Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Malika Skerritt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Malika, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I have chronic eczema. I suffered with it as a child. Developed insecurities with my skin as a teen and learned how to “mask” it as an adult. I have been on prescribed steroid topicals, over the counter cortisones, and antihistamines. Over the years, my skin had become “addicted” to the medicated topicals. If I tried to go 2 days without using one, I would go through what’s now known as TSW, Topical Steroid Withdrawal. What an intolerable experience that would send me right back to using topicals. And that cycle continued until I had finally had enough. All of those things were temporary fixes if you will that had not so pleasant long term effects. So I decided to do something about it for the sake of my skin and my sanity!

I wanted to eliminate my eczema and heal my skin holistically. This took research, lots of it! It also took trial and error… lots of that too! But I was determined because I knew, if I could somehow create a natural way to heal my skin, and restore my confidence, I knew there would be at least one other person I could help.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

About ten years ago, I discovered Body Butter. It was the new craze! People were ditching their prescriptions creams for this new holy grail nut butter that seemed to be healing and moisturizing problematic skin. I was in love. The creamy, whipped, smooth texture mixed with some intoxicating fragrance oil… oh my did I love this “new” moisturizer method! So much so that I thought, why not make my own? So I registered at the University of Youtube and I got to work. Epic fail!! Making my own body butter did not go as planned. I was awful at it lol. So I sat that thought to the side and for years I continued to purchase body butter. After a while I realized that body butter was still lacking for me. Yes it went on smooth and yes I looked shiny, but I was finding myself needing to reapply 2 or even three times a day just to stay moisturized. I didn’t like that. Five years later, I decided I would take a shot at it again. By this time, I was little more knowledgeable about herb, oils and butters. I read about different ingredients that were known to help sooth itch, hydrate skin and alleviate eczema. That’s when I got the idea to combine three powerhouse ingredients: Sea Moss, Ceramides and Oat, to create the ultimate skin hydration! Of course it took some time to develop the perfect formula. I of course used myself as the test subject. I soon realized I had created a formula that not only delivered long lasting moisture, but soothed itch and healed eczema. I then began giving samples to friends who suffered with problem skin or who had children suffering with problem skin. The results was confirmation I needed to
bottle this formulation.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I found out rather quickly just what it took to create a small, handmade business. My eagerness to get a jar of my new Buttercream into as many households quickly fizzled when I realized just what it was going to take. I was now in charge of inventory, manufacturing, branding, book keeping, marketing, I mean many hats on one head! Building a brand from scratch is not for the faint hearted. It took time to seek out the right vendors for ingredients, labels, and supplies and it can become very costly., especially with no significant start up capital. I mean I don’t even like thinking about how much product got wasted in the trial and error phase. One thing I learned is to start with small portion when ordering ingredients for the first time. Not all oils, butters and herbs are created equal. Some react differently than others. Ordering too much of the wrong thing can be very hard on the pockets. There were many times I felt like giving up. Thinking maybe I should just stick to making products for my household only. But then I would get a call or text from that one person telling me how much they love my product and how it changed their skin. And just like that, I was reassured that this business needed to happen.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Allowing the product to speak for itself. And thank God it does because I am a horrible sales person lol. Let me explain. I am not very good at convincing total strangers into buying things. I don’t have the gift of gab. Im not a super animated speaker. Growing up, I never wanted any job that required me to sell something. (Funny how that worked out now that I run my own retail business lol). I trust in the appearance, quality and reviews to help build my brand. People are visual. I tried to design brandin that was classy and appealing to the eye. The product itself is formulated with a rich, creamy silky smooth texture, playing on the customer’s sense of touch. I never get enough from hearing just how soft it feels. Social proof is the finishing touch. Continuous reviews and testimonials from customers are significant factors in our growth.       

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lbxsskin.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lbxsskin
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/lbxsskin
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lbxsample
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lbxsskin?_t=8drg9udGpkA&_r=1
• https://etsy.com/lbxsskin

Image Credits
Product images shot by Elizabeth Page elizabethpagephotography.com