All Embracing: Uoma Beauty
Brand founder Sharon Chuter shares her take on true beauty, advocating freedom of self-expression and confidence for all
Read more
UOMA Beauty
Brand founder Sharon Chuter shares her take on true beauty, advocating freedom of self-expression and confidence for all
Shop UOMA BeautyHaving landed in an industry that has a way to go, for Nigerian-born brand founder Sharon Chuter, a fresh approach was non-negotiable. Driving the beauty revolution with an all-embracing attitude and ground-breaking formulas that leave no individual untended, her brand UOMA Beauty exists to inspire confidence in everyone. Here, she talks more than makeup – sharing a beauty positive mindset that welcomes difference and nurtures confidence from the outside in…
Where did you begin your journey in beauty?
Total accident – I wanted to be a singer! Long story short, I brought REVLON to Nigeria. That’s where my love for beauty began. I loved maths as a kid; I loved all academics – but I also loved to be creative. I would write poems, and even asked my parents for an advanced dictionary instead of a bicycle. Now, I’ve found a career that allows me to utilise both of those sides together.
What inspired you to create your own brand?
I knew I needed to make a change when I found myself complaining all the time – I live by philosophies like “talk is cheap”, and “be the change you want to see”. We all complain about things we’re not happy with, but rarely are we prepared to risk it all to find the solution. I embarked on this journey in the hope that at the end of the day, I can say I played a small part in making the world a better place – a place where women who look like me understand that they are truly beautiful, and have the courage to explore that from the outside in. We feel beautiful when we are genuinely confident and at peace with ourselves; women are unstoppable.
We are not a beauty brand—we are a movement.
The collection represents more than just makeup. What does UOMA Beauty stand for?
UOMA means beautiful in Igbo – a Nigerian dialect. Our brand allows you to be your truest, ultimate self—that’s beautiful. UOMA Beauty is also about freedom; freedom of authentic self-expression – to be free to be unapologetically me, with or without makeup and the other things we add. No filter, no compromise.
Every person deserves to have that feeling of being enough, being worthy, being beautiful – it’s quite a liberating feeling.
What change do you wish to see in the beauty industry?
More fairness, quality, and inclusivity. I wish to see more people inspired to create new brands and share more cultural stories. I want to see an Indian makeup brand in a beauty hall that will allow me to enjoy a new perspective on beauty. My hope is that in 10 years’ time, when we walk into a beauty hall, it’s not just the big brands making average attempts at true culture, but brands from all over the world each sharing their authentic views of beauty.
Which product is your desert island must-have?
Definitely Say What?! Foundation. It is the only product on the market that not only lives in that confluence of wellness and beauty – in that it is a high-performance makeup product infused with nurturing skin care ingredients – it’s also the first makeup formula tailored by shade to meet the unique needs of different skin colour groups.
What advice can you give for finding the perfect shade when shopping online for makeup?
Do your research. It’s good to know your undertone – it saves a lot of time, and will help narrow down your selection. There is no standard within brands, so you have to know what you’re working with. You likely won’t get it right on the first go – but you can try again. The good news is, once you get it right, its right! But whatever you do, don’t purchase ten and then return nine, as beauty can’t be resold – it’s wasteful both to the brand and to the environment.
