# hanahana beauty

Redefining the Shea Butter + Body Care Industry

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/hanahanabeauty
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:144443
- Last updated: 2026-06-17T05:02:47Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-17T13:38:36Z

## Quick facts
- Grew to +$2M in sales, as a digitally native brand, without using paid marketing.
- E-commerce sales driven by 70% returning customers.
- Achieved 85% gross margins since the company was founded.
- Selling in +500 Ulta Beauty Stores nationwide.
- Awarded best in beauty by Essence, Cosmopolitan, Byrdie, Elle Magazine, & Beauty Independent.
- Current investors include A16z TxO, Longjump VC, Capitalize VC, Alexis Ohanian.
- Featured in: Vogue, Forbes Magazine, The New York Times, Essence.

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:99288: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:99289: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)

## Story
Why Are We HereSince 2017, Hanahana Beauty has scaled from a direct-to-consumer cult-favorite beauty brand to gracing the shelves of 539 Ulta Beauty stores. The unwavering support of a passionate community has fueled the rise of Hanahana Beauty! Our growth has been organic and our impact has been global, starting from the sourcing of raw shea butter! Now, we are thrilled to extend the opportunity for our community and customers to share in the ownership of Hanahana Beauty as we navigate the path of sustainable scaling. Join us on this exciting venture!What Makes Us Clean BeautyWhen we say consciously clean, we are not only talking about our environmental impact or the formulation of our products from plant-derived ingredients. We are intentional before product development starting with sourcing ethically directly from producers in Ghana. We have transcended the boundaries of a skincare brand to become a powerful movement. With sustainability, transparency, and creating access to communities that support us, as its guiding principles, it boldly challenges conventional beauty norms, empowering women to embrace their inherent beauty. Our Founding StoryFive years ago, Abena Boamah-Acheampong, decided to make a career pivot from a 7th Grade Algebra teacher and Counseling Psychology Masters student so that she could scale her burgeoning skincare brand Hanahana Beauty. Growing up in a Ghanaian household instilled a profound belief that beauty emanates from inner confidence and the restorative qualities of simple, natural ingredients like shea butter. Childhood memories include her mother's craft of warming shea butter and cloves to create family body butter remedies, with "nkuto" (Twi for shea butter) as the universal answer for muscle pulls, headaches, or dry skin.Years later, Abena's encounter with the unforgiving winters of Chicago, coupled with her frustration over opaque skincare products, kindled the flame of inspiration. Drawing from her Ghanaian culture and family's wisdom, she created her skincare solutions.Abena's curiosity and research revealed the beauty industry's lack of transparency and sustainability. This discovery prompted her to establish direct sourcing relationships with the Katariga Women in Tamale, Ghana. Meeting and immersing herself in their community not only sparked her creativity in creating educational experiences but also deepened Hanahana Beauty's vision to uplift black women worldwide through sustainable, ethical sourcing.Revenue for 2023 and 2024 is based on preliminary actuals and conservative projections.Understanding the SAFE and Your Expected ReturnIf you're new to investing, let's break down the key concepts of a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) and outline how your investment can grow.What is a SAFE?A SAFE is a tool that lets you support startups by providing them with capital. The unique aspect of SAFEs is that the exact equity you receive isn't determined until a qualifying event, like a funding round or acquisition, takes place.How Does it Work?Share Price: This is the value of a single share in the company, calculated by dividing the overall business valuation by the total number of shares.Valuation Cap: A limit on the valuation used to determine the number of shares allocated from a SAFE.Investment Outcome: Your return is determined by multiplying the number of shares you receive by the share price at the upcoming priced round.Let's Put it in Perspective with an ExampleImagine you invest $5,000 in Hanahana Beauty's WeFunder Campaign using a SAFE with a $7.5M valuation cap. For the purpose of this exercise, we will assume the business currently has 1M in total shares outstanding, on a fully diluted basis.Step 1: Calculate SAFE Share Price:$7,500,000 valuation / 1,000,000 shares = $7.5 SAFE share priceStep 2: Determine Your Shares:$5,000 investment / $7.5 share price = 666.67 sharesStep 3: Calculate Future Value: Assuming a future $15M valuation with a $15 share price [$15,000,000 valuation / 1,000,000 shares = $15 share price],666.67 shares x $15 share price = $10,000 expected returnCongratulations, your $5,000 investment has doubled! In other words, by investing capital into Hanahana today, you have the opportunity to 2x the value of your investment.Important Points to Note:Shares you get through the Hanahana SAFE are called preferred shares, which means they are senior to common stock and options. If there is a monetization event (like a sale), preferred shareholders get paid first, followed by common shareholders. This is good news for you as an investor, especially since the Hanahana founders have common stock and options – being a preferred shareholder is a significant benefit, especially for customers like you!The next fundraising round, which will likely be a priced round, will be led by venture capital firms and select accredited angel investors in the Hanahana network. Unfortunately, this means traditional customers/retail investors will not have a chance to invest in the next financing round.The current value of the business, set at $7.5 million, was determined by institutional investment firms, including a16z. Our advisors think that Hanahana could grow to a $15 million valuation in the next 12 to 24 months. Keep in mind these are projections and may change. With SAFEs, you can't be sure of the exact value until the qualifying event occurs. Just a heads up for you as an investor!Your returns from the SAFE will come when one of two things happens: (1) the business is sold, and all shareholders are paid based on the value of their shares, or (2) Hanahana decides to issue capital to investors through distributions.Remember, investing in a SAFE involves some uncertainty until the qualifying event occurs. Your investment could be the start of something exciting and rewarding!

