Who We Are

CIIKU | (Shee-Koh)

CIIKU is the invention of a Kenyan-Canadian mother-daughter duo who are passionate about self care and creative expression. The brand was founded in 2023 by model and actor Iman Wamboi, alongside her mother, former hair-stylist turned registered nurse Jackline Wanjiku Kiunga.

Left: Iman Wamboi, Right: Jackline Wanjiku Kiunga

In her mid forties, Kiunga went through a career change from running her own hair salon to becoming a Registered Nurse. After nearly fifteen years into her nursing career working in Maternity and Neonatal units, she decided that it was time for something new.

Longing for a creative outlet and seeking to reinvent herself in her fifties, she turned to candle making during the Pandemic, before moving on to formulating cosmetics.It was not long after that she was experimenting with formulating her first body butter, a greasy and grainy concoction whipped together in her kitchen aid mixer, that Kiunga knew she had found her newest obsession.

Knowing she had the potential to create more advanced formulations and determined to learn the correct formulation procedure, she enrolled in a Organic Skincare Formulation Diploma Program. It was not long after that her daughter, Wamboi, noticed her product advancements and began to fall in love with her mother's formulations herself.

"I got to a point where I was no longer purchasing body care from other brands and was exclusively using my mum's formulations. I was absolutely hooked!"

That is when Wamboi knew that there was major potential for a brand present. Having worked on countless commercial sets for numerous brands, she recognized the opportunity to put her Art Direction skills to good use. And so CIIKU was born.

Right: Jackline Wanjiku Kiunga, in her late teens working at HENKEL as a lab technician

Our Mission

As we began conducting market research and scrupulously examining the ingredient lists of high end body creams form our competitors, we noticed that there was something missing. Quite frankly, we were unimpressed.

"We noticed that there was a lack of availability of active-focused formulations that used a wide variety of natural oils and butters."

Even a cream as notoriously exclusive as Crème de la Mer lists Mineral Oil (the main ingredient in Johnson's Baby Oil) and Petrolatum (Vaseline!) as two of its first three ingredients! We knew we wanted to create more than just hype with our creams and sincerely craft a product that we could proudly call our own to share with the world.

"We want to build a brand that customers can rely on for effective and quality formulations that are thoughtfully and intentionally created."

We strive to establish trust and establish strong relationships with our customers so that we may better educate them in making more informed decisions when it comes to their skincare purchases. We care about what we put on our skin so you can trust that we wouldn't sell any product we haven't already been using for months ourselves.

We utilize exotic oils and butters in unique combinations, along with plant based silicones, actives, and extracts, to create body moisturizers that effectively prioritize skin health and leave your skin feeling cared for. As our brand grows, we hope to incorporate ceramides, peptides, and other beneficial actives because we believe the skin on our bodies deserve just as much attention as the skin on our faces.

- Jackie & Iman

Shop our Signature Body Cream Collection

Discover our range of divine body moisturizing formulations that your skin won't be able to get enough of.