Latticia Morapedi Created A Product To Help Her Son’s Eczema. Now, She Wants Her Brand To Be A Skin Savior For Everyone.

In the summer, Latticia Morapedi finally quit her full-time job to focus on her namesake beauty brand, Latticia Organics. Founded in 2018, its wellness-centered approach is inspired by Morapedi’s mother and her holistic style of living.

“Growing up I would always watch my mom making her own face masks and scrubs for her skin using ingredients like Manuka honey and turmeric, and I would just sit there, inspired, observing everything she would do,” says Morapedi. “Then, in uni, I started struggling with acne all over my cheeks and chin. At first, I didn’t know how to treat it, which was really frustrating, but then I just thought about what my mom would do, and it was kind of a lightbulb moment.”

That lightbulb moment didn’t lead to a beauty brand immediately. Instead, Morapedi went into the architecture field following university. “The projects began to feel mundane, so I started blogging on the weekends and doing research on what it would take to start my own brand,” she recalls. “I would even make mockups of what my brand would look like and read books like ‘#Girlboss,’ which really motivated me.”

Morapedi became a mother and decided she was done with architecture. “It was just too male-dominated, and I wanted more freedom to raise my kid,” she says. Her son also provided the push that ultimately got her to start a beauty brand. When his eczema flared up to inflame his arm folds and cause flaky patches on his body, Morapedi set out to concoct a soothing, no-frills moisturizer that he could apply daily to minimize the condition.

“I knew shea butter was amazing for skin, but decided to mix it with other oils and butters because it can be very dense on its own,” she says. “I was looking for anything anti-inflammatory and cold-pressed.”

Once Morapedi nailed down a formula she was happy with—a process that took approximately five months—she posted about it on Instagram, where she showcased the great results her son experienced. It wasn’t long before she received messages from family and friends eager to try the moisturizer.

Morapedi called the product Ritual Shea Soufflé Moisturiser and, from there, Latticia Organics was born. Ritual has a whipped balm texture and is designed to address irritated skin from head to toe. It’s priced at 38 pounds or approximately $48 for a 100-ml. size.

“We have incredible reviews from customers who have seen transformative results from dry, cracked eczema to nourished, smooth and soft skin,” says Morapedi. “This means the world to me because I’ve worked so hard and still do almost everything myself in-house. Day-to-day, I’m a one-woman show.”

She adds, “Starting my own brand in a saturated industry has been both challenging and rewarding, but it has allowed me to bring my vision to life and share my passion for wellness and botanical ingredients with others. I believe that, by offering holistic skincare and facial treatments that prioritize the therapeutic benefits of natural ingredients and holistic practices, we can make a positive impact on people’s lives.”

“Starting my own brand in a saturated industry has been both challenging and rewarding, but it has allowed me to bring my vision to life and share my passion for wellness and botanical ingredients.”

A British brand, Latticia Organics has expanded beyond Ritual Shea Soufflé Moisturiser with four additional products: Ritual Daily Bath Salt & Body Scrub, Solstice Bath, Body & Hair Oil, Solstice Pure Glow Balm and Hand Poured Essential Oil Candle. The products are vegan, cruelty-free and made without artificial dyes or fragrances. The ingredients are chosen to be mood-boosting and have multiple benefits. Prices range from 25 to 53 pounds or roughly $30 to $64, with the most expensive product being Solstice Bath, Body & Hair Oil at 53 pounds or about $64.

Latticia Organics is fully self-funded, admittedly an arduous path, says Morapedi, especially as a young Black female founder. “There aren’t many grants and resources for Black female founders in the U.K.,” she notes. “So, when you’re trying to scale and come out with new products, it can be stressful and hard at times.”

Morapedi is determined to grow her brand and work with retailers that align with her vision and core principles. “I believe in maintaining control over our brand’s direction and values while ensuring sustainable growth,” she says. “I am, however, actively seeking strategic retail partnerships with retailers like Liberty London to expand our reach.”

Earlier this year, Latticia Organics was chosen by Salad Days, a maker’s market based in South London, to launch three exclusive gift sets on the retailer Selfridges’ website. The gift sets are now out of stock. On top of the e-commerce opportunity, the brand was given the chance to host an in-store pop-up with a candle refill station where customers could personalize candles. Morapedi hopes to do more such pop-ups in the future.

To spread the word digitally, Morapedi has been relying on different channels, with TikTok and Instagram being the top two. She hosts an Instagram Live series in which she interviews inspiring women in the wellness space on topics like self-care. She says, “I believe in the power of authentic storytelling and building a loyal customer base through meaningful connections and inspiring conversations.”

While Morapedi declines to disclose exact sales figures for Latticia Organics, she shares the brand is registering steady growth. She says, “Our sales projections reflect the increasing demand for our products.”

As for what’s on the horizon for Latticia Organics, Morapedi envisions it becoming a global wellness brand pairing skincare merchandise with bespoke facial treatments. “My goal is to create a brand that not only offers high-quality skincare products, but also fosters a community that empowers individuals to prioritize a wellness-first lifestyle and to feel confident and radiant in their skin,” she says. “In the coming months, I plan to expand the product range to include more nourishing and effective skincare essentials and to launch my holistic facial treatments, offering a personalized and transformative experience for my clients.”