Upon meeting Sabrina Elba for a quick chat in a cozy hotel room on an afternoon in late May, I was struck by how inviting her smile was. She floated across the room and greeted me with a warm hug (she had to lean down since she’s 5’10” and was wearing a sleek pair of heels), followed by a bright introduction. The nervous energy I had when I walked through the doorway melted away by the time we had made ourselves comfortable on the couch.
For the next 60 minutes, we talked about everything from the complexities of sourcing ingredients and supporting rural agricultural communities across the African continent to creating a line of melanin-inclusive skincare products and the healthy skincare habits that keep her complexion looking glowy. Below, read everything I learned straight from the multi-hyphenate model, UN Goodwill Ambassador, and entrepreneur herself.
A Conversation With Sabrina Elba: Founder, Model, and UN Goodwill Ambassador
What has your relationship with your skin been like over time, and how did you learn which skincare practices worked best for you?
I had really bad teenage acne and grew up in Vancouver, Canada, where I was one of very few people with melanated skin in my community. I found that not only did what I was experienced with my skin look different on my friends, but the results of the skincare products we used worked differently on me. It wasn’t until my acne went away then came back as an adult that I still wasn’t satisfying the issues I was facing and realized I wasn’t the problem.
The industry doesn’t [prioritize] testing on dark skin and weren’t speaking to me as a Black woman. I realized that dark skin is more sensitive and prone to inflammation, and brands didn’t want to spend the extra money and time on formulations for us. Putting more effort into those creates products that work for everyone. Melanin-inclusive skincare aren’t products that are exclusively for Black skin.
What it does is incorporate the needs of melanin-rich skin so everyone can benefit. Fighting hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and skin-barrier support is what everyone wants. These products aren’t niche. They just translate differently across skin shades. My business partner Jess [DeBruyne] and I were so excited to create something new in a space that didn’t exist yet for a community that wasn’t being seen or heard for a preventative [skincare] lifestyle.
Our formulas are packed with antioxidants in ingredients that champion A-beauty (African beauty), which is filled with traditions and customs that have been passed down throughout the entire continent. Putting that on the front of our bottles was important for us to do. I want to reclaim those stories and appropriated ingredients by promoting that narrative and the people behind them.
With so much available on the market, how did you begin zeroing in on the best ingredients for your skincare?
I’ve had the privilege of speaking to some of the founders for the products I use, and Dr. Barbara Sturm was one of the people who I had a really great chat with, specifically about her line for dark skin tones. I shared with her that I wanted to create a brand that focused on dark skin tones. I wanted to democratize that by making products available and accessible for everyone while having the same efficacy. I learned as much as I could from talking to friends and founders.
That must have been really helpful in your own skincare journey too! How do you keep your complexion so even toned and glowy?
I appreciate that! I’ve had such a long journey with my acne-prone skin, and to this day, I’m still getting used to the idea that I’ve done so much healing, growing, and learning how to deal with my skin. So I take that as a big compliment! I’ve use my S’Able Labs routine day and night for the past five years, and I’ve seen my skin change and just eat it up! It’s all about being on a consistent routine that doesn’t damage my skin barrier. We don’t use any drying alcohol or fragrances, so pulling all of that stuff out of my routine has changed my skin.
S’Able Labs was created with melanin-rich skin in mind using formulas enriched by African botanicals. What inspired you to launch a skincare brand?
I started with Jess! She has light skin, and I have dark skin, and I was like, “Between the both of us, let’s find something that satisfies all our skin needs.” We sat down during COVID and wrote down every ingredient we wanted and, more importantly, ingredients we didn’t want. We went to the labs formula ready with what we wanted but had to tinker a bit since we’re not scientists. There was no white-labeling, and we’re not faces for an investor’s product! This is us—pure passion and genuine curiosity.
We’re both aestheticians now. It was so much of a passion project it didn’t feel like work. The hard part of founding a brand is when you launch. You have this amazing product you love and then have to figure out how to get it out there to enough people. There’s an educational curb when it comes to what is melanin-inclusive skincare. A lot of people think it’s exclusive to dark skin tones when, in reality, it’s a product for everyone.
That’s what’s so great about the lip salve out now. It’s not intimidating, and people are really excited to try a new lip product. It’s a great way to get anyone who has never tried Black-founded skincare to give it a whirl. It’s scary for us to think about, but not everyone thinks it’s for them, which isn’t their fault. When you walk into a drugstore, Black products are in a different aisle, which speaks to what’s accepted by a population of people as not being for them. We’re excited to educate people about our products and how African ingredients can be used!
The unique HyperPrevent system is so interesting to me. How does it work to prevent hyperpigmentation and inflammation?
Hyperpigmentation (especially post-inflammatory) is something that needs to be treated 360°. It isn’t something that can be treated in isolation after the fact. It’s common to find a skincare range you love and have one product to address it, but your other products can trigger inflammation, creating a cyclical response. The HyperPrevent technology incorporates exfoliating ingredients and antioxidants. It’s rounded out with tyrosinase inhibitors that stop the overproduction of melanin. Because we don’t double up on ingredients across the products, using the range together is a preventative system.
There are a number of amazing ingredients that power S’Able products. How did you land on which ones you wanted to use?
