The Society of Cosmetic Scientists Nigeria (NICOS) recently revealed that Nigeria’s cosmetics industry generates an impressive $1.4 billion in revenue annually. One of the forces at the centre of Nigeria’s $1.4 billion transformative cosmetic industry is Lilian Arigbodi, the founder of Lilian Collins Ltd, a respected name in the beauty industry. With over 13 years of experience, she has introduced innovative therapies and advanced equipment to Nigeria, always striving to meet international standards. Notably, she was the first to introduce a Nigerian Cosmeceutical range, empowering beauty professionals with essential tools and knowledge to provide top-notch client care.
Having earned certification as an Aesthetician from the North American Board of Aestheticians. Arigbodi’s expertise is further enriched by advanced training, including a Master’s in Aesthetics and specialized skills in Chemical Peeling and Lasers from Wigmore Medicals in the UK. She also holds qualifications from respected institutions such as Mesoestetic UK, Caci International UK, and VI Derm UK, as well as a Diploma in all Level 3 Beauty Therapy Courses from the Carlton Institute, London. Her certifications include Electrolysis, Facial Electrical Treatments, Body Mechanics, Massages, and Facials.
Since founding Lilian Collins Ltd in 2011, Arigbodi has grown the company into a household name, overseeing four distinct brands under its umbrella: Lilian Collins Aesthetics, which specializes in beauty and skincare treatments; Skinologist, offering skincare products and cosmetics; Beauty Agent, providing beauty equipment and trained therapists; and Wild and Free, focusing on home scents and personal care.
Arigbodi’s deep commitment to the beauty industry is evident in her consistent dedication to integrity, which has raised the standard of service delivery and brought world-class beauty experiences to Nigeria.
Could you share your journey from your education to becoming a trailblazer in the beauty industry?
I got my Bachelors degree in English/ Education from university of Nigeria Nsukka, I see myself as a creative as a result I dabbled into a few creative areas before becoming a Beauty therapist/Aesthetician. I did my basic Beauty training with emphasis on Facial, massages, body mechanics, electrolysis, facial electrical etc. in Carlton institute UK. I gained certification in chemical peeling and laser from Wigmore medical UK. I went on to finally gain certification, diploma then masters in Aesthetics from The North American board of Aesthetics.
What inspired you to start Lilian Collins Limited, and how did you recognize the unique needs in the beauty market that your brands address?
Though I have always been passionate about the care of skin, I would however say that starting this business was more of an instruction than I had a eureka moment. It’s been quite a journey and along the way, I have met with a lot of issues affecting the beauty industry specifically in Nigeria. For example: purchase of the right products and training of a Beauty therapist. The availability of quality machines and the training of individuals to use those machines properly. Curating treatments that are adapted to our skin type and bringing treatment that is effective and is result oriented.
In Lilian Collins Aesthetic, we curate a lot of treatments according to a standard that is not done anywhere. Skinologist helps with providing the right professional products to treat coloured skin. Beauty agents provide good quality machines with training at a very good rate.
Any humble beginnings you would like to share with us? And how have you evolved from then till now?
I have had several but the one that stands above all others: When I started the spa in 2011, there were no beauty shops selling what was needed in the area of products to be used in the spa. Something as common as professional body scrub, people were forced to make their own scrubs. Also professional products for facials and the likes were not available. I remember I had to get most of my personal stuff from my bathroom to kick off the spa. I felt really sad that I could not give my clients the best in the professional sense of it.
Read also:Nigeria’s cosmetics industry generates $1.4bn annually – NICOS President
How did your humble beginnings shape you to become who you are today?
This was one of the things that made me go for my training abroad so that I could be able to have that opportunity and an open door to the world of the professional beauty industry!!! After school, my view of beauty took another turn and went to a different level!! I understand that attending beauty trade shows is a must; if you need a good exposure on everything beauty, it also offers you the opportunity to compare and contrast so you can get the best available. I got a lot of company training from these trade shows, trust me I went to every city, state or country there was a trade show , so long as I heard about it!!!!! However, this shaped my love for standards. My early experience from knowing nothing about beauty to gleaning everything about beauty from my training to all the beauty shows I attended (and there were many of them) shaped me into the professional that I am today. If you lack training or education in beauty, you will never appreciate the industry and you can never understand why you need to stick to standards or ethics of the profession!!! When you do things right, you stand out and that has always been my mantra: Standard and professionalism!!!
