Nigerian Immigrant Reimagines Heritage with Bodycare Brand Launch in Canada

Nigerian Immigrant Reimagines Heritage with Bodycare Brand Launch in Canada

When Ibukun Adewale relocated from Lagos to Calgary in 2018, she confronted a familiar immigrant challenge: how to embrace a new environment without abandoning the culture that shaped her. Rather than leaving her roots behind, Adewale chose to preserve them—transforming Nigeria’s rich botanical heritage into a premium bodycare brand tailored for Canada’s harsh climate.

Her brand, Eleve Essentials, is rolling out a year-long campaign titled “The Eleven,” running from February to December. The initiative will spotlight eleven women who balance career responsibilities, motherhood, and community leadership, offering them visibility and recognition for the often-unseen labour they perform. The campaign will later be reinforced with the launch of a signature African Black Soap (Ose Dudu) line, introducing a traditional Nigerian staple to the North American skincare market.

Adewale’s personal and professional life reflects a balance of purpose. She works as a professional at a major Canadian energy company, where she also serves as Co-Chair of the Black employee inclusion network, contributing to conversations around representation and equity. Outside the corporate space, she dedicates her time to formulating botanical oils and body soufflés, viewing both roles as complementary expressions of care—one systemic, the other deeply personal.

The roots of Eleve Essentials trace back to 2015 in Anthony Village, Lagos. Motivated by her husband’s skin sensitivity and her daughter’s sandfly scars, Adewale began experimenting with natural ingredients such as coconut milk and raw shea butter in her kitchen. What started as a practical solution gradually evolved into a refined craft. Today, although the products are manufactured in Calgary, their formulations remain deeply influenced by African traditions, adapted to combat the dryness of Canadian winters while retaining the warmth of her Nigerian upbringing.

Her philosophy that “care is a practice, not a performance” is informed by years of grassroots advocacy in Nigeria. Adewale previously led initiatives such as “Pad a Girl,” which provided sanitary materials to schoolgirls, and “A Bar for A Bar,” which distributed hygiene products to flood-displaced families. These experiences continue to shape Eleve Essentials’ mission, positioning bodycare as an intentional act of preservation in a fast-paced world.

Through Eleve Essentials, Adewale is demonstrating how entrepreneurship can serve as a tool for cultural preservation. Her journey underscores that integration into a new society does not require erasure of identity, but rather offers an opportunity to carry heritage forward—bottled, refined, and shared with the world.