African Black Soap Gets a Glow-Up From New Brand Raen Büti

African black soap has been a major player in Remi Roberts’ life since childhood. Family members would bring it over from Nigeria, often including batches handmade by her aunt. It was a deep-rooted beauty tradition for Roberts and her family, and one that now lies at the heart of her new luxury bodycare brand, Raen Büti.

“Raen Büti is incredibly personal to me because it represents a return to my roots and brings together the beauty traditions I grew up with and the perspective I gained from living across different cultures,” Roberts said. “There is so much history, knowledge and wisdom within African beauty, and I wanted to create a brand that respects those traditions, learns from them and carries them forward through body care.”

Roberts was born in Nigeria and has since lived in the Middle East and Miami, where the brand is based. But it’s those Nigerian beauty traditions that define Raen Büti.

The debut collection is a three-step bodycare routine. It starts with the Whipped Botanical Black Soap. Now, black soap is usually sold as a crumbly bar, but here it’s been whipped into a silky cleanser to make it easier, and more enjoyable, to use. Raen Büti uses a black soap sourced directly from Oyo, in south-west Nigeria, and the shea butter is from Ghana, supporting the artisans who have kept these ingredients going for generations. Alongside the black soap, the whipped formula contains shea butter, honey, turmeric, neem, moringa, and orange peel powder, and it’s designed to cleanse and gently exfoliate while keeping skin hydrated.

Next we have the Velvet Body Crème, a rich but light moisturiser made with mango and shea butters and a blend of avocado, coconut, jojoba, and grapeseed oils. It’s meant to melt in fast and leave a soft glow.

The Sunveil Body Oil is the last step in the routine. Rosehip, marula, sweet almond, raspberry seed, and carrot seed oils mix with frankincense and geranium in a blend designed to support the skin’s moisture barrier. Wear it on its own, or apply it over the crème for that extra layer of nourishment.

Raen Büti is available now at raenbuti.com, with prices from £46 ($60). The brand ships to both the UK and US.