Andrea Stewart, proud mum, Yoga Teacher, Health & Fitness Professional, IQA, Physiology & Anatomy Tutor. Currently one of the 100 awesome founders for FFinc Forward Faster (ffincforwardfaster2025), she had the first spark of an idea for her business, “Shades of Melanin,” 34 years ago. But it was the heartbreaking loss of a close friend to a rare form of melanoma three years ago that propelled her to take real action. That moment became a defining turning point, inspiring Andrea to raise awareness about sun damage and the importance of detecting melanoma on darker skin tones to launch her own range of quality affordable mineral sun skincare products. Her range is a zinc mineral hypoallergenic formula, that is vegan friendly, provides a broad spectrum coverage and is suitable for all tones, shades,  hues and skin types, without leaving a white residue after application.  They are also packaged in recyclable plastic, reflecting her brand’s commitment to sustainability. What began in the UK is now expanding across South Africa, Europe, South America, and most recently, Nigeria. Andrea leads a dedicated team of six, currently on line and in store at Diverse gifts and Tesco online marketplace.

LINK TO WEBSITE: https://www.theshadesofmelanin.com/

MeetKeyPeople: Hi Andrea, thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us, and thanks as well for the amazing sample! I really liked the texture, smell and quality of the product.

Andrea: Thank you for inviting me onto your wonderful platform.

MeetKeyPeople: How do you navigate between being a mum, a tutor and an entrepreneur?

Andrea: I believe that to succeed as an entrepreneur, wife, mum, etc., you need to be really good at prioritising; otherwise, you can become unorganised and important matters can get overlooked. Family is, and has always been, No. 1 for me, without their support, you can really struggle. Downtime, whatever that looks like for you, is also essential for maintaining your drive. I’ve often been described as ‘forever chasing my tail,’ and my simple answer to that is: when I cannot, I will not!

MeetKeyPeople: You’re totally right. What have been your biggest challenges as a beauty entrepreneur, and how did you overcome them? 

Andrea: Well, I ho...

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