With skincare becoming the daily topic of discussion from “Keeping Your Skin Moisturized” to “Back To School Regimens, ” brands and consumers alike are constantly figuring out the secret keys to unlocking radiant skin. With the term “fresh face” being the highlight of social media skincare, in 2021, clean beauty products are on every shelf. For founder Christina Tegbe's beauty brand 54 Thrones, Sephora wanted in. 

“I am feeling so excited. I’ve wanted to be in Sephora since I was 17 years old.” Tegbe tells Houstonia. “I'm really excited that Sephora took the 15 percent pledge and I’m so happy to be a part of this movement.”

A year ago, Sephora accepted the 15 Percent Pledge, dedicating 15 percent of it’s shelf space to Black-owned brands. And to continue its goal, the beauty conglomerate has now partnered with 54 Thrones. 

Named after the number of countries within Africa, according to the founder, 54 Thrones is  dedicated to spreading the message of Africa's origin on clean beauty. Traveling across the globe for natural ingredients, the brand includes personally sourced materials like jojoba oil from Egypt, Kigelia Africana extract from Kenya, or the Blue Tansy flower from Morocco in its products. 

The eco-friendly label has cultivated a must-have selection from face masks to oils, but the people’s choice is the signature Beauty Butter. The all-over cream is featured in an assortment of flavors like Ivorian Cocoa with Ghanian Coconut  and Nigerian Lemongrass with South African Palmarosa. 

Since its launch, 54 Thrones has been featured in prominent fashion and beauty publications like Elle, The Zoe Report, The Strategist and even caught the eyes of Oprah, becoming apart of Oprah’s Favorite Things of 2020. 

Below, Tegbe tells Houstonia her guide to skincare, and which 54 Thrones products are a must-have. 

Houstonia: You personally visit Africa to handpick and sort ingredients for your products, how do you balance flight mode while maintaining great skin? 

Tegbe: Water and sleep. Really taking the time to be mindful to get that proper rest. What I started doing this year is looking at rest as something that’s necessary. Everyone kind of has this hustle mindset, “booked and busy,” but rest is part of that. I've been a lot more intentional about rest, exercise, and also drinking water.  I love to bring our Osun African Beauty Mist, it's a hydrating mist with rosewater and aloe water that’s very, very luxurious, but it's light to hydrate my skin while I'm in the air. 

When it comes to moisturizing your body, what is the key difference between using a body oil such as the Minona Glow Body Oil or one of the body creams such as the signature Beauty Butters?

People who prefer a bit more lightweight body coverage, love the body oil. The “ace” of the body oil is Jojoba oil which is an oil that is most like your skin’s sebum, that creates its own oils that you can't see to protect and hydrate.

If you're looking for something lighter then the Minona Glow Body Oil will give a nice glow and a nice sheen on your skin, but it is going to be lighter weight than our beauty butter. Beauty Butters are great for dry skin all over. But again, it's going to give you more moisturization. 

True or False, is it best to apply body Beauty Butter while skin is damp?

I love to apply body moisturizers when my skin is still wet or damp. I love how our Beauty Butters are emollients, but they're also occlusive, so they're going to lock in that moisture, while still allowing your skin to be able to breathe. When you’re out of the shower and you're still kind of damp, it feels so good to put the Beauty Butter on, on top, and it's just so glowy and soft. So true, I would say it's best to put it on when your skin is still moist or damp.

What are your top three 54 Thrones must-haves?

The first one, I would say is Minona Glow Body Oil, it’s like Cleopatra's garden. It smells so good, it's so lightweight and it's great to use all year long.

Number two would be the Beldi Moroccan Body Mask because I love its texture and smell. Third I would say Oprah's Favorite Things Deluxe Beauty Butter Tin because you get five beauty butters, so you can share or keep them all. I would say those would be my top three.

Shop now online at 54 Thrones and look out for the Sephora launch in September.