ACRI: One man’s vision for a borderless African cosmetic industry

African Cosmetic Regulatory Intelligence (ACRI) is a specialist regulatory and public affairs consultancy helping cosmetic and personal care businesses navigate Africa’s evolving regulatory landscape.

Founded by cosmetic chemist and legal expert Percy Sibanda, ACRI is built on a compelling idea that regulatory intelligence is not merely a compliance exercise, but a powerful strategic tool that drives innovation, reduces risk and enables sustainable business growth across African borders.

Industry practitioner to regulatory strategist

For nearly two decades, Percy Sibanda has occupied a unique space at the intersection of cosmetic science, law, regulatory policy, and commercial market realities. With qualifications spanning applied chemistry, cosmetic science and law – and further legal studies currently underway – Sibanda has developed one of the most cross-disciplinary careers in African cosmetic regulation.

His experience spans SMEs, multinational corporations, and direct collaboration with government regulators. Over the years, he has contributed to technical committees, working groups, and regulatory taskforces that shape the direction of the industry across the continent. This career path gave him a big-picture view of African cosmetic regulatory systems – one grounded in scientific expertise, awareness of evolving global frameworks, and an acute understanding of the commercial consequences that regulatory fragmentation creates for cosmetic businesses.

The challenge that sparked ACRI

A recurring pattern emerged throughout Sibanda’s career: many cosmetic companies approach Africa as a single, unified market – only to encounter a complex, highly fragmented regulatory environment. Success in this environment depends on far more than knowing the rules. It requires understanding how regulations operate across multiple jurisdictions, how they interact, and how they affect routes to market.

That challenge became the catalyst for ACRI. Founded with a clear mandate, the consultancy was established to give cosmetic and personal care brands the regulatory clarity and strategic support they need to expand across African markets with confidence.

Specialist regulatory support for African markets

ACRI provides end-to-end regulatory and public affairs support, including:

• African market-entry strategy
• Claims substantiation and advertising compliance
• Regulatory intelligence and horizon scanning
• Crisis management and regulatory risk mitigation
• Sustainability frameworks aligned with African regulatory requirements
• Regulatory risk management across multiple African jurisdictions

Whether you are a local South African brand looking to expand into sub-Saharan Africa, or a multinational seeking to streamline your African regulatory footprint, ACRI offers the specialist knowledge and strategic perspective to help you move efficiently and compliantly.

A vision for regulatory harmonisation across Africa

ACRI’s ambitions go well beyond advisory services. The company is driven by a broader vision for the continent – one that aligns with the promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Sibanda envisions a future where the African cosmetics sector functions as an increasingly harmonised market: where regulatory convergence reduces duplication, lowers trade barriers, and allows businesses to innovate and grow across borders more efficiently.

In a cosmetics market valued at $73 billion across the continent, the stakes are significant. For ACRI, the goal is not simply compliance – it is to help build the regulatory foundations of a truly integrated African cosmetics economy.

A professional and personal mission

For Sibanda, building ACRI is as much a personal mission as a professional one. His goal is to help Africa transition from a collection of fragmented markets into a connected regulatory ecosystem – one capable of supporting the next generation of innovation and growth in the African cosmetics industry.

As regulatory environments across the continent continue to evolve, ACRI positions itself as an essential partner for any cosmetic or personal care business serious about African market success.