We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Charmion Thrasher. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Charmion below.

Charmion, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

My name is Charmion, and I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. Growing up I spent a lot of time participating in after school activities and attending church with my family. I come from a large family, so I learned early on the importance of speaking up and sticking together. As a kid, the church was the first place I learned about being a part of a community, and the positive impact that can be felt when people truly care about their neighborhood. I remember volunteering in the church food pantry and canvassing the neighborhood to support various community initiatives. These experiences are what sparked my interest in activism and community service. My interest in my community and the global community is what lead me to People to People Student Ambassador Programs. By the age of 18 I had traveled the world as a student ambassador for the United States. On these journeys is where I learned the importance of considering myself a global citizen.

After graduating from High School, I attended Bethune Cookman University, a HBCU (Historically Black College or University). I went on to become the Chartering Vice President of the Bethune Cookman University Chapter of SISTUHS, Inc., a community service-based organization. My commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is what drives me to bring like-minded people together. After graduation, I moved to Jacksonville, FL and began a career in the financial industry, working every day to bring those same core values to the banking world. Working in the financial industry assisted me in learning the importance of financial literacy, especially among underrepresented groups. Assisting local business owners with their finances is what allowed me to begin to envision myself as a business owner.

My work in the community and my desire to help people is what inspired me to start my own company. Growing up my parents always talked about the importance of ownership and innovation as an African American. In 2020 I was able to bring my dream of owning a skincare company to fruition. I am the Owner and CEO of Herbal Radiance Corporation, and I take pride in creating natural skincare products safe for all skin types. As someone who has struggled with eczema and sensitive skin my entire life, I understand the importance of using quality products on your skin. Herbal Radiance focuses on cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing the skin using natural soaps, herbs, butters, and oils. The goal is to reveal and enhance the beautiful skin you already have. My products are designed for full body everyday use, so treat your skin daily!
I must say, it has taken a lot of commitment and perseverance to get to where I am today, even though I still feel like I am in the very beginning stages of running my business, every day I can see how my efforts are creating more opportunities for me to grow.

Since moving to Jacksonville, I have also been able to connect with many likeminded women, who share my passion in creating a community that serves and empowers us. In November of 2020, amid a global pandemic, myself, and 13 other women established the Jacksonville Professional chapter of SISTUHS, Inc. Our chapter is composed of a diverse group of women, who are committed to making a positive impact on the city of Jacksonville. JPC SISTUHS focuses on the development of African American women through our initiatives that align with our acronyms. The work we do in the community focuses on the topics of Strength, Initiative, Spirituality, Tenacity, Unity, Health, and Substance. As President of the chapter, I continue my work of advocating for people’s dignity, freedom, and peace. Understanding the only way to break cycles of fear and misunderstanding is for people to understand one another.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Charmion, and I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. Growing up, I spent a lot of time participating in after-school activities and attending church with my family. I come from a large family, so I learned early on the importance of speaking up and sticking together.

As a kid, the church was the first place, I learned about being a part of a community, and the positive impact that can be felt when people truly care about their neighborhood. I remember volunteering in the church food pantry and canvassing the neighborhood to support various community initiatives. These experiences are what sparked my interest in activism and community service.

My interest in my community and the global community is what lead me to the People to People Student Ambassador Programs. By the age of 18, I had traveled the world as a student ambassador for the United States. On these journeys is where I learned the importance of considering myself a global citizen.
After graduating from High School, I attended Bethune Cookman University, an HBCU (Historically Black College or University). I went on to become the Chartering Vice President of the Bethune Cookman University Chapter of SISTUHS, Inc., a community service-based organization. My commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is what drives me to bring like-minded people together.

My work in the community and my desire to help people are what inspired me to start my own company. Growing up my parents always talked about the importance of ownership and innovation as an African American. In 2020 I was able to bring my dream of owning a skincare company to fruition. I am the Owner and CEO of Herbal Radiance Corporation, and I take pride in creating natural skin care products safe for all skin types.

As someone who has struggled with eczema and sensitive skin my entire life, I understand the importance of using quality products on your skin. Herbal Radiance focuses on cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing the skin using natural soaps, herbs, butter, and oils. The goal is to reveal and enhance the beautiful skin you already have. My products are designed for full body everyday use, so treat your skin daily!

What makes me happy is knowing that the work I’m doing is not only laying the groundwork to create generational wealth for myself and my family, but its also expanding my reach and allowing me to present opportunities to others, to make a positive impact on their lives and generations to come.
This is important to me because of my belief in community, and my belief that success for one of us should equal success for all of us.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

Starting my business has taken a lot of commitment and patience, building a skincare company from the ground up is most definitely not for the weak. Most of what I have learned about making these products, I taught myself. There are not a lot of classes or schools that teach people how to make skincare products. There is a lot of science and math involved in this process to ensure that products are safe to use, With that being said, it has been a lot of trial and error, a lot of “experiments,” and some long nights, and early mornings. In addition to learning how to make products, I also had to learn how to operate my business successfully. Whether it’s naming a product, or registering with the state, or making sure my customers have a seamless experience when making a purchase, there is always something challenging me to go above and beyond the expectation.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What has helped build our reputation is the way people feel after using our products, each purchase represents your right to empower yourself and feel confident in your own skin. The goal is to reveal and enhance the beautiful skin you already have. Our products are designed for full body everyday use, so treat your skin daily! The ingredients we use are of the highest quality and are supplied by other small businesses. Herbal Radiance is known for our everyday soap bars and body butter. These products are a great natural substitution for traditional soaps and lotions that contain unnecessary chemicals.

Contact Info:

• Website: herbalradianceskincare.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/herbal.radiance?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HerbalRadianceCorporation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charmion-thrasher-019394207/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/herbal_radiance?s=21&t=cZDIl7Up4NrOrfK0-OuuKw
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/3SelRWq023k

Image Credits
JWalk Productions https://instagram.com/jwalk_photo?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Model: Emoni Barnes https://instagram.com/itsalearningjourney_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=