The Balm Shop & Co.
Redondo Beach, California
Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:
Crystal: The Balm Shop & Co.
The Balm Shop & Co., is an indie-beauty company with humanitarian heart. Our artisan-made products are created to nourish the skin and pamper the soul. We use naturally-occurring ingredients and are paraben, paraffin and cruelty-free. Additionally, caring for our communities is our passion, so a portion of our sales go toward supporting community projects that help those in need.
Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?
Nearly 10 years ago, I was officially diagnosed with dermatitis, commonly known as Eczema. At the time of diagnosis, I was told by the doctor that the condition was hereditary, and that I could never get rid of it. I heard what he said, but decided to fight back in my own way. I knew in my heart that there was a way that I could manage or get rid of the symptoms with natural remedies. So, after growing tired of using prescription creams loaded with steroids, I went in search of a natural solution to heal and manage my skin condition.
Our name, The Balm Shop & Co., came to me one day during a service at Destiny House Church. While listening to the psalmist sing about the Balm of Gilead, the business name just popped in my head. When I got home and researched the word, “balm”, I found that by definition it is a fragrant ointment or cream used to heal or soothe. A balm also provides a comforting or restorative effect. That was exactly what I wanted my products to do. It was in that moment that The Balm Shop & Co., was born. Our mission is to stay true to that definition, by using natural and organic ingredients when formulating our products to help individuals look and feel good.
What is your signature style / item? How did it become so?
Our signature style is clean, simple, natural, beautiful with a little pop!
Clean, simple and natural can be seen with our product ingredient profiles. A beautiful pop can be seen in the vibrant colors that adorn our product packaging.
What makes your business unique to the industry?
What makes us unique to the industry is our Look Good, Feel Good and Give 4 Good philosophy.
LOOK GOOD
We believe the best way to help our end users look good and be at their best, is to provide products that nourish, protect, moisturize and replenish the skin.
FEEL GOOD
When you look good, you feel good. From the birth of our existence, we have believed that going back to nature's garden to find the resources to maintain healthy, beautiful skin is a best practice. What we found is that fruits, nuts, vegetable oils, extracts and essentials, have innate holistic properties that promote wholeness, nourishment and protection from everyday common skincare challenges. Using products with clean, unpolluted ingredients make you feel good about your health, and the environment overall. The word ‘natural’ for us speaks of simplistic authenticity. No pretense; what you see is what you really get. Why? “Because natural is beautiful.”
GIVE 4 GOOD
Living naturally is simple, and that is empowering. Our business model gives our community the opportunity to pass value on to others in need. To make our communities look and feel good, we allocate a portion of our sales revenue to support projects that help those in need.
What's been your biggest roadblock when it comes to business and how have you been able to overcome?
I think the biggest roadblock I have faced in business is fear of the unknown. It takes an incredible amount of strength and courage to put yourself and what you make out there for the world to view. As an Artisan, that can be so terrifying. At the same time, it is immensely satisfying to know that something I was inspired to create is helping so many people with skincare challenges like my own. This is a fear that I have to fight to overcome every day, but I overcome it nonetheless by having faith in the God-given ability in me to create something unique and beautiful that benefits others.
How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid- 19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation?
Each year, we attend artisan events to sell and promote the brand to various communities. These events are vital to business as they are a major driving force for revenue. The challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, forced many of these events to be either postponed or cancelled altogether, which was a blow to our spring revenue projections.
To navigate the situation and stay positive during this time, we focused our attention on being creative and bringing to life several new product ideas. These products, some of which were inspired by life in quarantine, include a line of body and facial soap bars, a natural (baking soda free) deodorant, and an array of awesome facial products launching this month. In fact, we just launched our new Derma Facial Scrub and a travel option for our Petals Rose Floral Toner this week with incredible additions to come.
What is your favorite part of what you do?
I say all the time, that the favorite part of what I do is being in the market place, hearing about my customers skincare journeys and helping them find a solution for their skincare challenges. Those are the things that fuel my passion for this work and keep my creative juices flowing.
What is your *must do* local activity?
My must do local activity is to hang out with my bestie and road dawg, Aja. Last year, we started our version of a food and spa tour. We visited various counties (e.g. LA, Orange, Riverside, San Diego), where we searched and found some good, authentic and modern cuisine, visited local museums, and tried a few different spas for some much-needed pampering. 2019 fun favs were Tart restaurant in Los Angeles and Cha Cha Chicken Restaurant in Santa Monica. For local pampering, we love going to Burke Williams spa in Torrance and in Pasadena.
Where to find The Balm Shop & Co:
Online: https://www.thebalmshopco.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebalmshopco/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebalmshopco