Over a career spanning more than 20 years, Sharika Regchand held senior positions across some of South Africa’s most respected media institutions. She served as News Editor at Express Media, Bureau Chief at The Mercury under Independent Media, News Editor at a Media24 print publication, and News Editor at The Witness. Across every newsroom, she covered the beats that matter most: courts, crime, politics, corruption, local government accountability, environmental crime, and public health.
Her reporting was fearless and her reach was wide. The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) — the country’s most authoritative press freedom body — publicly defended her by name when a senior magistrate attempted to intimidate her out of a courtroom. She appeared as an expert commentator on Showmax’s internationally distributed crime series, Imibuzo. Her bylines ran across South Africa’s leading publications, including News24, Independent Newspapers and Caxton.
In journalism, a claim without solid proof holds no weight. When she turned her focus to the skincare industry, she applied that same Journalist’s Eye — and found an industry often lacking in clinical transparency, particularly for consumers with melanin-rich skin.
“I didn’t start ShaRique Skin as a business venture. I started it as both an investigator and a sufferer. Having battled acne and stubborn post-inflammatory pigmentation since my teenage years, I was fed up with a market filled with products that didn’t work — and some that actively damaged my skin.
I realised that if I wanted a formula that actually respected the skin’s barrier while treating deep-seated concerns, I had to master the science myself. I moved from reporting on the law to studying cosmetic formulation, bridging the gap between clinical research and real-world results. What I discovered is that millions of people — across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and beyond — are navigating the same problem. Skincare science has historically been built around one skin type. We are here to change that.
I am not here to force products onto people. I am here to teach them about skin, help businesses thrive, and foster a spirit of collaboration. Life is hard enough. There is room in this world for everyone to thrive.”
True success in skincare — and in the business of skincare — requires more than a bottle. It requires education, legal safety, and high-performance ingredients working together. That is why the ShaRique Skin Institute was built across four hubs, serving consumers and professionals globally.