A few years ago, Ifedayo Agoro created the ‘Dairy of a Nigerian Girl’ (DANG), a platform of self expression with over one million members today.
When she started, she was not looking for ‘results’, rather just to tell her story, give her opinion on things and let other women know that they can be free, like her, in their speech and in their choices in life.
Of course, she is not a disruptor or attempting to pitch the women against the men; all she wanted was for the women to be free from all societal stereotypes, enough to achieve their potential.
“I got my major mindset from my mother and when we were growing up, there was nothing that was given to a male that was not given to a female,” she explained.
With the strong mindset, sincerity and assistance, she has been able to grow the DANG platform to a community of people united by common interest, with the members, especially women telling their stories now than she does.
Apart from the above, the women, through their genuine worries have encouraged her to become an entrepreneur today.
There were sustained conversations among the women of the DANG community that they spend a lot of money on skincare products made by Caucasians, which do not work well on the black skin because the skin types were different.
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It was in search of solutions that in 2020, Ifedayo founded the DANG Lifestyle, a skincare line for Black women and in February 2021, the outfit produced its first skincare product.
With the company, Ifedayo doubles as the founder of Diary of a Naija Girl and the CEO of Dang! Lifestyle. She is also an entrepreneur, content creator and influencer.
But since 2021, DANG! Lifestyle skincare line has grown in patronage, with over 450,000 units of the products sold across Africa, Europe, and North America majorly because of the DANG community.
“These women will bring their husbands, their mothers and sisters to buy. They will come back not because they like me, but because the products worked for them and that is one of the things that have continued to grow the company,” she explained.
For the skincare product maker, the intrigue is that till today, the company has not done any major campaign, yet it is selling in the UK, the US, Canada, Ghana and Kenya.
“This is as a result of this community that is supporting one another and they now in turn, supported this business to be where it is today,” she confessed.
The feat is actually a revolutionary success story for a home-based skin, body and homecare brand to redefine beauty standards for black skin in and out of Nigeria.
It is also a revolutionary success because the World Health Organization has decried that 77 percent of Nigerian women use skin-lightening products regularly, the highest percentage in Africa. Moreover, the alarming statistic underscores the need for alternatives like ‘Dang! Lifestyle’, which promotes skin health without compromising on the natural beauty of the black skin.
So, Nigeria is not about negativity as DANG! Lifestyle, a community-driven and black-owned business is making waves in the skincare industry globally and changing the narrative for the country, Africa and Blacks across the world.
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Its emergence has seen huge reduction in the 77 percent of Nigerian women, who hitherto, use skin-lightening products made by Caucasians.
However, Ifedayo is not relenting in her quest to see the black skin shine and the wearers being very proud of their skin type, hence a concerted effort at opening experience stores and making the products more available to those who need them, anywhere in the world.
“We are opening our first experience store at Akin Adesola Street in Victoria Island, Lagos. It is our biggest store yet for DANG! Lifestyle. It is going to be amazing,” she assured.
The skincare line for Black women also goes beyond selling the products to knowing their concerns and coaching the women on how having flawless skin can increase one’s confidence and self-love.
Today, the women in the DANG community, black women that use her skincare products all over the world and the men too, are praising Ifedayo for her boldness, which has created values beyond a mere online platform to a fast-growing global brand.
Meanwhile, with many Black women now proud of their skin type and using DANG! Lifestyle skin line to nourish them, she is fast achieving her purpose of founding the DANG community, which is to create a platform where women can feel safe to speak their mind, to rub minds, to learn and unlearn whatever they learn before.
As much as her skincare line is helping to reduce the number of Black women who are using skin-lightening products made by Caucasians, the entrepreneur insists that having that space in that space where women can speak their mind and not be ashamed of their experiences is not only amazing, but a goal DANG, DANG! Lifestyle and other platforms she created are committed to achieve.