## FAQ
1. **Hello good day , this brand & company as a whole has a promising future that I can see from afar !! from an investor standpoint what would you say is the timeline on ROI for your investors ? Also does the future equity opportunity grant its investors any rights to dividend...**
   - Hi Gregory, Thank you so much for taking the time to look over our campaign and also asking questions. To answer your first question, SAFE investment would provide a runway for ~18 months so the timeline for ROI would be 2026 At this time we have not created rights to dividends or other direct benefits but I am working with our advisors and also Wefunder to see what benefits we can create. Thanks, Abena
2. **Hello Abena and Hanahana Beauty team- I am a long term fan and customer and excited potential investor. I believe in the founder and this company aligns with my investor thesis. My questions are below: Knowing growth is contingent on marketing efforts, what marketing efforts i...**
   - Hi Lura, Apologies for the delayed response. Thank you so much for being a long-term customer and fan! Answering all your questions below. We also have investor info sessions if you want to join to learn more and speak directly with me, please let me know if you are interested in signing up for one. We are currently leveraging organic marketing strategies in SMS, PR, community activations ambassador programs, and social engagement. We plan to continue this approach as well as ad target paid m...
3. **Hi there! I see that 2023 projected revenue was $700k - were you able to reach this goal?**
   - Hi Casey, Yes we surpassed our goal by 3k and ending 2023 with 703K
4. **Hey there, I run a community venture fund and have a few questions for you that I'd love to ask 1 on 1 if possible. What's the best way to reach you before end of the community round for a zoom meeting?**
   - Hi Tristin, Thanks for reaching out -- you can send me an email at abena.boamah@hanahanabeauty.com.
5. **Hi Abena, Can you please shed some light on the general and administrative portion of your operating expenses as this line item is quite significant and seems to be the main barrier to profitability. Thanks.**
   - Hi Aazim, Thank you for your question regarding our general and administrative expenses. Last year, these costs were unusually high due to our expansion into Ulta Beauty stores. This move involved a comprehensive rebranding and a change in our packaging vendors, significantly affecting our expenses. Previously, we maintained lower minimum order quantities for packaging. However, with Ulta's requirements for their first order of over 15,000 units and new MOQs of at least 5,000 for each SKU, we...

## Team
- Abena Boamah-Acheampong (Founder/CEO)
- Imani Amos  (Operations Manager )
- Teni Odunsi (Executive Director )
- Nana-Ama Kyeremeh (Customer Service )
- Alice Harris Schlotterbeck (Data Analytics + Strategy)
- Samira Abderahman (Brand Project Manager )
- Frances Agyei  (Executive Asssistant )

