The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) has been instrumental in helping a local company develop the province’s first locally produced cosmetic range.

Ikhala Products, which is based in Seymour, some 200 km from East London, started the initiative with a R1,2 million loan from the ECDC and the Swiss-based International Trade Centre (ITC). Now eight months later, in collaboration with the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of South Africa, Ikhala Products has a nine-product strong cosmetic range specifically formulated for the dark skin type.

Today, the public will be shown the range - a normal shampoo, regenerating gel, night cream, hand and body cream, hand and nail moisturiser, facial wash, moisturising cream, hair conditioner and toning lotion.

“The range has two main benefits. Firstly, as Aloe Ferox is grown and harvested locally - the Eastern Cape is home to at least 80% of Aloe Ferox production in South Africa - the range is priced substantially lower than its Aloe Vera-based counterparts. For example, the 50ml hand crème is priced at R20. The most expensive product is the night cream which trades at R29,” says ECDC project development specialist Tokozile Boboyi.

Aloe Ferox also has an extended range of properties with higher trace elements. Consequently it has greater medicinal values and wider application.

“The range comes at a time where the world is looking beyond traditional cosmetics. Now is the age of cosmeuticals which combine the image-enhancing benefits of cosmetics and takes full potential of the medicinal qualities of plants such as Aloe Ferox,” explains Ken Dodds, an experienced aloe product exporter.

Ikhala Products’ regenerating gel, for example, stops insect bites from getting infected, helps to heal burns, sunburn and small wounds. It also reduces scarring.

The company also showed off its aloe health juice range which hopes to leverage off research that provides substantial anecdotal evidence that drinking aloe extract daily relieves heartburn, indigestion, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and various stomach disorders while at the same boosting the immune system.

Further, the juice’s high calcium content is extremely beneficial for women during pregnancy and in the prevention of osteoporosis. Babies are also known to benefit by boosting their immune system or to relieve symptoms of colic.

The juice is made from a pure extract of the whole Aloe Ferox leaf and comes in three varieties – the Aloe Ferox juice together with two other blends – rooibos and honeybush. These juices will retail at R29 per litre.

The cosmetic and fruit juice ranges will be available in Gauteng within the next weeks through the Metro and Trade Centre Groups.

Ikhala Products expects in the initial stages of both products, East London and Port Elizabeth will generate most of their sales which these later expanding to KwaZulu-Natal.

Aloe tapper Patrick Ndokwana, who together with seven tappers, have registered a co-operative that has 10 per cent shares in Ikhala. He points out the job creation benefits of the project.

Already almost 40 jobs have been created in a community no larger than 2 500 people. Families’ incomes has increased from between R400 and R500 per month, to about R1 000 per month. Further they have benefited from training in sustainable harvesting and life skills, financial skills, general hygiene and HIV/AIDS.

These jobs are going to further augmented by an initial group of 25 agents who are expected to generate incomes ranging from between R800 to R5 000.

Dodds is also hopeful that once the operation reaches its R3 million a year sales, it have a further knock-on effect on the town’s infrastructure like getting banks, retails shops and petrol stations back in the town.

Boboyi says that this project is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to significantly uplift the lives of people in a very poor community by creating a world class product.