Portia Mngomezulu pays homage not only to the women who raised her but also to the marula tree that cradled her childhood dreams beneath its shade. That same tree, once a place of wonder and reflection in her rural village of Ga Mashishimale in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, is the inspiration behind her now-iconic Marula Skin Oil, and stands as a powerful symbol of a dream realised.
It’s a beautiful day when I arrive at Fairlawns Boutique Hotel, nestled in the leafy suburb of Sandton. The tranquil surroundings seem almost prophetic—the perfect setting for a conversation rooted in alignment, legacy, and growth. As I chat with Portia M’s charismatic publicist, Alexis, we both remark on the energy of the space. Though we’ve each been here before, today feels different. Nature leans in, gently asserting its presence. It’s a reminder of stillness and strength—qualities that echo in Portia’s story.
Just moments later, Portia M arrives. Wrapped in calm and grounded elegance, she takes in the lush greenery around us. Her eyes light up. With a warm embrace, she joins us at the table—ready to share her story, one shaped by the women who believed in her and the marula tree that first whispered her future. At the heart of her journey is a deep, abiding love for her mother-in-law, whose encouragement gave her the courage to dream beyond limitations. In every success, every product, and bold business decision.
Seated beside me is a woman whose strength is quiet, whose warmth is genuine, and whose humility far outweighs her acclaim. Having built the Portia M legacy one product at a time, I ask her to retrace her steps and introduce us to the little girl born and bred in Limpopo, who dared to dream. “I’ve always been that girl who finds out what works for your skin, especially in natural ingredients. I would mix avocado with eggs and make masks, and tell my friends, if you mix this and that, it will work to grow your hair. So I've always been a beauty enthusiast, and what motivated me was the question that I've always asked myself, why is it that as Africans, we seem to consume more of what the West brings to us?” This question continued to nudge her well into adulthood, and she recalls walking into stores like Edgars Beauty, and Foschini, see beautiful products and wonder who Elizabeth Arden and L’Oreal were. “I mean, these are people's names, and I thought, why can't they be Portia M from Africa developing beautiful products using African ingredients for all Africans under the African Sun and that's how the vision started.”
Expanding on her intentonality to select organic ingredients, she says, “We study a lot of our naturally grown ingredients, for example, we use marula oil, we also have a pomegranate range, promegranate oil being the main ingredient. And we’ve just launched serums using hylaraunic acids, vitamin C, natural flowers that brighten and smooth the skin, and some of our products just keep the skin healthy. I believe we remain rooted We stay rooted because we insist on using homegrown ingredients. African ingredients, we've got amazing herbs in Africa and Portia M believes in that so much. As much as there are world trends, look at our marula oil, for example, it heals stretch marks.
Giving us insight into her early career, she shares that she’s an engineer by profession and pursued her passion in the beauty space in response to the niggling question, “Why not me?” Equipped with confidence and an unshakable spirit, she was determined to unearth her full potential. A 13-year-long journey has led us to this moment, and considering that she was employed as an engineer when she started Portia M, I’m wondering what that leap of faith looked like for someone who was comfortably climbing up the corporate ladder.
“I was still employed full-time when I registered the brand in 2011, and it only started being in retail in 2016. I was trained as an intern at Siemens, and later became a senior engineer. There was a shift when I fell pregnant, I could say that my business was born with my children. The marula oil came because when I was pregnant with my first child, I got stretch marks. In the olden days, they would use oil from the marula fruit to heal stretch marks and other skin ailments, so my mother-in-law recommended it to me. I gave it a try and when I realised that it worked, I bought a 250 ml bottle, repacked it in 100 ml bottles, and gave it to some of my friends. They saw amazing results, and I saw this was an opportunity. Being in an environment like Siemens made me realise what’s possible; the founder discovered the x-ray tube and now he has companies around the world and Siemens is big in the medical fraternity. This made me think of other big brands that made it.” Noting that everyone starts small which she likens to a seed that grows into a huge tree. Affirming that as Africans, we are as capable of creating and we’re just as great. “We’re able to heal ourselves with our own natural trees by getting ingredients. I was not ready to see someone from Paris come and discover marula oil when Portia M is here.”
