Melas Beauty, a UK-based beauty products retailer, is addressing a common challenge for Africans living abroad: finding and regularly buying the beauty products they already use.

Consider Daniel, who moves from Lagos to London for work, or Adel, who travels from Nairobi to Berlin to study. Both may pack trusted skincare products among their essentials. Their routines initially continue unchanged, but eventually a familiar product runs out. Replacing it can involve searching unfamiliar websites, paying international shipping charges or waiting for a friend travelling from home to bring a replacement. Ordering several items may make shipping more economical, but it also raises the upfront cost. Buying from an unfamiliar seller creates another concern: whether the delivered product will match expectations.

This is the problem at the centre of Melas Beauty’s business. Founded by Ola Adeloye, the UK retailer aims to connect African beauty brands with international customers, beginning with a curated selection for shoppers in the UK.

The underlying premise is that moving to another country does not necessarily change a person’s product preferences. Body lotions, cleansers and hair products are used regularly, creating recurring demand. However, when familiar brands are not readily available locally, every refill can require a new search.

International shipping can become expensive quickly. Heavy bottles and jars increase transport costs, while VAT, applicable customs duties and courier fees can push the final price higher. A product that is easy to find in one country may be difficult to source consistently in another. Customers must also assess unfamiliar sellers and determine who will provide support if an order arrives damaged or incorrectly fulfilled.

Trying a new brand is more difficult when information about ingredients, usage and suitability is limited. If a problem occurs, returning products across borders can create additional expense and inconvenience.

In Great Britain, imported goods may be subject to VAT, and customs duty may apply to items valued above £135, depending on the product and its origin. When delivery companies collect import VAT, their calculations may include postage, packaging, insurance and any duty. As a result, the price displayed on a product page may not represent the total amount paid.

A local retailer can manage more of that purchasing process by providing product availability, delivery and customer support through a domestic ordering route. Melas sees an opportunity to make replacing a preferred product more routine for customers in the UK.

A large and diverse customer base

The potential customer base is substantial. According to the 2021 Census, 2.4 million people in England and Wales identify as belonging to Black ethnic groups. The figure includes approximately 1.49 million Black African people and 623,000 Black Caribbean people. A further 763,000 people were identified as either mixed White and Black African or mixed White and Black Caribbean.

These figures represent communities with different national backgrounds, generations and relationships with their countries of origin. A 2019 European Parliament resolution estimated that approximately 15 million people of African descent live across Europe. That older estimate provides a broad indication of the diaspora’s size, although it uses definitions that differ from those applied in UK census categories.

Retail data points to unmet demand. The British Beauty Council’s Black Pound Report 2022 found that nearly 40% of Black female shoppers struggled to find suitable cosmetics and skincare products. The report valued annual health and beauty spending by the wider multi-ethnic UK consumer group—including Black, Asian and other multi-ethnic consumers—at £2.7 billion.

The findings describe a market in which substantial spending takes place despite difficulties finding appropriate products. For a specialist retailer, identifying where customers encounter those difficulties can shape decisions about product selection, presentation and investment.

Melas’s current range includes Skin by Zaron and Dudu Osun, as well as Korean brands such as Beauty of Joseon, Purito, ANUA, Good Molecules, COSRX and Medicube. Its global brands include CeraVe, Olay and La Roche-Posay. Haircare brands include African Pride, Aunt Jackie’s, Cantu and Mielle. Melas aims to increase its African skincare range to more than 40 brands by the end of 2027.

The combination reflects how beauty routines are built in practice. A customer may remain loyal to a Nigerian body-care product while trying a Korean sunscreen or purchasing a cleanser from a pharmacy brand. Cultural familiarity may influence one purchase, while price, texture or a recommendation influences another.

For Melas, serving diaspora customers means accommodating those combinations while helping African beauty brands reach consumers who may be discovering them for the first time.

Adeloye’s own search for products suited to his skin concerns helped shape the company. Melas describes the original challenge as understanding what products do, how they fit into a routine and whether they are suitable for a particular customer. Its selection now considers concerns including hyperpigmentation, visible white cast, textured hair, protective styles and dark body marks.

The retailer’s proposition is to bring product access and useful information into the same purchase. Returning customers should be able to find familiar products quickly, while first-time shoppers should have enough context to decide whether to try something new.

Melas currently offers delivery within the UK. According to its published shipping policy, orders are usually dispatched within 24 to 48 working hours. This gives UK customers a domestic ordering option for products available through the retailer.

From recognition to repeat purchases

For a beauty brand, being known abroad and being readily available abroad are separate stages of growth. A customer may recognise a product through family, travel or social media, but converting that recognition into repeat purchases requires reliable stock, clear information, delivery and customer support.

A retailer such as Melas can present products to an audience it understands and learn from customer behaviour. The questions include which products generate enquiries, which sizes sell, which products are purchased together and which items customers return to buy again.

Those patterns can inform future purchasing decisions and give suppliers a clearer view of demand. They can also help the retailer introduce lesser-known brands alongside products customers already recognise.

The opportunity extends beyond people who grew up using a particular product. Diaspora customers can provide an initial audience, while wider product discovery can create opportunities to reach other shoppers. Making a product easy to understand and easy to order supports both groups.

The wider beauty market provides scale for that opportunity. McKinsey projects that the global beauty industry’s core categories—skincare, haircare, colour cosmetics and fragrance—will reach $590 billion by 2030, with annual growth of approximately 5%.

In the UK market, Mordor Intelligence estimates that skincare sales will increase from $4.84 billion in 2026 to $6.27 billion in 2031, representing projected annual growth of approximately 5.3%. These figures cover the overall skincare category, within which Melas is pursuing a specific customer opportunity.

Melas’s commercial model depends on repeat custom. A customer who first visits to replace a familiar lotion may later purchase a cleanser, discover a haircare brand or order products for another household member. Each return visit creates an opportunity for the retailer to serve a larger part of that customer’s routine. Consistent stock, a clear delivered price and dependable service will determine whether that happens.

The company’s proposed next phase is to expand its selection of African beauty and skincare brands while strengthening the relationships needed to maintain consistent supply. That includes identifying brands with relevant products, assessing customer demand and building ranges that shoppers can return to over time. Customer requests and purchasing patterns would help determine which products receive further investment.

Product education would develop alongside the range. More detailed routine guidance, comparisons and content featuring different skin tones, hair textures and preferences could help customers make more informed choices. Creator collaborations and customer feedback would bring practical experience into that work.

There is also a longer-term opportunity to serve diaspora communities elsewhere in Europe. Expanding into those markets would require delivery arrangements, local requirements and customer support suited to each country. Establishing a dependable UK business provides the foundation for considering those next steps. How the plans take shape can be tracked through concrete markers: progress toward the stated target of more than 40 African skincare brands by the end of 2027, the development of the described educational content and any steps toward delivery in other European markets.

For Melas, the ambition begins when a bottle runs low. Customers should be able to replace it without planning around an international shipment or another person’s flight home. Making that purchase easier is a practical starting point for a broader business: keeping African beauty brands part of customers’ lives wherever they live.