What inspired the concepts behind each of your unique brands, and what do you think makes them stand out in the industry?
Lilian Collins Aesthetic is everything about skin health and of course am interested in wellness so you see us making healthy drinks and giving IV treatments etc. One thing is very sure in everything I do, I seek for the very best, am not interested in the ordinary but absolute best, best might not mean is the most expensive, for example while others source their IV injections from Asia I get mine from Europe because am interested in where and who is making these products, am in close relationship with the manufacturers and have visited them as well!! I love gadgets so my spa is full of machines, I am always a trailblazer in most of the innovative beauty machines e.g.: 360 degrees cryolipolysis/ laser/ RF/ cavitation. CACI ultimate (celebrity skin tightening machine) used by celebrities like JLO, Jennifer Aniston, Madonna etc, EMS machine (skin tightening) 30 mins of the machine is equivalent to 500 sit ups. RF (skin lifting and tightening) and Galvanic dark circles treatment machine etc.
When I finished my training, I found out that because I did it outside the country, I was opened to the world of beauty that I never knew existed!!! I also found out there are special products specifically for treating the skin in spa and not the regular products you buy in the market or beauty shops. However, this opportunity was not available in Nigeria coupled with the fact that most of the companies could not sell to our locally trained therapists because our curriculum did not meet up to the international standards so as to be able to place beauty therapists on the right level of education. Secondly, the products I brought in were not giving me the result I wanted because it was not made with coloured skin in mind. I had to combine 2-4 different manufacturers’ products most of the time to get closer to the results I wanted. Skinologist came as a result of this lapses; the beauty therapist in Nigeria being denied the opportunity to work with the right products not because they were not trained but because our curriculum was not readable and finally a search for the right professional skin care targeted for coloured skin.
LB training institute is not a company registered school but a vocational school. I am all about standards and this is one of the ways I thought to bring standards into our industry.
Finally, Beauty Agent is my help to the beauty industry. Most machines, even the most expensive ones, are made in Asia, specifically china. I spent so much unnecessary money buying all kinds of expensive machines after I finished beauty, some of them today people can’t afford to do the treatment because of the amount per session. The difference between ordering from any company in China and buying from companies that have already checked the standard is huge!! You are very sure of the quality you are buying from the companies that have already standardised the equipment so this is what I decided to do with a beauty agent. However, instead of huge money charged for these services, I make mine more affordable especially for up-and-coming beauty therapists or Aestheticians.
With your extensive training in Aesthetics, Chemical Peeling, and Lasers, etc. How have these qualifications influenced your approach to beauty and skincare in Nigeria?
I believe that most of the training we have all over the world does not consider coloured skin and all the conditions presented in this skin type. This is why I say I curate treatments; I learn the protocols of the manufacturer but figure out how I can twist it to work for our skin type. It is important for our therapist, Aestheticians and Doctors working on coloured skin to try and understand the black skin and figure out how to make the protocols they are trained with work for coloured skin. It is a big challenge but it is doable.
How have you managed to offer a variety of services while ensuring high-quality standards at Lilian Collins Aesthetics? Are there any innovative treatments or services that you believe set Lilian Collins Aesthetics apart from the competition?
We are result oriented spa, the target is always to leave the spa for most treatments with an immediate visual result so we are always on the look out for products and machines to deliver the most effective treatment. We curate a lot of our treatment protocols so as to suit different skin conditions and types.
We have a lot of treatment we have curated by ourselves in Lilian Collins Aesthetic that you can never get anywhere. However, we are open to training people to use these treatments and have trained a few therapists on some of these unique treatments.
Over the years, what changes have you noticed in the beauty industry, particularly in Nigeria?
A lot has happened in our industry, we have serious beauty associations, the government has also taken interest in the beauty industry and people are actually interested in standards. It has been an amazing experience and a beautiful turn of events. We are not there yet but I’m totally happy with how things are playing out!!! I love this industry and it deserves all the respect and recognition.
What are your aspirations for the future of Lilian Collins Ltd and its brands?
I want a continuity of the brand I have started and that it would outgrow me and become an entity with standards and professionalism at the center of everything Lilian Collins limited!!! This is my dream.
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