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By Rita Okoye
Onyebuchi Okoye is the Chief Executive Officer of Ayirah Gold, a Lagos-based entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in the cosmetics industry. He recently unveiled Ayirah Gold, a beauty brand inspired by his commitment to helping women regain their confidence. In this interview with Sunday Sun, Okoye reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges he has encountered, and the new ventures he is preparing to explore.
What inspired you to create Ayirah Gold?
It all started on the 30th of December 2016. That day was a day that changed so many things for me. It was also the day that I had a second chance at life. Yeah, I was involved in a fatal accident that almost claimed my life. And it left me with several fractures all over my body. I had to undergo three series of surgeries. And in the process, I had to take lots of drugs to help me heal. The drugs badly reacted with my body and gave me a lot of skin challenges, especially on my face. My face wasn’t my face again. There were a lot of blemishes, spots, and breakouts. It was really bad. And every effort that I made to correct my skin and return it to normal was futile. It tried everything. I used several creams from the pharmacy, even several capsules, all to no avail. None of them worked until one day, a friend who lives outside the country sent me a set of cosmetic products, and to my surprise, weeks into using the new products, I got my skin totally restored. I felt so good again. I was so happy. And then several years later, it became a dominant thought in my heart: “What of other people who might be going through the same challenge but couldn’t assess such assistance?” So, that led to the invention of Ayirah Gold. Ayirah Gold was meant to be a solution to several skin defects and challenges people are going through. I had no other products before Ayirah Gold.
Who is the Ayirah Gold woman? Describe your ideal customer.
She’s an excited Nigerian woman, possibly schooling, working, or building her business. She’s a woman who loves life and who enjoys looking good. She knows that it’s better to have clear, healthy skin than to have an entire drawer filled with makeup for the sole purpose of covering up her skin. As such, she’s ready to invest in the health of her skin. She doesn’t like stress and prefers to get it right rather than to run trial and error campaigns on her skin because of pricing or sentiment. She doesn’t want to spend a fortune on her skincare, but she wants to look amazing on a budget and loves affordable luxury products.
The name Ayirah Gold sounds luxurious, what’s the story or meaning behind it?
Ayirah Gold is the elegant bridge between harsh skin-lightening brands and basic skincare. We offer women the glow-up they want without compromising their safety, values, or elegance.
Building a business anywhere is tough, but Nigeria presents unique challenges—from sourcing and logistics to inflation. What has been the most unexpected hurdle you’ve faced so far, and how did you overcome it?
One big hurdle has been getting distributors in every state. The goal is for Ayirah Gold to be found in all the 36 states of Nigeria and expand to other parts of Africa and eventually globally. But getting distributors in some states has been challenging because obviously, for every demographic we have to do in-depth research to study the environment to understand how the people buy, and you know how best to present the products to match their needs. So that has been one of our big hurdles, but so far Ayirah Gold is now available in different states like Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, Kano, Benin, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Abia, Anambra, Delta, and many more.
Many entrepreneurs say the beauty industry is saturated, what gave you the confidence to dive in anyway?
The confidence is based on the fact that we are providing solutions to challenges most people are facing. So we are confident that one-time use of our product will get you glued to the brand. So it’s a solution-based product, and we are very confident that the competition and the circulation there have nothing to do with us.
What personal experiences shaped your passion for skincare and beauty entrepreneurship?
The personal experience that shaped my passion for skincare and beauty was the accident that I had in 2016. After recovering from the side effects of the drugs that were used to treat me, there was the strong urge to avail other people of the benefit of the Ayirah Gold brand.
What do you see as the greatest advantage of building a beauty brand, specifically in Nigeria right now?
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The greatest advantage is our population and our beauty consciousness. Our people have a beauty consciousness, so we are making sure that what we are providing is aligned with what they are looking for.
Sourcing high-quality ingredients is crucial for skincare. How are you navigating the supply chain, and is there a focus on incorporating locally sourced, “Made in Nigeria” ingredients?
At Ayirah Gold, ingredient quality is non-negotiable. We partner with trusted suppliers both locally and internationally to ensure every formula is safe, effective, and premium. We’re also intentional about sourcing local ingredients like turmeric, honey, and some botanical extracts, to support local farmers while maintaining the high standards our customers expect.
Your launch collection features products focused on brightening and radiance. Why did you choose to make this the brand’s debut statement?
The Nigerian woman naturally suffers from hyper-pigmentation because of the high levels of sunlight in our country. So, since our products are solution-based, that was the first problem I decided to solve.
Let’s talk about the “hero” product. If a customer could only buy one thing from Ayirah Gold today, which product would you give them, and why?
If you could only buy one product from Ayirah Gold, I’d say go for our Vitamin C Soap without hesitating. It’s our bestseller because it just works. It cleans, brightens, evens the skin, and gives you that fresh, healthy glow without doing too much. It’s gentle, effective, and the perfect first step for anyone who wants clearer, more radiant skin.
There’s an important, ongoing conversation about “brightening” versus “bleaching” in the African market. Where does Ayirah Gold stand?
We are still defining our position but the decision we make will always be customer-centric.
How do you find time to relax as a busy business owner?
Balance is something that I prioritize. Without balance, the world doesn’t make any sense. So obviously, I understand that there’s time for work and there’s time for play. So I try to stick to the balance. That’s how I find time to relax.
If you have an opportunity to sit with President Bola Tinubu, what would you ask for that would favour business owners like you?
Wow. I would ask President Tinubu to pursue and implement policies that would make the country conducive for business, to encourage people to invest in setting up mega factories in Nigeria. I would ask the President to ensure that the challenge of inadequate, unreliable and costly power is expeditiously dealt with to allow manufacturing activities to be restored. Also, I would also like the government to make access to foreign exchange easier, to enable business materials required for production of consumer goods in the country, and thereby create jobs.
For young African entrepreneurs, especially women, seeking to break into the beauty industry, what message of hope does Ayirah Gold send to them?
The core message I will give to them is that whatever is being done anywhere in the world can be done in Nigeria. We can do it here. It starts by believing in it. Anything is possible. You just have to put your mind to it.
