Mathebe Ngwenya: Building a Beauty Ecosystem That Puts African Brands First

She trained as a chartered accountant and worked in corporate finance before choosing to build a business that helps African consumers access high-quality, local beauty brands.

After earning her accounting degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, she worked at Ernst & Young and later Rand Merchant Bank.

However, despite a stable career in finance, she recognized a significant gap in how beauty products and services were accessed in South Africa—especially for small, local brands attempting to reach customers online.

That’s when she created Beauty on TApp in 2015.

Beauty on TApp began as a mobile app that enabled people to book beauty services in their local area.

It later evolved into an e-commerce store that brings together a wide range of beauty, skincare, and wellness products, many of them made by small African businesses.

Today, the platform offers customers easy access to locally made products while giving small businesses a place to sell online without needing their website or store.

It’s a one-stop shop for African beauty brands—from skincare and haircare to wellness and lifestyle goods.

In Africa’s growing startup ecosystem, many e-commerce platforms focus on big retailers or imported goods.

Mathebe did the opposite.
She built Beauty on TApp around African consumers and African creators.

The platform is designed to make it easier for African entrepreneurs, especially women, to enter the market and grow their businesses.

Unlike many marketplaces that just list products, Beauty on TApp helps with logistics, customer service, and education.

It also builds trust by showcasing credible, quality brands and helping them grow. This focus on local products, customer access, and brand development sets it apart in Africa’s digital economy.

Beauty on TApp also helps tackle a big issue in the African beauty industry: many people don’t have reliable information about what works for their skin and hair.

Through its content and community, the platform educates users about products that are made for them and their needs.

Mathebe later launched Pastry Skincare, a sister brand under Beauty on TApp, to address common skin concerns like hyperpigmentation among African consumers.