Growing up in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, Carla Coetzee learned about natural skincare from her grandparents. Years later, while working as a journalist, she began experimenting with sheep tallow at home.
Now based in De Rust, Klein Karoo, Western Cape, she has turned those experiments into O,Vet! Skincare, supplying 15 retail shops across South Africa.
A family tradition finds new purpose
Coetzee’s skincare knowledge has family roots. One grandmother lived on a farm, while her other grandparents used speensalf to protect their skin from sunburn during childhood fishing trips to the Vaal Dam.
As she grew older, Coetzee developed an interest in herbs, essential oils and skincare ingredients. “I have always taken good care of my skin, gone for regular facials and read about skincare ingredients.”
She eventually felt that using too many active ingredients was damaging her skin barrier.
“I remembered stories from both sides of my family about my grandparents using tallow for sunburn or to nourish their skin during winter,” she says.
In 2024, she began experimenting with sheep tallow in her kitchen after noticing how much fat was left over when she bought lamb.
“I began making the products and testing them on myself, with my friends and family also trying them,” she says. “My children absolutely loved it, and my friends and family loved it.”
Coetzee holds a BA in journalism from the University of Pretoria and went on to work in the media industry.
She continued developing O,Vet! while working full time and raising her three daughters, Leah, Katryn and Ami. She built her website, approached retailers and persuaded her husband, Philip, to support her business.
“I was running O,Vet! part time, which meant working very late at night after the children had gone to bed and everyone had eaten.”
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Why sheep tallow is at the heart of O,Vet!
O,Vet!’s product range includes body balms, a facial cleanser, hair oil, muscle balm, night balm, lip balms, a healing balm for minor scratches and wounds, and body polish.
Her hair oil was inspired by both her research and personal experience. After the birth of her third daughter, she struggled with postpartum hair loss, which prompted her to develop a product containing rosemary essential oil and extract, comfrey and other essential oils.
“I use these ingredients to stimulate the scalp and support hair growth. It also nourishes the hair and gives it a nice shine,” she says.
Coetzee explains that tallow contains fatty acids similar to those found in the skin’s natural oils, which she believes helps the skin absorb it.
She believes tallow can help improve skin texture. However, she acknowledges that tallow cannot address every skin concern.
O,Vet!’s night balm, for example, contains bakuchiol oil, a plant derived ingredient often used as an alternative to retinol. Coetzee says it is associated with supporting cell renewal and improving the appearance of fine lines.
Moving closer to her suppliers
About six months ago, Coetzee moved from Pretoria to De Rust, where she later left journalism to focus on O,Vet!.
“I now live in what you could call the sheep valley of South Africa,” she says.
“When we were still in Pretoria, sourcing fresh Karoo sheep fat was a constant headache. Transport was a nightmare because I needed a refrigerated truck to get it to me in Pretoria.”
Coetzee can now contact Varkensbos, a local abattoir and butcher in De Rust, to help her arrange the suet she needs.
Sourcing quality ingredients at reasonable prices remains a balancing act, as she has to keep her production costs and profit margins in mind. Supporting local suppliers is also important to her.
“I buy the honey used in my lip balm and the beeswax from a local beekeeper.”
Through running O,Vet!, Coetzee has identified a gap in the Mzansi market for agricultural producers who can supply small and medium sized skincare brands.
“There are many ingredients I would love to use but struggle to source.” Finding a reliable local distributor for bakuchiol oil has been difficult, meaning she has to import it.
Coetzee believes farmers and other agricultural producers could benefit from speaking directly to people in the beauty industry to learn which ingredients skincare brands need and where local supply opportunities exist.
“I would love to use South African fynbos essential oils, but I have struggled to find them in bulk at affordable prices.”
Growing the business and reaching more customers
As O,Vet! grows, Coetzee wants to improve her marketing. “Four or five months ago, I put considerable effort into my Meta advertisements. Once I figured out what worked, my online sales grew by about 200%.”
Coetzee tests her products on herself, with friends and family also trying them. Cosmetics do not require premarket approval from SAHPRA, she notes, but sellers remain responsible for product safety.
Coetzee shares five tips for other brand owners:
- Be clear about what makes your product unique.
- Focus on your business, not your competitors.
- Know your profit margins from the start.
- Keep your customers in mind.
- Start small, then grow and adapt.
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