From the right to perfumes: Oumou Kalsoum Sakho, 27, dares to bet on Senegalese luxury
A trained lawyer, Oumou Kalsoum Sakho, 27, was inspired by her Saint-Louis roots to launch her own 100% Senegalese premium cosmetics brand. A bold bet, driven by rigor, resilience and the desire to redefine the local offer.
Saint-Louis is a city known for its refinement, but also for the elegance of its women. And Oumou Kalsoum Sakho is no exception. This young woman with a caramel complexion has everything of the 300-year-old city in her beauty but also in her elegance. As a good “domu Ndar”, proud of her origins, she was strongly inspired by her roots to create, in 2023, her premium cosmetics brand. “It emphasizes the quality of the formulas, the choice of ingredients and the care taken in manufacturing,” explains the entrepreneur. Beyond this aspect, she continues, it is also a positioning that enhances the brand image, packaging and customer experience, with products designed to stand out and provide real added value.
The O’LUXE brand was also born from a “bitter observation”, according to Oumou Kalsoum Sakho. “There was no 100% Senegalese premium cosmetics brand. On the one hand, imported products are often very expensive and not always suitable for black skin. On the other hand, local products lack standardization, a premium image and are difficult to distribute on a large scale,” she regrets. Faced with this reality, the entrepreneur decided to stand out by creating a structured brand, designed from the start around a hybrid model while respecting high standards of quality and image.
Assumed passion
“The production is carried out with great rigor. The formulations are carefully selected and developed with specialized partners, recognized for their know-how,” informs the young lady, who says she thrives fully in this sector, even if her journey has not been without pitfalls.
The entrepreneur did not immediately move into the world of scents and cosmetics. It took him a while to find his way. However, everything predestined her for a career in law. Academically, her profile as a brilliant student does not go unnoticed: first in her center in the baccalaureate, winner of several dictation competitions, she has a string of successes without a false note. After this remarkable journey, she continued to study law.
“My training taught me rigor, a sense of analysis and responsibility. These are essential skills for entrepreneurship,” she emphasizes. According to her, entrepreneurship has been a real revelation. “It allowed me to apply these skills in practice, by structuring a project, securing professional relationships and building a brand on solid foundations. For me, it is a logical continuation of my journey,” she says.
Difficult start
But everything has not been rosy for the founder of O’LUXE. “When I started, I received many rejections. Some people questioned my background and wondered why I had trained in law to work in the field of cosmetics and perfumes,” she recalls. As a twist of fate, she will also be the victim of a scam worth several million CFA francs. “This ordeal was very significant, but also educational,” she puts things into perspective. The entrepreneur also had to face prejudice. “I have sometimes been confronted with labels unrelated to my work or my skills. It taught me to stay focused on the essential, to maintain a professional posture and to move forward with consistency,” she confides.
Despite these obstacles, Oumou Kalsoum Sakho does not intend to stop there. Its ambition is to consolidate O’LUXE as a premium reference in Senegal, before gradually developing the brand internationally, while remaining faithful to its values of quality, rigor and authenticity. Well-defined ambitions for the one who was, originally, predestined for a career in law.
Arame NDIAYE
