A story of innovation: Behind Shoprite’s R5 toiletries

Yasheen Modi, founder of family-run factory, Zeta Laboratories. Source: www.shopriteholdings.co.za

At the centre of this story is Zeta Laboratories, a Pinetown-based manufacturer led by founder and CEO Yasheen Modi, which has partnered with Shoprite to develop the country’s most affordable toiletries — retailing at just R5 each.

In July 2025, Shoprite launched two essentials — a concentrated body wash and a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner — priced at only R5 per sachet. Each 50ml concentrate dilutes to about 200ml, providing up to 20 washes.

Shoprite expands its R5 basket to include essential toiletries

3 Jul 2025

These products extend Shoprite’s R5 product range, which began in 2016 with a loaf of brown bread and has since expanded to sanitary pads and prepared deli meals.

“Shoprite’s goal was simple but powerful – to make essential toiletries affordable to everyone, just as they’ve done with food,” explains Modi. “Applying our concentration technology to this project was especially meaningful because it directly restores dignity through access to basic hygiene.”

From kitchen blender to leader

The Zeta Labs story traces back to Yasheen’s father, a UK-trained cosmetic chemist who launched a chain of pharmacies and cosmetic stores in Durban in the 1990s. His passing in 2000 forced the family factory to close, but six years later Modi resurrected the business — not in a factory, but in his mother’s kitchen.

Armed with his father’s old formulations, a blender, and a determination to innovate, Modi dropped out of his B.Com degree to pursue cosmetic science.

“Not many people took a young student seriously trying to make cosmetics from home,” he recalls. “Suppliers were dismissive, but I knew this was what I wanted to do forever.”

From those early days mixing lotions in a storage room, Zeta has grown into a plant employing over 600 people, 80% of whom are women.

Scaling up with Shoprite

Today, Zeta Laboratories not only produces the new R5 toiletries but also manufactures Shoprite and Checkers’ Renew private-label toiletries range. This partnership alone has added roughly 100 jobs to the business and earned Zeta recognition as one of Shoprite’s Top Suppliers in 2024.

The R5 toiletries project was not without challenges. The team had to engineer formulations that were not only a low-cost solution for consumers but also a sustainability breakthrough, with concentrated formulations saving millions of litres of water during production.

Innovation with purpose

For Modi, the project is about more than just retail growth. “At Zeta Labs, we prioritise people and the environment over profit. Knowing that millions of South Africans can now access products that are both affordable and high-quality is the greatest reward.”

As South Africa grapples with rising living costs, innovations like Shoprite’s R5 toiletries are more than product launches — they’re lifelines.