Kabura Cecilia is the team leader and founder at Vitapharm Cosmetics and Vitapharm Aesthetics, a skin care solutions and skin care consultations business located in Nairobi.
Vitapharm cosmetics and pharmacy is home of skin care solutions. I offer skin care solutions and consultations virtually and physically. I am passionate about helping women have healthy glowing radiant skin.
As women, we know how awful unhealthy skin feels. Good skin is also a major factor in personal confidence which is critical for us. I also offer safe and original cosmetics products, and safe skin procedures to both women and men.
Apart from formulating skin care products, I am currently working on a book on skin care and skin confidence. In my free time, I love going to the gym, dancing, bowling, playing, and networking.
I come from a nursing background. I am registered by the Nursing Council of Kenya. I am also an aesthetic Nurse Practitioner, and now a cosmetics formulator. I have previously worked in the non-governmental organization sector as a reproductive health officer.
A few years back, I noticed that my face had started to get skin breakouts. The problem just seemed to get worse. I had never experienced this type of skin condition before and I initially hoped that it would go away on its own.
At the time, I was working as a nurse in Mombasa. I heard about many remedies, most of which I tried. But instead of healing my condition, the breakouts got worse. My self-confidence tanked. I was left with no option.
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It was either I searched for and innovated a proper remedy or continued to suffer. As I researched on dermatology and how the skin works, I met acquaintances who directed me to the right products that finally changed my skin and healed my breakouts.
This turned out to be my light-bulb moment. I went deeper and studied skin aesthetics, different types of skins, and solutions. I realized that I could turn this into a business. I have never looked back since.
Vitapharm started as a partnership business in Mombasa at the then Mombasa Uchumi Supermarket branch. It then expanded to Uchumi’s Nairobi branch When the retail supermarket collapsed, our money and investment went down the drain. We lost millions of money.
Years later, we have never been compensated. After this setback, I came back with a new business idea of helping women have healthy glowing radiant skin through healthy skin care products.
Starting afresh after the huge losses I suffered from the fall of Uchumi wasn’t easy. I had to quickly learn how to be resilient. I also learned to never get so attached to money as you can lose it anytime.
It took quite some time for my business to break even. When I started out, the skin care business was a very knew concept that many people did not understand. Go for strong ideas about making money. They can outlive the money itself.
The highlight of this business has been the success stories of our customers. This is a business that interacts with the customer at a very personal level. As such, knowing that my products have a positive skin solution is the proudest accomplishment for me.
This has come out  of being consistent, and intentionally investing in myself, taking skin care courses and uplifting my academic proficiencies and abilities.
Have an abundance mindset, there’s enough for everyone. Money is the most useless thing to be attached to, focus on offering solutions, and making this world a better place.
When you start a business focus on building your skills too. When it comes to saving and investment, my personal finance strategy revolves around reinvesting my money in the business, properties, and insurance products.
My goal is to ensure that my money is always working for me as opposed to sitting idle and losing value to inflation.
A version of this profile feature on Kabura Cecilia of Vitapharm Cosmetics was also published in the Saturday Magazine. The Saturday Magazine is a publication of the Nation Media Group.
