Pre-pandemic, the practice of self-care might have been perceived as superficial. But today the practice of self-care, especially in complicated times, can be very healing. It was with this mindset that Kisha Tyrell, CEO, and founder of Enzuri Beauty, created her brand comprised of skin-loving, emotionally restorative items. The Bermuda-born beauty executive came up with the idea for Enzuri after experiencing a personal tragedy and subsequently suffering from stress-related skin conditions. Beauty News sat down with Kisha to discuss how she brought Enzuri to life and her long-term plans for the business.

Several years ago, Kisha’s life was turned upside down when her husband passed away after battling cancer. She then had to balance the emotional toll of losing her partner with the overwhelming reality of becoming a single mother. As a result of stress, Kisha shortly noticed that she was experiencing breakouts and extreme skin dryness.

Since experiencing her first facial at the age of 12, Kisha has had a long-term love for the world of beauty and self-care. From a young age, she also knew that one day she would launch a business but wasn’t clear on what type of products to create. With a combination of personal circumstances and consumer heightened interest in self-care, Kisha realized she wanted to create a beauty brand that focused on healing, both emotionally and dermatologically.

When thinking about how she wanted people to perceive her brand, Kisha said, “It is about the wellness of the skin, the idea of taking time for you. Not only is it not selfish, but it’s also a must. Some people tend to think of self-care rituals as ‘I need to meditate,’ or ‘I need to journal,’ and sometimes skin care tends to be one of the last things you think about. I want people to remember the importance of taking care of your skin, which is your largest organ, and spend time nurturing and figuring out what you and your skin need. We’re all going through something right now and [the stress] is going to show up on your skin.”

Kisha began conceptualizing Enzuri Beauty in early 2020 and officially launched the brand in October 2021. Coming from a finance and insurance background, Kisha had experience in working with high-profile businesses but little knowledge in formulating beauty ingredients or creating a beauty brand. Kisha immediately began reaching out to beauty industry strategists, such as Melissa Hibbért of SHYFT Beauty and Patricia Valera of Beautybrandr, to learn more about the ins and outs of launching a beauty brand.

“I’m not afraid to ask for help. In the beginning, I was linking up with a chemist or other beauty industry experts to gain the knowledge I needed. What would work best, what steps would be more efficient, what ingredients would work the best together, that was a huge learning curve for me,” Kisha reflected.

She also noted that while many Black-owned brands received heightened awareness due to the political occurrences of 2020, as a Bermudan citizen she was unable to apply for any types of grants. Through her savings and freelance business consultations, Kisha self-funded Enzuri Beauty.

Today the brand has four core products; the HARMONY Toner ($65), the AWAKEN Cleanser ($80), the POWERFUL Serum ($180), and the Faith Night Serum ($180). Enzuri Beauty’s next product, as Kisha explained, will be a moisturizer with SPF, followed by body care products to be launched in the next few months.

The name Enzuri Beauty derives from a combination of the Japanese word “Enso,” a circular symbol meaning a variety of things, including finding balance in life and imperfect perfection; “Uzuri” is Swahili for beauty. The brand’s packaging features the Enso symbol, conveying Kisha’s desire for customers to find comfort in the imperfect perfection of life with all its joys and struggles.

The brand is available for purchase on enzuribeauty.com and in August 2022, Enzuri Beauty was added to the beauty retailer Thirteen Lune’s virtual shelves. The long-term plan for the brand is to enter luxury beauty stores.

“When I think back to my first thoughts about Enzuri Beauty, the image I had in mind, I just remember seeing Enzuri Beauty on Fifth Avenue, in a department store like Saks or Bergdorf Goodman. That was my dream for the brand… being able to see this vision in my head from over two and a half years ago and actually bringing it to fruition has been the best accomplishment in building this brand so far.”