This Kenyan Entrepreneur Is Bringing Her Global Beauty Secrets To Ulta

Nyakio Kamoche Grieco, a first-generation American of Kenyan descent, didn’t learn her beauty know-how from YouTube videos. She didn't get it from celebrities or models either, for that matter. “My beauty journey started when I was a young girl visiting my grandmother in Kenya,” the entrepreneur said in a press release, announcing the launch of her new skincare line, called — what else? — Nyakio. “She was a coffee farmer who taught me to crush coffee beans and rub them on my skin using a piece of sugarcane to remove dry skin.”

Nyakio has taken that recipe and more, and bottled them up for her eponymous 16-piece collection, which just launched exclusively at Ulta today. She joined forces with Sundial Brands, which owns three other high-quality, culturally authentic favorites — SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, and Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture — to create the expansive line, which takes those family traditions and combines them with modern multi-tasking formulas for the best of both worlds.

Priced from $22 to $49, you’ll find hydrating ingredients like neroli, maracuja, sweet almond, and marula oil in each and every formulation. And Kenya isn’t the only country that sees its traditional ingredients represented in Nyakio’s impressive formulas — they’ve been sourced from 13 countries across the globe, like tamanu from India, chamomile from Egypt, baobab from Mali, and quinoa from Peru.

“Nyakio’s roots of family, natural ingredients, culturally authentic traditions, entrepreneurism and community impact closely mirror our own, so we have a deep connection to what this brand represents and the woman who inspired it,” a representative for Sundial said of the news.

For her part, Nyakio says, “I’ve curated beauty secrets like this from my family, friends and travels around the world and translated them into a full line of skincare based on cultivated global beauty secrets, cultural traditions and ethically and sustainably sourced ingredients. Inspired by everything that’s been shared with me, I’m now sharing the best in global skincare with every woman.” We’re ready for it.