatologist-formulated positioning, premium pricing, and luxury retailer distribution (e.g., Net-a-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman).
• Beautycounter: Clean beauty brand with strong advocacy stance, consultant-driven sales model, and dermatologist-formulated products. Comparable on clean beauty positioning, dermatologist involvement, and premium DTC-plus-network marketing channel mix.
• Pai Skincare: British clean beauty brand focused on sensitive skin with certified organic ingredients. Comparable on clean beauty certification, dermatologist-adjacent credibility, premium DTC positioning, and international retail expansion.
• Beekman 1802: Goat milk-based skincare and body care brand with strong farm-to-skin narrative. Comparable on heritage ingredient sourcing story, body cream focus, DTC-plus-retail distribution, and bootstrapped-to-scale founder journey.
• Necessaire: Clean, sustainably-sourced body care brand with focus on active ingredients and minimal SKUs. Closely comparable on minimalist product portfolio, dermatologist-adjacent positioning, premium pricing ($25-$45 range), and DTC-plus-retail distribution model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mykarite
• Instagraminstagram.com/mykarite
• TikToktiktok.com/@mykarite
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mykarite

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Karité