Who We Are
The “Aha” Moment: "During a lupus attack, I had light blotches all over my face and chest. My Rheumatologist, as usual, prescribed medicated cream to help reduce the symptoms. I was tired of using medicines with the side effects to treat my Lupus. Understanding my struggle, a friend sent me a bar of turmeric & honey soap and recommended that I use it daily for 30 days. After 2.5 weeks the blotches were almost gone. —-"Aha" moment, I decided to research/train to make my own products. I decided to take the "plant over pills" journey. No more using chemical based products with ingredients we can’t pronounce or understand. - Chaka
Lea & Co. is a woman veteran owned, customer centric, plant derived, skincare company born out of the personal health struggles of our Founder + CEO, Chakakhon Lea Russell. During her time in the military, she was diagnosed with Lupus due to complications from her immunizations. At times, her Lupus would attack her skin which caused discoloration, itchiness, and dryness. Over the years, she struggled to find natural products to treat her condition.
With a mission to live "plant over pills" approach to holistic care and frustrated from not finding market ready, chemical - free skincare products, Chaka decided to create her own organic, plant-derived product line. She did extensive research, gathered medical expertise from clinical staff and attended holistic skincare training. It was not until she began using her products that she found relief in her Lupus condition.
After finding the help she needed and being a person of service, Chaka knew that God had a greater purpose for all her suffering. She started making products for others to help those suffering from skin conditions who wanted to take the "plant over pills/medicine" skincare journey.
Her product range continues to grow, and in it, customers can find all they need to target their skin issues, from acne to aging, and in between. Using holistic research and science, Chaka is committed to perfecting the selection and keeping her products affordable, artisanal, and sustainable.
I am a modest person, and I don’t talk much about my personal life. But I will share that while approaching my decision to create organic skincare products, I was finishing my second Master’s degree in User Centered Design (another in Business/ Project Management) while on hiatus from my Doctoral program. I also completed several training certifications in holistic and organic skincare formulation.
I love learning and researching. I am very much into immersion, as I have managed to fuse my passion to serve others, research expertise and design creativity (user testing, customer experience) into a skincare line to help others. - Chaka