Our Story
Hi! I’m Suzan.
I am a South Sudanese/ Sudanese American, U.S. Army Veteran, wife, a mother and an entrepreneur who’s obsessed with health, wellness and beauty.
I was born in Khartoum, Sudan, but we fled to Egypt after the 1989 Coup. Then later migrated as a political refugee to the United States of America at the age of 17. While in Egypt, a church member brought the Avon company to Egypt and announced that they needed sales representatives and staff for their company; luckily at the tender age of 14, I met the criteria and without hesitation I jumped on the opportunity to become a sales representative. At that point, my love for cosmetics was born; hence broadening my knowledge about perfumes, makeup, skin care, and most importantly how to run my own business.
I was born in Khartoum, Sudan, but we fled to Egypt after the 1989 Coup. Then later migrated as a political refugee to the United States of America at the age of 17. While in Egypt, a church member brought the Avon company to Egypt and announced that they needed sales representatives and staff for their company; luckily at the tender age of 14, I met the criteria and without hesitation I jumped on the opportunity to become a sales representative. At that point, my love for cosmetics was born; hence broadening my knowledge about perfumes, makeup, skin care, and most importantly how to run my own business.
Growing up, I was very fortunate and comfortable with my own skin, therefore I didn’t need a rigorous routine for my skincare as I only dealt with the common monthly breakouts. However, after the birth of my son, I began to experience acne frequently all over my body. I refused to believe that harsh chemicals are the only means of treatment or that expensive spa treatments are the only options. After 30 years, I finally took a trip to Sudan in 2018, and visited a traditional Sudanese spa, I underwent all the customary bridal skin preparation, and was amazed at how wonderful my skin transformed in just 3 weeks’ time! I took notes from the spa owner, combined with my science undergrad background, I began researching the benefits of the various ingredients for the skin and was amazed by what I discovered. I wanted to share these natural skin solutions with the world, and the idea for Kandaka Safia was born. A green company innovating Sudanese skin care practices and using key ingredients native to East Africa to provide extraordinary healing and rejuvenating properties for the global market. I challenged myself to meet the stricter European standards for cosmetics in terms of avoiding substances that are prohibited globally, and using ingredients that are free from parabens, harsh chemicals, synthetic preservatives and artificial coloring agents. We are now proudly a Leaping Bunny Certified company, too.
I wanted Kandaka Safia to give back to my homeland, as it is women who have preserved our beautification traditional practices for over ten thousand years, and so I made the commitment that Kandaka Safia will source key ingredients from Sudanese, South Sudanese women-owned small businesses.
