Sacha Cosmetics, which manufactures makeup for women with dark skin tones, has won the inaugural Caribbean Exporter of the Year Awards.

The family-owned business, founded in Trinidad and Tobago, was chosen from nine nominees across the region to win the accolade.

Sacha Cosmetics is currently distributed in 23 countries including Puerto Rico, Cuba, Senegal, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the Dominican Republic, as well as being sold online in the US.

Founder and managing director Kama Maharaj started the company in 1970 with the vision “to develop a cosmopolitan brand of cosmetics which would look equally exquisite on all skin tones.”

The cosmetics line was the first line of makeup in the world to be Halal certified. It has previously been used as the official cosmetics of the Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Jamaica, Miss Bahamas and Miss Panama pageants.

In 2013 the company was appointed sole supplier of cosmetics to the largest distribution company in Cuba with 2,170 retail outlets.

Maharaj said, “Sacha’s philosophy is that a woman’s make-up must enhance her natural beauty, not hide it. Over the years we have committed ourselves to buying a powerful brand.

“We don’t make cosmetics, we make women look more beautiful. In fact we don’t sell cosmetics, we sell hope.”

The awards seek to recognise firms which have had significant exporting success. Sacha was commended by Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica president William Mahfood and Caribbean Export executive director Pamela Coke-Hamiliton.

Coke Hamiliton said, “We deemed it absolutely necessary to give due respect to our region’s exporters, companies that have played a significant role in strengthening our economies and generating foreign exchange.”