Bolden Cofounders Interview About Creating a Skin-Care Brand

Some may say that going into business with family can be messy, but the co-founders of Bolden, a skin-care brand formulated with women of color in mind, would say otherwise. Ndidi Obidoa and Chinelo Chidozie first met when they were girls in a Nigerian boarding school. They lost touch until adulthood — until they, by happenstance, dated brothers. This made them family. Creating Bolden made them partners.

A lot can be credited for the success of Bolden, but it’s their multi-hyphenate relationship that helped make it blossom in the beginning and thrive today. “Whenever people ask me, ‘Would you do this if you had to do it again?’ and I could not do it alone,” says Obidoa of her partnership with Chidozie. “Just having her as my confidant, not just in business, but in life . . . She knows how to bring you back to center.”

It’s been eight years since Bolden first launched and nearly one year since the brand took up residence in Walmart. Fittingly, the Walmart Black & Unlimited: The Shoutout platform is all about amplifying Black business owners, artists, and creators, so in honor of this initiative, we spoke with Obidoa and Chidozie about their origin story, unique partnership, and tight-knit community of customers — giving them a shoutout, if you will.

On Their Lightbulb Moment

While on vacation in Key West, Florida, Obidoa and Chidozie searched for sunscreen, but quickly discovered that the existing formulas on the market didn’t work for them or their darker skin tones. “That was a lightbulb moment for us: whoever was formulating this didn’t have us primarily as a customer in mind and we could make a difference,” Chidozie says. This is how Bolden was born.

The name — Bolden — comes from the word embolden. “It really reflects our mission, which is to make skin care that empowers women,” Obidoa says. “We focus on Black women, and they know that our products empower them and help them embrace their beautiful skin. When people know that you’re focusing on them, specifically, it helps give them a feeling of being seen.”

A common beauty myth is that darker skin tones don’t need sun protection because of their melanated complexions, but the science says that’s not true: it’s important for everyone to wear sunscreen. So, the early days of Bolden were about education, showcasing all the benefits SPF has to offer, including UV ray protection and hyperpigmentation prevention.

To Chidozie, a successful marketplace is an inclusive one, where everyone has options and no one feels like an afterthought. “We want to change the narrative that you are the focus,” she says, directing this sentiment to Bolden’s Black consumers. “When we’re testing, we’re testing on you. You are worthy.”

On What Sets Bolden Apart

“You have to walk in the shoe to know where it hurts,” Chidozie says. And because she and Obidoa understand the pain points of their consumer base, they can bring those viewpoints to the table — and that’s their strength. Sunscreens that leave behind a white cast were a problem worth solving and improving. “We like to say that the best sunscreen is the one that you wear regularly because you have to be compliant to get the full benefit,” Chidozie says. So, they made Bolden sunscreen like their favorite moisturizer: one product with multiple functions. It moisturizes skin while protecting it from the sun — sans chalky residue — and is budget-friendly. “We understand that accessibility is an issue, especially with getting products that are high quality.”

Obidoa and Chidozie spent years traveling to trade shows and giving out free samples of Bolden products in order to create word-of-mouth promo — and it worked. Then, the brand joined the Walmart Black & Unlimited family and its reach was amplified (literally, 90 percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart store). Beyond being a Black-owned business, Bolden is also budget conscious, a value Walmart shares. “We don’t think skin care is luxury, ” Chidozie says. “We think skin care is a need. So this partnership has been one for distribution, accessibility, and validation that our customers are worthy of products made intentionally.”

On the Power of Customers

You have to wear a lot of hats as a co-founder, and Obidoa and Chidozie agree that while developing new products is exciting, so is meeting Bolden customers. “The community that we’ve built is so rewarding,” Chidozie says. “It’s like we’ve been best friends. We’ve been invited to several family reunions and cookouts.”

When it comes to feedback, Obidoa and Chidozie listen. Sometimes that feedback makes its way into the lab. Fun fact: the eye cream was a frequently-requested product. “Customers have asked us to make the Dark Spot Fix into a body cream, and we’re considering that,” Chidozie says.

“That’s one of the benefits of attending all the shows, the conventions, and just meeting people,” Obidoa says. “They talk to you about their skin-care issues. Over time, you start to hear the same types of problems. It tells you that there’s a gap, to think of new products, new ideas to bring to the table.”

On Building Success

Launching your own business, especially in a saturated market, can pose a serious challenge. Chidozie’s advice? You have to solve a problem. Make something distinct and different, she says. “If you do a great job at solving that problem, your customers will find you. Find opportunities where there are great spaces in the market and give us a solution.”

Yes, do market research, but also start. Get started now — not later. “Sometimes people want to have everything lined up and that’s the advice I’ve given a lot of friends that have wanted to start their businesses,” Obidoa says. “You can’t wait for everything to be perfect. Sometimes you adapt as you learn. So just start doing.”