For many Kenyans who grew up from the 1970s to the early 2000s, LadyGay lotion was a familiar item in the home. It sat on dressing tables, bathroom shelves, and inside handbags.
It was used daily by families across the country and became one of those products people rarely talked about because it was simply part of normal life.
Recently, old photos of the iconic LadyGay lotion have resurfaced online, bringing back memories for many people and sparking fresh curiosity about the brand and the face that appeared on its packaging for years.
What has drawn the most attention is the woman featured on the lotion’s cover. For decades, her image was widely seen but her identity remained unknown to the public. She was just a beautiful, calm face linked to a product trusted by many households.
New interest around these images has now revealed that the woman was Zahra Chebet Moi, who is today widely known as the wife of Kenyan politician Gideon Moi.
At the peak of LadyGay’s popularity, Zahra’s image appeared everywhere. It was printed on lotion bottles, placed in magazines, and used in various print advertisements. Her face became deeply familiar to consumers, even though most people had no idea who she was or what her life was like beyond the packaging. She represented elegance and simplicity, qualities that matched the brand’s image at the time.
LadyGay lotion was not just a cosmetic product. It formed part of everyday routines for many families. Mothers used it, daughters borrowed it, and some households kept the same brand for years without switching.
The famous Ladygay body lotion. Photo Courtesy.
Because of this, the branding became part of Kenyan popular culture. The image on the bottle blended into daily life so naturally that people rarely stopped to question who the woman was or why she was chosen.
As time passed, trends changed and new products entered the market. LadyGay slowly faded from being a common household item.
At the same time, Zahra Chebet Moi also stepped away from public attention. While her face had once been known to almost everyone, her personal life remained private. She later became known in a different way, as the wife of Gideon Moi, but even then she maintained a reserved lifestyle.
Today, both the lotion and its former cover model are no longer as visible as they once were.
LadyGay is no longer widely used, and Zahra focuses on her family life and supporting her husband without seeking attention. The resurfacing of these images has reminded many Kenyans of a different time, when certain products shaped daily routines and familiar faces were known without names.