Having conversations with the aunties was a big part of it! I asked what they used and researched throughout the continent, meeting the rural communities where we farm from. I have so many favorite ingredients, but qasil is one I grew up with as an East African staple. It’s an amazing antioxidant, but it’s also antimicrobial, which is great for fighting acne. It’s also a natural soap, so in the cleanser, we didn’t need to use sulfates. We always have a long list of ingredients we want to work with. We start with them, then we formulate.
I would love to learn more about the brand’s partnership with communities across the African content! What is the sourcing process like?
When you look at the supply chain, people are farming and sourcing a lot of ingredients that are only available in the global North. We should be supporting and investing in the people of the global South who farm those ingredients! Agriculture as a means for employment and economic independence throughout the global South is so important! When the youngest billion is growing up in Africa with arable land, going back to rural areas and farming should be seen as a viable economic solution.
We really want to support that industry. I’m privileged to have worked with a lot of NGOs (like IFAD) and had a bit of that knowledge about the supply chain, but before we got into the nitty-gritty of it, we didn’t know how hard it would be to get the lab to agree to source raw materials and find communities before helping them set up without the infrastructure. There hasn’t been an industry push to support rural people, so they’ve been left behind suppliers of the global North. We didn’t want to partake in that, so our whole supply chain is responsible and traceable while reminding people of the rural communities that create it.
Can you tell me more about your role as a Goodwill Ambassador? How were you introduced to it, and what’s your main focus?
I work with IFAD as a UN Goodwill Ambassador, and we met them on a trip in Sierra Leone during Idris’s homecoming. My mom had mentioned them because she grew up in a rural area but also knows the importance of agriculture and living off the land. She recommended I go and see one of their programs, so we found some time. It was just after Ebola had hit Sierra Leone, and IFAD was one of the only agencies that stayed behind. They showed how important it was for the systems there (the informal markets and the roads that lead to them) to stay open for rural communities because this is their livelihood.
IFAD has always believed that investment is so much better than aid. For me, it was also about reframing narratives. Africans, when I was growing up, were seen as waiting for handouts, and I knew that wasn’t true to the African people I knew. We fell into that work, and I’m proud to say I’m still a Goodwill Ambassador five years later. I’ll always be passionate about them and the intersectionality of what they do.
Do you have any advice for someone hoping to create a multi-hyphenate career like yours?
Just do it! I used to have blinders on, and Idris was one of the first people in my life that told me to see more and do more. I kept saying I didn’t know how to do things, and he would tell me to just learn. He expanded my mental space, and I realized I could just give it a go. We put so many walls up and limits on ourselves because the world is putting these things on us. Idris reminded me that I can never be put in a box. He does everything, and it’s clearly contagious!
I feel so entrepreneurial now that I’m literally always thinking about things I can do. That’s what inspired us to call it S’Able Labs—we always wanted it to be a place where creativity could stem from without being tied to one thing.
Shop S’Able Favorites
S’Able Labs
Moringa Lip Salve
Meet S’Able Labs’ newest launch: the Moringa Lip Salve, which happens to be one of Elba’s favorite releases to date. Featuring a formula powered by antioxidant-rich moringa, skin-revitalizing prickly pear, hydrating castor oil, and more, this lip treatment treats hyperpigmentation with the brand’s unique HyperPrevent technology to promote a brighter lip tone. Consider this one of the easiest ways to upgrade your lipcare routine.
S’Able Labs
Rooibos Micellar Water
According to Elba, the best well-rounded skincare routines include easy-to-use and high-performing products that can make the biggest difference in the overall health of your skin. The S’Able Labs micellar water is formulated with skin-identical lipids that enhance skin barrier function, South Africa–native rooibos to soothe and heal the skin, and skin-fortifying babassu oil.
S’Able Labs
Baobab Moisturiser
Addressing hyperpigmentation can be challenging (especially in melanin-rich skin), but S’Able’s products make the process easier. Without a doubt, one of the brand’s standouts is the Baobab Moisturiser, which combines the fatty acid–rich antioxidant properties of baobab seed with shea butter, bakuchiol, and licorice root. Not only does it restore the skin barrier with a unique noncomedogenic formula, but it also suppresses excessive melanin production.
S’Able Labs
Qasil Exfoliating Mask
Sometimes, your skin needs some extra help to reach its greatest potential, and the Qasil Exfoliating Mask delivers immediate and long-lasting results. Using the brand’s cutting-edge three-step HyperPrevent system to nourish the skin on the cellular level, this mask brightens the skin with a dynamic duo of Somalia-native qasil (tree of gob) and turmeric to brighten the skin. Its formula also features a trio of exfoliating actives to refine skin texture while breaking down stagnant melanin.
Discover Elba’s Beauty Must-Haves
Elba’s number one tip for haircare? Always sleep with a silk scarf like this one (not a bonnet) to prevent friction from damaging your edges and impeding hair growth.
Typebea
Ultimate Styling Serum
“I want to use scalpcare that’s traceless,” says Elba. “When I have a style, I don’t want to put oil on my hair and ruin it.” She likes using this water-based scalp serum before redrying the parts of her hair she’s applied it to.
When she’s running short on time, you can bet Elba slips Chanel’s nourishing and moisturizing Le Crème Main into her purse before she dashes out the door for a full day spent on the go.
