In Malibu, Sabrina Dhowre Elba Celebrates S'ABLE Labs and African Beauty with an Intimate Dinner

On a Thursday evening in SoCal, model, and beauty founder Sabrina Dhowre Elba hosted an intimate dinner at Nobu Malibu celebrating S’ABLE Labs, Elba’s sustainable and melanin-inclusive skincare brand that celebrates potent African botanicals suitable for all skin types. Elba jet set to LA for one night, concluding a duo of intimate dinners—two nights prior in New York, S’ABLE Labs took over Soho hotspot Mamo with guests including Jenna Lyons, Ubah Hassan, Isolde Brielmaier, and more, where step-daughter Isan Elba dj'ed.

Most notably, Elba’s S’ABLE Labs isn’t to be mistaken as just another celebrity beauty brand—the skincare brand does not white label, and the product line draws inspiration from Elba’s mother, Maryam Egal, and their family’s Somali heritage.

“I’ll be the first to say moms know best. I came from a big Somali family and experienced the generational passing down of beauty ingredients and secrets that cared for the unique needs of melanin-rich skin, which are also extremely beneficial for every skin tone. I would watch my mom make daily concoctions of qasil, turmeric, dried goat’s milk, and other ingredients to create skincare birthed from generations of Somali tradition,” Elba told Vogue. “It wasn’t until later that I understood how beneficial these ancestral beauty rituals, which feature antioxidant-rich ingredients, are to melanated skin, which inspired our range of S’ABLE Labs products, full of rich African botanicals. I was always hyper-aware that quality products for melanated skin were lacking. With S’ABLE Labs, we marry technology with this tradition; these products are my mom in a bottle. We look at and address hyperpigmentation holistically while showcasing, with expertise and authority, the efficacy of A-Beauty, a long-overlooked category.”

Inside the private room of Nobu Malibu, the decor paid homage to S’ABLE Labs’ sleek pale grey packaging, and the menu nodded to skincare with cheeky custom cocktails (the Glow Getter Margarita, Mask-Co Mule, Pore-Fect Gin Basil Smash were fan-favorites of guests). The dinner’s tablescape featured a candlelight ambiance and neutral-toned sculptural florals from the Black and Filipina-owned small business Mallory with the Flowers.

“Don’t [only] buy Black because it’s the good thing to do. Buy Black because we are experts, and we create products that work,” said Elba, noting that African Beauty remedies (A-Beauty) have been appropriated in the past and have not received the recognition they deserve for their longstanding heritage of efficacious ingredients with standout results.

Attendees included Emma Grede, Yvonne Orji, Tracy Romulus, Devin Brugman, Jackie Aina, Malika Andrews, Jeannie Mai, and more. Guests left with a gift bag that stated, “Mum’s always right...” as a nod to Elba’s mother and the Somali beauty traditions passed down through generations of their family—inside, attendees enjoyed the S’ABLE Labs range and the new Okra Face Serum.