Curated, not collected.
SkinVault by Chi is a curated skincare store built for melanin-rich skin. That word — curated — is the whole point. We don't list everything. We list what we'd put on our own skin, and we can tell you why each one made the cut. Everything else, we leave off the shelf.
Deeper skin tones have been an afterthought for decades
Formulas get tested on lighter skin and sold to everyone. Actives that fade a spot on one person leave a darker one on another. And in Lagos heat, half of what trends online simply doesn't hold up.
The result is a market full of products — and a lot of people quietly wasting money finding the few that work.
Does it respect melanin-rich skin?
We favour ingredients with a track record on deeper tones — niacinamide, tranexamic acid, azelaic acid, vitamin C, gentle retinoids — and flag the ones that need care.
Does the ingredient list earn the price?
We read the formula, not the marketing. A serum earns its naira on what's inside, not on the box.
Will it survive Nigerian weather?
Texture, finish and stability in heat and humidity are part of the test. A cream that pills at 32 degrees doesn't make it.
Can we explain it in one honest sentence?
If we can't tell you plainly what a product does and who it's for, it doesn't belong here.
“I started SkinVault after years of doing what most of us do — buying on hype, and watching half of it sit unused. Somewhere in the middle of learning to read ingredient lists properly, it became the thing I wanted to build for other people. A shelf someone actually stands behind.”
Four things we won't trade
Honesty over hype
We'd rather lose a sale than oversell a product.
Ingredients over influence
The formula decides, not the trend cycle.
Built for us
Deeper skin tones aren't an edge case here — they're the default.
Fewer, better
A tight, trustworthy shelf beats an endless catalogue.