About KOBA skincare

Koba (nkóbá), in Lingala means “turtle,” a nod to our founder’s Congolese heritage. Turtles for KOBA symbolise longevity and protection, shielding your skin against external aggressors.

How it all began

With over a decade in the beauty industry, Therese has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, from Clarins to Sarah Chapman and L’Oréal. Her journey didn’t stop there. As a trailblazing entrepreneur, she built one of the first beauty subscription boxes of its kind, shaking up the way we discover skincare. Blending her behind-the-scenes insight from global powerhouses, her mum’s wisdom as a chemist, and her own struggles with dry skin, she couldn’t help but notice one thing: gap in the market for an all-encompassing foot cream. Foot care has, for too long, been an overlooked and underserved category in the beauty industry with an underwhelming range of options. So, Thérèse stepped up, developing targeted, innovative and high-performance formulas that care for every part of the body (feet included), made for all skin types, and created with ethics and efficacy at heart.

“KOBA skincare offers a range of products that actually work, providing visible results and long lasting hydration.”

Thérèse M’Boungoubaya - Founder & CEO of KOBA skincare

Why KOBA skincare?

"I want to create products people can count on, formulas that do what they say, and then some. The future of skincare is rooted in wellbeing. It’s about helping people reclaim the parts of themselves they’ve felt compelled to hide and rarely get the spotlight. Feet included. KOBA exists to shift the narrative, break the taboo, and bring those so-called 'problem areas' front and center in the beauty conversation. My hope is that KOBA helps you feel good in your skin; confident, empowered, and unapologetically you.”

Thérèse - Founder & CEO

The Essence of KOBA

KOBA is an effective and efficient solution for those looking for a premium alternative to often non-aspirational pharmaceutical creams. Our products are simple to use and fit easily into any skincare routine, transporting you to a spa upon application. KOBA will leave your hard and thickened skin feeling durably elastic and smooth, visibly improving the texture of the skin and leaving behind a divine scent. We have designed our products to proudly sit in your bathroom and be shown off. KOBA will follow you around from your bathroom shelves to your gym bag, to your desk.

At the heart of our formulas is safou oil, our not-so-secret skin saviour. This antioxidant-rich fruit pulp is packed with fatty acids and vitamins C and E, helping to improve skin texture, boost collagen production, and protect against premature ageing. It also carries gentle antiseptic properties, adding to its power. And because we believe skincare should smell as good as it feels, we’ve taken the woody, grounding aroma of the safou tree’s bark and reimagined it with expert perfumers in Grasse, the world’s perfume capital, to create KOBA’s signature scent used as the foundation of the natural fragrances in our products.

KOBA cares

Sustainability isn’t a side note at KOBA, it’s baked into everything we do. We partnered with one of the top labs in France to develop a clean, clinically effective skincare line that delivers real results without compromising on safety, quality, or conscience. Each formula is packed with nutrient-rich, fast-absorbing ingredients that hydrate from the very first application, no parabens, sulphates, mineral oils, PEGs, or synthetic fragrances in sight. Just skin-loving essentials that work hard without the harsh extras.

Made with at least 97% naturally derived ingredients, our products are vegan, cruelty-free, and respectful of both your skin and the planet. Every component, from formulation to finish, is crafted with intention, using recyclable packaging and thoughtful processes. We’re continuously evolving our approach, committed to raising the bar for sustainable beauty with each product we create.