By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
INGLEWOOD — As a child growing up in her native Senegal, Marianne Ndiaye, now known in Inglewood as the “Body Butter Lady,” had eczema.
“It was very bad,” she said. “My hand would literally have so many cuts I’d wear gloves when I went out in public. I couldn’t find anything to use on my skin that eased the itching and pain.”
When she moved to Inglewood 20 years ago, after studying computer science at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal and at the University of Montreal, her eczema worsened. After trying numerous chemical creams and lotions that didn’t work, she set out to solve the problem by returning to her roots and using African remedies.
“My mother made a body butter for us back home that had helped somewhat, and I started making it here,” Ndiaye said. “I tweaked it, added a few different ingredients and came up with my own formulations.”
The mixture she made soothed her eczema so noticeably that it wasn’t long before people started asking what she was using on her skin.
Not long after perfecting her body butter, Ndiaye launched Body Butter Lady, a popular brand that today is known for its line of handmade bath and beauty products.
Ndiaye, who gets her Shea butter from Ghana and Mali, prides herself in crafting products that are vegan, organic and free of preservatives, with no added colors or mineral oil.
“We make everything from scratch,” she said. “We don’t buy pre-made bases. I formulate everything. All of my products have a unique formulation.
“Everything you need for your skin, nature has it,” Ndiaye added. “We take care of the inner and outer beauty. You can even eat our Shea butter. Our motto is, ‘If you can’t eat it, you shouldn’t put it on your body.’”
Ndiaye’s popularity and business success did not happen overnight. It was a long, hard, step-by-step climb that took years before she was positioned to open her store. Ultimately, it took hustle.
She began by offering samples, displaying her butters anywhere and everywhere she could. Her first stop was the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
“I had a small square table, and I would stay there the whole day and only make $20,” Ndiaye said. “I didn’t give up, though. I was there every day for 15 days. I had no doubts. I knew people didn’t know the product yet.”
In tough times, she rode the bus, giving passengers samples and then sometimes, selling a small jar of Shea butter for $5.
“I did that for a month,” she said. “I would make $10-$15 a day.”
Singularly focused, she put down a carpet and sold butters at the Hollywood Walk of Fame and for five years, hawked her wares on the Venice Beach boardwalk. The beach presented a problem that would lead to a major breakthrough for her. In the sunlight, her butters melted.
“I had to find a way to sell it without it melting,” Ndiaye said. “I started putting the Shea butter in buckets and scooping it up in front of the customers. I did county fairs and festivals. People started recognizing me. That’s how I got the name ‘Body Butter Lady.’ Everyone would ask, ‘Are you the Body Butter Lady’? I actually didn’t have a name before that.”
Today she sells her products out of a spacious brick-and-mortar business located on Market Street in downtown Inglewood. She also makes the rounds at various farmers markets, festivals and special events around Los Angeles. Many of her customers buy her products for the luster and softness they impart to skin, not necessarily to treat a skin condition.
“I’ve been in this store six years,” Ndiaye said. “I didn’t want to do malls. I wanted to have a brick-and-mortar where I make my own hours. This is a Black community, and my whole goal from the beginning was to serve the underserved communities. I want to tell other business owners it’s possible to be here with quality products and yes, people will come and patronize you.”
Trusting her intuition has served her well. Her first scent, called Mingle, is still her best seller. Other scents include Patchouli, Lavish, Cherry Blossom, Tango, Egyptian Musk and Rose. One butter is unscented.
Her brand has expanded to include body scrubs, hair food, deodorants, tooth powder, bath and body oils, soaps, candles, face masks, lip oil, lip scrub, bath bombs, shower steamers, beard oil, shampoo/body washes and shampoo and conditioner bars.
In addition to her popular skin care products, right next door to her shop, in another storefront, Ndiaye has the Serenity Lady Wellness Center.
There, she sells herbal remedies, teas, spices, African folk medicines, immunity boosters, essential oils, tinctures, smudges, carrier oils and more. Services include hand rejuvenation, foot stimulation, scalp manipulation, face revitalization and yoni steaming. Ndiaye also plans to include a sound bath, scream therapy, laugh therapy, meditation, yoga and more.
After working hard on formulating her products, she is now focused on strengthening her business acumen. Eager to get more business knowledge under her belt, Ndiaye enrolled in a one-year business management class at West Los Angeles College last fall.
“I learned that no matter what you’re selling, you can always find your niche,” said the mother of two. “If you’re not selling, you are not finding your niche. And I learned that I am resilient. I can take anything that comes for me. I’m strong and unbreakable. I want to leave a legacy for my kids just like all these other skincare brands did for their kids.”
Recent growth and change in the city of Inglewood has largely been positive for her business, including the new sports and entertainment district. Like other business owners in the area, Ndiaye wonders how the proposed Inglewood Transit Connector project, an automated people mover, will affect her store.
“The good part is there will be more people parking their cars and walking,” she said. “Getting through construction may be hard. I was scared at first, but overall, I think the train will bring more good than anything else.”
Ndiaye loves Inglewood.
“We have a melting pot now,” she said. “Before it was majority Black. Now we have white, Black, Asian and Hispanic. I love it. It’s really good living here.
“People told me it was dangerous and that I’d be wasting my money. I said, ‘Nah, I’m going to open a business here and it’s going to work. I was right,” she said with a smile.
The Body Butter Lady products can be found at its brick-and-mortar location at 320 S. Market St., Inglewood, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Her products also can be found at the Melrose Trading Post on Sundays, the Jolof Hair Salon, Hair Food Only, Simply Wholesome, Urbana Goods and Conns Beauty Supply and at www.bodybutterlady.com.
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
