RA Cosmetics Celebrates First Anniversary of Retail Store Opening

On October 10th, RA Cosmetics, a natural skin and hair care brand, celebrated the first anniversary of its retail store in Norcross, Georgia. RA Cosmetics, a Black-owned family business now in its 20th year, offers natural products focused on healthy skin and hair care, including shea butter, bandana oil, and turmeric soap.

The company sources its natural ingredients directly from countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Honduras. By partnering with local farmers, residents, and elders, RA Cosmetics ensures the best quality and prices, while also providing upfront payments in regions where bank loans are hard to obtain. This helps local workers sustain their livelihood without financial strain. Notably, most of the soaps made in Africa are produced by women, whom the company supports by helping them become economically independent and providing funding for factory establishment. These systems not only contribute to community development but also create jobs and opportunities, positively transforming lives.

(Left) Richard Etefia, founder of RA Cosmetics and father, (right) Adia Howard, the head of operations and daughter.

Richard, the founder of RA Cosmetics, responded to a question about the company’s competitive edge by saying, “As someone from Africa, I have knowledge of natural ingredients and local networks, which allow us to offer high-quality products at affordable prices. While large corporations operate on a massive scale, we can directly communicate with local people and respond to the market more flexibly.” Adia, the head of operations, added, “We carefully manage every step of the process, from selecting ingredients to labeling the products,” noting that they also provide good margins for their partners, enabling mutual growth.

RA Cosmetics products are receiving positive feedback from major distribution channels such as Walmart and Amazon. With online promotion raising awareness about their physical store, foot traffic has steadily increased. Looking ahead, Adia stated, “In the next 5 to 10 years, we plan to expand our warehouse space and fully enter the global market. We source ingredients from various countries and aim to develop sustainable partnership models to introduce more natural products to the world.”