Her dream was always been firmly in place but the journey wasn’t smooth sailing. Reflecting on some of the challenges she faced in the early days, she says, funding was definitely a big barrier to entry. “When you start a business in South Africa, a lot of banks especially, don't trust that industrialists born in Africa can sustain businesses. Another challenge was support from the community. I was venturing into the beauty landscape; an industry where a lot of multinationals had a huge stake, trying to convince the customer to believe in something that is, homegrown. It was a big challenge paired with starting a beauty brand without a marketing budget.” Enlightening that she relied on customer testimonials to change the perspective and make people believe in the brand. “People are sensitive with their skin so you can imagine trying to change that loyalty from a well-known brand to one that is still up-and-coming.” She beams as she credits the success of the brand to her customers, recalling a time when she used to market on Facebook because there was no budget for radio and television. “And with the few products that I sold, people started seeing results and posting about it, and that became a Portia M marketing strategy; through testimonials, the customers became the face of Portia M.” Today, as she sits at the helm of the biggest beauty brand in Africa, looking back at this challenging period, she says she asserts that it was no easy feat.
Family features prominently in Portia M’s success story, offering us a glimpse into the bond she shared with her late mother-in-law, she says, “My husband is the last born so mother-in-law was older when I was welcomed into the family. She saw a granddaughter more than a daughter-in-law so we had that nurturing relationship, and after I told her that I wanted to start a brand and I'd be selling marula oil, she was elated. As a single mom and entrepreneur, she sold tomatoes to put her children through varsity so she was happy that her son married an industrialist. I would describe our relationship as beautiful and warm.” Although she’s late now, Portia M says she rests in the comfort that she enjoyed the fruits of her labor. “She lived well; she had her own car as well as her own driver. And she would even take my stock to sell to the neighbours, and she would tell me that people love my product.” It’s evident that Portia M stands on the shoulders of giants, and credits her mom for instilling values of kindness and humility which can also be attributed to her approach and longevity in business. “My mom taught me to respect everyone equally because there’s a God in every human regardless of their social standing. So when you respect them, you respect the God in them.”
In light of her values, I’m curious about how she shows up to parenting as a businesswoman.
“The brand is centred around my kids and my marriage because I got married, and then my mother-in-law happened, followed by the marula oil, and then I had my first-born son, Sikhanyiso meaning he who brings light. He brought it through the brand because that’s how the vision came to pass. We named our second-born Fezile, Nkazimulo which means glory, with him, I had the courage to resign from my corporate job and pursue my purpose. He brought that glory to say, go, it’s time now, and that’s how I extended to the pomegranate range, he’s just so cute! I just thought it was time for something more premium. And then there’s my daughter who was born in 2019; her name is Mayine which means rain, symbolic of success. I thought to myself that there’s no way I’d use Johnson’s and Johnson’s when I have a factory. And that’s how the Portia M Baby range was born. Painting a picture of her household, a picture of a close-knit family emerges. “It’s a friendly household, and we’re very spiritual. I met my husband in church; he was a worshipper and I was part of the choir, but when we got married, he fired me because he said he can't discipline me (chuckles). We're very good friends. We really, really like each other. We love each other, and I also like his mind, this year, we’ll be celebrating our 17th anniversary.”
