Makari de Suisse has served skincare customers for more than two decades, first hitting the market in Paris in 1995 with products like Caviar Face Cream & Body Beautifying Milk. By 2018, Makari had expanded to 30 stores across the globe including London, Belgium, Dubai and Africa.

Manufactured in Switzerland with a name that means beautiful in Swahili, Makari de Suisse’s range was designed to address the many skin concerns among men and women with darker complexions. For the past 27 years, this family-owned brand has touted products that address the appearance of dark spots, stretch marks, even out skin tone, correct the signs of aging and fade hyperpigmentation.

Now, in 2022, Makari has relaunched, unveiling an updated website and new messaging that officials say will help the brand reach even more customers. The new website allows customers to shop by skin type or concern across different collections. In addition, a skin advisor helps customers choose the products that will benefit their skin the most.

What’s remained the same is the family-owned company’s dedication to creating products that gently nourish and regenerate the skin through the power of plants, minerals and marine ingredients. Today, Makari has a team of 30.

As the brand was heading to Cosmoprof, Happi caught up with COO Ezra Aini, who heads R&D, to get details on Makari’s relaunch and its hero products.

HAPPI: Tell us about Makari De Suisse and its position in the category.
Aini: Makari de Suisse was the first skincare brand of its kind when it launched back in 1995—addressing the needs of melanin skincare, developed and formulated in Switzerland. No brands were catering to this category in a safe way, we knew we had to get the best chemists and best active botanicals that not only treated dark spots and uneven tone but also acne and hyperpigmentation, we pride ourselves on being the leaders and ‘OGs’ of this ever-growing category. We also developed our own proprietary ingredient, Organiclairne, which is a key ingredient in most of our Makari products.

HAPPI: What is Organiclairne?
Aini: Organiclarine inhibits an enzyme called Tyrosinase, an amino acid that is an essential factor in the production of melanin. Tyrosinase catalyzes different steps between substrate and melanin. When tryosinasae is less active, the production of melanin decreases.


HAPPI: How is your brand different today?  What has remained the same?
Aini: What has remained the same for Makari is our results-driven formulations for our customers all around the world they know their products work for them and are consistent. We are always listening to our customers’ needs and wants and have addressed skin issues such as cellulite and stretch marks with our newest additions of body lotions. And ingestible beauty was an area we needed to be in, with our Blue Crystal Oralight Luminesce tablets that treat hyperpigmentation from the inside out. 

HAPPI: Tell us about one of your hero products.
Aini: Our Classic Bright Collection was where we started—and one of the key ingredients is caviar….We are extremely proud of some of our best-selling cult favorites, like our Extreme Argan & Carrot Oil Soap and Extreme Argan & Carrot Botanical Body Oil. 


HAPPI: There are many more brands and omnichannel competition. How does your brand plan to compete?
Aini:  We are a staple in the market and pride ourselves as the melanin skin specialists and our products deliver what we say and market.