NANCIE MWAI ANNOUNCES CLOSURE OF NEW LEVEL AFTER INTERNAL THEFT

Nancie Mwai, founder of Kenyan lip product brand New Level, has announced the closure of her business within the next 45 days.

The decision, which Mwai describes as one “not made lightly,” follows a turbulent journey that began on January 13, 2025 the day a viral TikTok video emerged about a popular Kenyan lip brand that had damaged someone’s lips.

Although New Level was not the brand named in the video, Mwai says she began receiving messages from her own clients that left her heartbroken. “Less than 1% of our clients were affected, but that 1% kept me up at night,” Mwai shared. “Those four women who trusted me, who put something I made onto their skin and I had let them down.”

Mwai shared the immediate steps her team took to make amends: paying for dermatologist appointments out of pocket, issuing refunds, making personal calls, and showing up for every affected client. She admitted losing sleep over each case. “Still, it wasn’t enough. The trust was gone,” she said. “Watching customers walk away one by one after everything we had built together, that broke something in me that I’m still trying to piece back together.“

Despite declining sales and public criticism, she pushed forward, determined not to let go of her dream. Then came a second blow: the discovery of internal theft by people she had trusted. “That one really brought me to my knees,” she confessed. “I’ve cried so many tears over New Level, more than I can count. I had days where I didn’t know how I was going to keep going. Days where I questioned everything, my decisions, my worth, my ability to lead.” 

Yet, despite the pain, Mwai says she has chosen a path of gratitude rather than bitterness. “I refuse to leave this chapter in bitterness. I refuse to let the pain be the last thing I feel about something that gave me so much joy,” she said. “New Level was never just a business to me. It was a piece of my soul, and I got to share it with you.”

She extended heartfelt thanks to her friends who covered her in prayer, her loyal team who stayed through the storm, her customers who believed in her, and God for every door He opened. “This is not the ending I dreamt of, but I trust you with it,” she said. The New Level website will officially close at the end of June 2026. A clearance sale is currently underway for remaining stock. “I leave you with the blessings of God. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Mwai concluded.