Would you share the story about your brand and the inspiration behind starting your your brand
As you already know, my name is Leticia, and I'm the founder and formulation of ladoni kind beauty. I get asked often what ladoni means. Ladoni is actually a word in my native language, and it means self care, so I just thought it was very fitting for my skincare brand like.
It's been a fun journey so far, we just celebrated one year this past May.Like many brand founders, I started Ladoni because I struggled to find products that met my needs.
The key moment was when I walked into a large skincare store and saw they were advertising shea butter from my home country, Burkina Faso. I got super excited, opened the jar, and didn't recognize the shea butter inside. It was white and looked like lard, whereas shea butter should be a golden color. This puzzled me and set me on a journey to explore skincare products, as I had never really done that before.
I started learning about skincare ingredients and eventually enrolled in Formula Botanica to become a formulator. During this time, I got married and faced fertility issues, ultimately being diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This led me to approach self-care more intentionally, seeking cleaner beauty products. I decided to launch a brand that would be eco-friendly, sustainable, and hormone-friendly. Even products marketed as natural can contain harmful ingredients like parabens, which are particularly concerning for those with hormonal issues.
I wanted to create something truly nourishing, especially for those with hormonal disorders, who often experience inflammation and acne. My goal was to develop products that are gentle yet effective. I also drew inspiration from my roots in West Africa, where I saw women in my community gather shea nuts to transform them into butter for hair care, skincare, and even food.
This connection to my heritage led me to incorporate those ancestral rituals into my line, blending them with modern science and high-performing ingredients to create something unique.
Where are you based now?
I'm in Canada, the east coast. So I'm based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Would you like to share what problems your brand solves for your customers?
Yes! My formulations focus on being gentle yet effective and super nourishing. I use a lot of organic plant oils and butters because our skin really needs nourishing ingredients that are safe. I incorporate active ingredients but ensure they are safe and include anti-inflammatory components to repair the skin barrier.
I also pay close attention to the scents used, crafting them to provide a calming, aromatic experience. I want people to feel pampered and relaxed when they use my products. Sustainability is also a priority, from using natural ingredients to eco-friendly packaging and ethically sourced materials. For example, some of my shea butter comes from women’s cooperatives back home, supporting their communities.
Transparency is key for me; I want my customers to understand exactly what’s in the products and why, so they feel confident in what they are putting on their skin
Where you get your raw materials from?
Some of the oils and butters come from back home in Burkina Furso. But, I do source from around the world as well, I always vet my suppliers to ensure they align with my brand’s goals regarding sustainability and ethics.
What challenges did you face when launching your business, and how did you overcome them?
There are so many skincare brands on the market today, which can be overwhelming for consumers. One major challenge is funding. It’s difficult to stand out in a saturated market, especially as a small, sustainable brand with limited resources. Sustainable practices can be costly, from sourcing materials to packaging.
To overcome these challenges, I’ve focused on collaboration with other small brand owners. We often help each other by buying in bulk together, sharing costs for shipping and materials. This sense of community has been invaluable.
How have you overcome challenges faced by the brand?
Having a community, building a community of like minded business owners is always helpful. And also, putting yourself out there, networking, just meeting people. Because, of course, we can do everything by ourselves, but if you're just out there and just saying what you need, you'll find people willing to help you.
Maybe what makes your brand unique compared to others in the industry?
Bringing the African botanicals and mixing in that with the science based active ingredients. I think that's quite unique. And also our focus on helping women create holistic skincare rituals, especially the ones dealing with hormonal imbalances, like providing products that are not only nourishing, but also safe, something they can use and know that actually somebody created that with them in mind, and the skin health in mind, and that they're not compromising the health they getting, all the nutrients they need, all the care they need, buy so using safe art, being transparent with my ingredients, my processes and all of that, I think I bring that peace of mind also to our customers
Who is your target market, and how do you engage with them?
I want to say primarily women, as much as we want to be inclusive. I think anybody who has, skin issues, they can use our products. Everyone, men, women. But our target is primarily women, especially those dealing with, those skin issues, those hormonal issues, and also people who just want really nourishing skincare products and that are conscious, like eco conscious and also transparent.
Tell us more about the beauty Mastery program that you're enrolled in, and what has been your highlight so far?
The program has been transformative for my business. Initially, I ran ads without a clear strategy, but now I've learned how to effectively capture emails through quizzes on my website. This has led to increased sign-ups and engagement. I’ve also focused on optimizing my website's SEO, ensuring that my product pages are informative and visually appealing. Implementing these strategies has helped a lot.
What are you looking forward to achieving by the end of the of the program that will actually follow your brand?
I'm hoping to gain more visibility with my brand. So implementing all of this knowledge that's learning and hopefully make connections and optimize my website so I can gain more visibility.
And I currently don't have any retail partners, so I'm hoping that at the end of this program, I will, either, have the opportunity to gain, like a retail partners or or even like, feel ready, , just feel really like I have my positioning, my branding, my messaging all here and like my products like , going to and reviewing my product and maybe reformulating some to make them more innovative, more comprehensive, I don't know, but just like bringing everything together and just being ready to approach retailers and maybe secure new retail partners. So that's, yeah, I'm hoping at the end of the program I'll I'll be I'll be there.
After her PCOS diagnosis, Lethicia sought a mindful approach to self-care and wellness. Her vision: indulgent skin care that prioritizes yours & the planets' health, your values, while empowering you to love yourself wholeheartedly.
Visit her website and transform your skin.
