Olamide Olowe, 29, has stepped down as CEO of Topicals, the skincare company she co-founded with Claudia Teng in 2020. In six years, Olowe helped build Topicals into a Gen-Z beauty brand with 12× revenue growth in five years, $22M+ in funding, double-digit profitability, and over 10 million eye masks sold. The company has also donated more than $250,000 to mental health initiatives.
What started as a brand built around skincare for conditions like hyperpigmentation, eczema and acne has grown into a major beauty name, with Topicals now sold at Sephora and expanding beyond the U.S. The brand has built its identity around making effective skincare feel more culturally relevant and accessible, particularly for people with diverse skin tones.
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Olowe announced the change via Instagram post, reflecting on her six years at the company and welcoming Sukiana Chancy as Topicals’ new CEO. “Being the CEO of Topicals has been the most fun, challenging, nerve-wrecking thing I have ever done and I can honestly say I’ve had a ball,” she wrote. She also said she’ll be focusing on creative campaigns, strategy and vision-setting, while helping lead the brand’s marketing teams as Topicals expands globally into the Middle East, Africa and the rest of Europe.
Taking over as CEO is Sukiana Chancy, who joins Topicals from Fenty Beauty, where she served as general manager across skin, hair and fragrance. She has also held roles at Estée Lauder, DevaCurl and Cay Skin, bringing years of experience across beauty, marketing and brand growth.
For Olamide Olowe, this is less of an exit and more of a transition. After taking the brand from an idea at 21 to a global beauty company, she’s stepping into a different role and leaving Chancy at the helm.
Now, let’s see where Chancy takes it.