Breakouts to Breakthroughs: Plant Powered Skincare That Started on Live TV with Nicole Sheriwn, Eco Diva Natural

From Red Carpet to Radiance: How One Founder Healed Her Skin and Sparked a Skincare Revolution

Nicole Sherwin’s path to clean beauty entrepreneurship did not begin with a product idea or a marketing strategy. It began with a health crisis that disrupted her life and ultimately redefined her purpose. While living in Los Angeles, Nicole was working as a red carpet host and actress, immersed in the entertainment world. She had access to the best skincare products in the industry, and yet, her skin was erupting with acne, inflammation, and painful imbalances that no dermatologist could explain or resolve.

As she shared on The Wild Party Podcast, “I had never had skin problems before. Suddenly my gut was off, my stress levels were through the roof, and my skin was breaking out with adult acne and rosacea. I knew something much deeper was going on.”

Doctors offered prescriptions. Popular skincare brands only made things worse. That’s when Nicole turned to what she had known all along: the healing power of nature.

Returning to Her Roots

Nicole was not new to holistic wellness. Her father was a celebrated homeopath, naturopath, and acupuncturist in South Africa. Her grandfather helped create Ingram’s Camphor Cream, one of the country's most iconic healing products. “We were raised with natural remedies. What people now call alternative medicine was actually our original medicine,” Nicole explained.

She began a full-body detox. She changed her diet, eliminated synthetic products, and created her own skincare using ingredients she trusted. Superfoods like moringa, baobab, and rooibos became the foundation of her formulations. “I was eating volcanic ash, journaling my stress, and mixing these botanicals into creams and serums. Slowly, I started to heal,” she said.

A TV Segment Turned Skincare Movement

After returning to Cape Town to continue her healing journey, Nicole was invited to speak on a local television show about her experience. What began as a one-time appearance turned into a weekly DIY skincare segment where Nicole demonstrated how to make natural beauty products live on air.

“The producers started calling me The Cosmetic Chef. I had to come up with a new skincare recipe every week,” she recalled with a laugh. Viewers loved her energy and transparency. They began reaching out, asking where they could buy the body butters and serums she was creating.

At the time, Nicole was also editing a sustainability magazine and doing film work on the side. Launching a brand was not part of her plan. “I didn’t even know I was starting a business,” she said. “But the audience told me otherwise.”

From Kitchen Experiments to Global Skincare Brand

Nicole took her favorite homemade formulations to two trusted biochemists and began the process of scaling. She insisted on staying true to her values. Every product had to be vegan, cruelty-free, non-toxic, and packaged sustainably. That vision became Eco Diva Natural—a gender-neutral, superfood-powered skincare line that honors both ancient wisdom and modern science.

From face washes to multipurpose serums, the line is intentionally formulated to work in harmony with the skin’s natural microbiome and barrier function. “Your skin is an incredibly intelligent organ. When you feed it the right nutrients, it knows how to repair and regenerate,” Nicole said.

Even the packaging was designed with care. “You can toss our boxes straight into your compost,” she added. “Our glass bottles are printed directly on the surface, so we avoid plastic labels. We still have one or two components to improve, but sustainability is a daily commitment for us.”

The Power of Holistic Beauty

Nicole’s approach is about more than clear skin. It is about total well-being. Eco Diva encourages customers to take a skin analysis quiz that also explores gut health, stress levels, and lifestyle habits. The brand offers one-on-one consultations and even provides a downloadable guidebook Nicole wrote during lockdown to help people better understand the connection between emotional balance and physical health.

“There is no miracle product,” Nicole said. “Skin health is a reflection of what is going on inside the body. We need to treat it holistically.”

Her own healing journey took nearly a year. She hopes that by sharing what she learned, she can help others heal faster, with more support and fewer setbacks.

Leading With Kindness

When Nicole launched Eco Diva Natural over a decade ago, clean beauty was not mainstream. Most consumers had never heard of paraben-free or biodegradable packaging. She faced skepticism and pushback. “People thought I was crazy. They wanted their big brand products and didn’t believe natural could work,” she said.

But she stayed the course. Today, Eco Diva ships globally, has earned certifications from PETA and Beauty Without Cruelty, and serves a loyal base of customers from teens to new moms to men who secretly borrow their partner’s skincare.

“Our products are multi-use for a reason,” Nicole shared. “Our serum can be used as a face treatment, beard oil, hair serum, or cuticle treatment. I designed everything to simplify your routine without compromising your skin.”

At its core, Eco Diva is built on kindness. Kindness to the skin. Kindness to animals. Kindness to the planet. And kindness to ourselves.

“When we live through love and kindness, that is what gets reflected back. Not just in our skin, but in the lives we live,” Nicole said.

Want to experience the glow for yourself?
Take Eco Diva’s free skincare quiz and explore the full range of superfood-powered skincare at ecodiva.co.za