Ingram Osigwe.

Glamour, colour and glitz characterised the 30th anniversary of Fair and White Nigeria held recently at the prestigious Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The ambience of the venue spelt elegance, prestige, power and influence as a galaxy of celebrities, fashion and beauty enthusiasts; business moguls, industrialists, political leaders and key distributors of the Fair and White range of beauty products graced the event.

Ace comedian, Okechukwu Onyegbule popular as Okey Bakassi and Nollywood actress, Yvonne Jegede were on hand to skilfully compere the event. Amid sumptuous meals and choice wines, old tunes- music of yesteryears including rock, reggae, country music, pop, highlife etc serenaded the Hall leaving Gen Z guests bemused and older guests nostalgically nodding their heads and tapping their legs on the floor in appreciation.

Notable music icons, Inyaya and Chike of the Gang of Lagos fame also thrilled guests with their hit songs. Precious with her live band also added colour to the event.

Celebrities that turned up for the Fair and White 30th anniversary include Toyin Abraham, Etinosa Eniola Ajao,Destiny Etiko, Ini Edo, Uche Jumbo, Uche Ogbodo, Esther Agunbiade, Michael Dappa
Mike Ezuruonye, Kidbabby, Sandra Okunzuwa, Enioluwa Liquorose, Wunmi Toriola, Uti Nwachukwu among others.

Masterly produced in France by Labo Derma, the Fair and White beauty variants stormed the Nigerian market 30th years ago and has since then steadily dominated the Nigerian market. Derma’s Nigerian affiliate, Fair and White Nigeria, a subsidiary of the Bozac group of companies, holds the sole franchise of the brand in Nigeria.

High point of the 30th anniversary celebration was the crowing of Cherish Faith Elvis Nwakanma, a Microbiology graduate of Federal university of Agriculture as the new Miss Fair and White. Nwakanma who was contestant number 10 beat 14 others to emerged the winner.The hall erupted in wild cheers immediately the panel of judges pronounced her winner.

As part of the rigorous selection process, the beauty pageants had earlier made series of appearances- swim suits appearance, traditional attire appearance etc. They had also treated guests to breathtaking cultural dances and were later subjected to mental and intellectual tests in the form of quizzes consisting majorly of academic, social and current affairs questions.

The new Miss Fair and White went home with a princely prize of N10m in addition to becoming the brand’s new Ambassador.
The runner up, Chiamaka Nzeako received N7.5m.Chiamaka holds Bsc in Medical Psychology from Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra state while the third place winner, Estelle Ujunwa Mbaegbu, a holder of Bsc in Accounting from Augustine University, Ilara, Epe, Lagos received N5million.

Other contestants and a number of brand influencers also smiled with various consolation prizes and cash rewards.

Fair and White’s key distributors were not left out in the reward galore as the company, in appreciation of their loyalty and steadfastness in the last 30 years, bestowed on them awards. Some of the distributors include Jumatex Investment Ltd, Utonic Ltd, Percy Beauty Enterprise, Armaco Resources Ltd,Chico Marie international Ltd, Fubason investment Ltd, C&T Trading, J. Anyim Ltd among others.
Earlier in his address read on his behalf by a Ogoma Chibueze, a Director in the company, Chairman/ CEO of the Bozac group, Patrick Chibueze described the event as a celebration of legacy, vision, innovation, and excellence that have spanned three remarkable decades.

“Our story began in 1993, when a visionary French pharmacist, inspired by the richness and diversity of African skin, founded Cabinet Continental/Labo Derma. With a deep understanding of the unique needs of melanin-rich skin, the company introduced a small but purposeful range of products tailored specifically for black, dark, and mixed skin tones — a bold and pioneering step at the time.

“Building on this strong foundation, the year 2000 marked a defining moment with the launch of Fair & White Paris — an innovative brand created to provide effective, specialized, and reliable skincare solutions for women of color. What followed was not just growth, but extraordinary success.

“Over the years, Fair & White has continuously evolved, introducing a wide range of groundbreaking collections — from the Original and Exclusive lines to So White, Dermatologic, Gold, So Carrot, Tradition, and many more. Each range has been thoughtfully developed to meet specific skincare needs, reinforcing our commitment to quality, performance, and trust” Chibueze said.

Chronicling the Fair and White trajectory in the last 30 years, Chibueze whose speech was delivered on his behalf by his daughter and a Director in the company, Ms Ogonna Chibueze, said.

In his own speech , representative of Labo Derma France and son of the brand’s founder, Oliviere, stressed that it “has been 30 years since my father the brand, today, the brand is all over the world. 30 years is a long time but Fair and White story is far from being over. I can assure you that Fair and White will always be noted for excellence”

Among creme de la creme in the society that attended the classy event include the GMD of Fidelity Bank, Dr Onyeali Nneka-Ikpe, Chairman Ekulo Group, Sir Emma Bishop Okonkwo, Chairman Periwinkle Group, Barr Chinedu Nweke, Chairman Brollo pipes & Profiles, Chief Emma Eziokwu,Chairman of De Chico Group, Chief Benson Madubuko, Chairman Embassy Pharm, Pharm Nnamdi Obi, CEO AILES Group, Chief Micheal Onuoha, Chairman Legacy Autos, Chief Okey Ezeibe, Chairman Banex Group, Bishop Victor Mbanisi, Chairman Colonades Hotels, Dr Charles Odunukwe and Bevista boss Chief Benny Obaze.

The board, management and staff of Fair and White Nigeria also graced the event. They include Chief Patrick Chibueze – GMD, Mrs Chinyere Chibueze- ED1, Mr. Ekene Chibueze- ED 2, Miss Ogonna, Chibueze – ED3, Mr Mathias Devadayal – CFO – COO, Mrs Uche Edezika – Chief Accountant, Mrs Obioma Owohruviowha- Inventory head, Mr Sunny Adekoya- Head of sales, Mrs Catherine Oluchi Olatunde – PA, Onyebuchi Ofia – POP Executive, Mrs Faith Aranmonise – HRM and Rachael – Social media Community manager.

Ingram Osigwe is the media Adviser to Fair & White Nigeria.