## Q&A
- Q: Hi Abena, Can you please shed some light on the general and administrative portion of your operating expenses as this line item is quite significant and seems to be the main barrier to profitability. Thanks.
  - A: Hi Aazim, Thank you for your question regarding our general and administrative expenses. Last year, these costs were unusually high due to our expansion into Ulta Beauty stores. This move involved a comprehensive rebranding and a change in our packaging vendors, significantly affecting our expenses. Previously, we maintained lower minimum order quantities for packaging. However, with Ulta's requirements for their first order of over 15,000 units and new MOQs of at least 5,000 for each SKU, we had to make substantial upfront purchases—over 10,000 units for each of our 9 shea butter SKUs. This was necessary not only to support our Ulta launch but also to ensure we had sufficient packaging for ongoing production into 2024, resulting in an immediate expense exceeding $100,000. Additionally, our current fundraising efforts are partly aimed at covering the costs associated with transitioning to a co-manufacturer for product development of current SKUs and new SKUs. This change, similar to our earlier vendor switch, involves upfront costs, MOQs ranging between 5k -10k but will ultimately enable us to produce finished products more efficiently and cost-effectively. These strategic investments, while initially impactful on our expenses, are essential for scaling our operations and improving our long-term profitability. I hope this was able to answer your questions thank you so much! Abena
- Q: Hello Abena and Hanahana Beauty team- I am a long term fan and customer and excited potential investor. I believe in the founder and this company aligns with my investor thesis. My questions are below: Knowing growth is contingent on marketing efforts, what marketing efforts is the team considering? 12x marketing ROI has been high in my experience (typically seeing 3-7x for digital) but if there is broader support from a major retailer like Ulta, this would make the ROI attainable. Additionally, are sales concentrated in the US? If so, are there plans to expand internationally? If so, are the products formulated for other international markets like the UK? Look forward to continuing the conversation and thank you for your time.
  - A: Hi Lura, Apologies for the delayed response. Thank you so much for being a long-term customer and fan! Answering all your questions below. We also have investor info sessions if you want to join to learn more and speak directly with me, please let me know if you are interested in signing up for one. We are currently leveraging organic marketing strategies in SMS, PR, community activations ambassador programs, and social engagement. We plan to continue this approach as well as ad target paid marketing campaigns. Not only for brand visibility but also to reach new customer acquisition; segments including focusing on Ulta customers. We are starting paid media testing in February on both Meta and TikTok. We plan to leverage Criteo ( paid sponsorship through keywords for product page placement) for Ulta.com as well as collaborative marketing efforts and promotions with Ulta Beauty targeting rewards program customers. Product Development - Another key part of our 2024 marketing strategy is starting from the beginning of product development. Focusing on the efficacy of products and the claims ( certification, ie. national eczema certification, hyperpigmentation claims + more). Helps in creating products that not only meet customer needs but are also highly marketable to new customers. Influencer /Affiliate Marketing - In the past, we have partnered with Meta to engage in paid influencer marketing, we plan to continue influencer marketing in a new direction complying with our current Geneva group and also leverage the TikTok Creator affiliate program. Last but not least we plan to invest in quarterly audits about SEO optimization and increasing our social media presence. Our sales are mainly concentrated in the US but we do plan to grow globally. We are shipping internationally. Our current formulations meet the UK and European standards. In the past, we have worked with a UK-based beauty chemist as well as currently working with SULA Labs so that all of our future formulations meet European standards.
- Q: Hello good day , this brand & company as a whole has a promising future that I can see from afar !! from an investor standpoint what would you say is the timeline on ROI for your investors ? Also does the future equity opportunity grant its investors any rights to dividends or other direct benefits ?
  - A: Hi Gregory, Thank you so much for taking the time to look over our campaign and also asking questions. To answer your first question, SAFE investment would provide a runway for ~18 months so the timeline for ROI would be 2026 At this time we have not created rights to dividends or other direct benefits but I am working with our advisors and also Wefunder to see what benefits we can create. Thanks, Abena
- Q: Hey there, I run a community venture fund and have a few questions for you that I'd love to ask 1 on 1 if possible. What's the best way to reach you before end of the community round for a zoom meeting?
  - A: Hi Tristin, Thanks for reaching out -- you can send me an email at abena.boamah@hanahanabeauty.com.
- Q: Hi, kindly send me your pitch deck, and would you like to launch in the UK mw@miruminvest.com cc mw@above10x.com
- Q: Hi there! I see that 2023 projected revenue was $700k - were you able to reach this goal?
  - A: Hi Casey, Yes we surpassed our goal by 3k and ending 2023 with 703K