I’m pleasantly surprised to learn that Portia M and her husband who is an attorney, is also her business partner. “He resigned the moment we got married, and said he’s going to start his own law firm.” Portia M shares that she supported his decision because it affirmed that she had chosen the right life partner. As a risk-taker herself, she knew that she had found the man of her dreams, literally. The success of the law firm inspired the confidence to venture into the property space and jointly, they own a line of hardwares in Pretoria. The Portia M factory also stands tall in the same area, where she and her team are continuously innovating. As we innovate, inclusivity is very important, we've invested our research and development to study skin and the impact of our temperature in Africa. We want to cater to all skin types and become just that house of beauty in Africa. I used to dream that one day, I wanted this factory just studying plants, doing research and development in some bush, somewhere in Phalaborwa. Where I grew up because there's a whole lot of marula there. And I'm sure there are a whole lot of other trees that we have yet to discover to make beautiful skincare.”
Expanding on the role of customer feedback in shaping the brand, especially women from underrepresented communities, she asserts that it’s very important because she come from that community. “Where most women were not represented, but they are the ones that do most of the work. Recognizing them is important in such a way that we buy the nuts we press our oil from, from the rural women in Kwama Shishimale in Phalaborwa. There's a cooperative of women there, they source the nuts for us. Then we take it to a company that presses out the oil for us to prepare it for skincare.” She affirms that this is special for her because she’s indirectly, impacting them economically. “We buy from them so that changes their lives on daily. They've got an income, and that is based on a dream I pursued. So the more I pursue my dream, the more they are taken care of.” Portia M’s impact can also be seen in the way she shows up for her staff daily, heeding the Biblical call to “feed the lamb” as a directive from God. “We understand that we are here to feed others. Even at work at our factory, I ensure that there's bread delivered to my employees each and every day. We buy them butter and tea because I understand that we don't all come from the same environment, you might be paying someone a salary but it might not be enough to take care of everyone in that household, so for them to be productive, I understood that a loaf of bread might make a difference.”
Expanding on her approach to impact, she says when she wakes up in the morning, “It’s more about the people that work at the factory, the women who source the nuts for us, and the children that benefit from the Portia M foundation. Children that don't have parents, it’s about child-headed homes. That is what moves me right now and I'm humbled to be a channel of blessings for others.” This speaks to legacy and Portia M is intentional about hiring mostly young people, “and I always tell them that we are revolutionising the skincare industry, we are creating a revolution. No one’s ever done it like us, so future generations, your children’s children will see you as their great-grandmother who built the ‘house of beauty for Africa.’” Visibly in awe of her dream in motion, I’m wondering when it became apparent to her that she’s no longer a small business but has national reach. “I still can’t fathom that, it still feels like a dream.”
Fully aware that she’s living the life she once prayed for, Portia M is quick to acknowledge that her journey is also a testament to relentless hard work. “I knocked on every door to make sure my vision became reality—to see my product on shelves alongside the big brands,” she says. “My first product was the Marula Skin Oil, a tissue oil, and I would literally walk into Pick n Pay, Clicks, and Dis-Chem, stand next to Bio-Oil, and speak my dream into existence. I’d say, ‘My oil will be here.’ And eventually, it was.” While she never doubted it would happen, she admits she didn’t expect it to unfold so quickly. Today, Portia M products are stocked in over 2,000 retail stores across South Africa. Her face lights up as she proudly shares that there are now 18 dedicated Portia M stores, and the brand has expanded into Zambia, Angola, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Botswana, and even the UK.
Reflecting on the scale of her success, she pauses and says with a smile, “I still don’t know when I realised we’d become this big—I’m still coming to terms with it.” As she continues to soar to great heights, deeply anchored in her values, one can only imagine what her next looks like.
It feels almost unfair to ask a woman who’s achieved so much about her next venture but she reveals that together with her husband they’re building a wedding venue. Considering that she owns an oil range inspired by a tree she used to sit under as a child, I’m not surprised by this remarkable feat. I am curious about what this speaks to, though. “It’s a celebration of what God has done in my life because that is a space where there will be lots of joy, and dreams will be realised. Couples will come together and they will produce world leaders, and change-makers. This is my way of saying thank you, and now I'm ready to give joy to others through that venue.
I know it will be a happy place. There are lots of memories to be made, and legacies will intertwine - Divine Sunset.
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