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nextgen business: jencare skin farm

Jencare to introduce new products for Xmas season

Published:Wednesday | October 30, 2019 | 12:08 AMKarena Bennett/Business Reporter
Jencare products packaged in memory of its founder, the late Jennifer Samuda.
Jencare products packaged in memory of its founder, the late Jennifer Samuda.

The early ’80s were a time of bright miniskirts, platform shoes and disco balls, all of which contrasted with the businesswoman image Jennifer Samuda wanted to portray when she decided to chart a path in entrepreneurship.

But if entering ‘unpopular’ territories was not risky business enough, Jennifer, who was adamant on shifting from a life behind an office cubicle, began her journey in spa services from a bedroom in the family home, while tending to motherly duties and a full-time job as an auditor.

“It was essentially a one-woman show with clients being mainly my mom’s friends who were flight attendants, family, and co-workers in the banking industry. The only service offered was facials,” daughter of Jennifer Samuda and CEO of Jencare Skin Farm, Peta-Gaye Samuda-Palmer, told the Financial Gleaner.

Fast-forward 34-years later, operating from a 16,000 square-foot facility at 82 Hope Road in St. Andrew with branches in New York, Miami and Trinidad and Tobago and a mobile business, Jencare is today recognised as one of Jamaica’s leading stand-alone spa operation.

The venture, which started with funds saved from Jennifer’s full-time job, now offers a wide range of spa services, including facials, body massages, body scrubs, hydrotherapy treatments, body wraps, manicures, pedicures, waxing, and hair treatments.

Affectionately named after its founder, Jencare’s first line of products included a signature leaf soap, a mask, and a cream. The initial products were developed through a method of trial and error, but Jennifer’s passion for skincare kept her up night after night perfecting the formula for what Jencare now calls its legacy line of products.

As the years went by, Jennifer’s knowledge in skincare reached a level where trial and error were no longer the methods used, and by 1990 she could easily diagnose skin problems, design products and treatments for individuals through consultations.

But Jennifer’s extensive training in manufacturing and formulating skin products soon proved to be just one ingredient in the recipe for success of the Jencare business venture. In 1999, Samuda-Palmer – one of two children for Jennifer – was ready to enter the business full-time.

“I grew up in the industry and my mom always tried to spark my interest in everything she did. I initially pursued medicine but I entered the business 20 years ago when I got my Esthetician licence in the United States while beginning my undergraduate studies at the University of Miami,” Samuda-Palmer said.

Not long after, Jennifer found herself combining her knowledge with her daughter’s background in chemistry to introduce two product lines called NextJen and Jencare.

“With my chemistry background, I was able to dissect the product and strategy at a molecular level, make improvements where necessary and introduce whole new lines of products. Over time, we expanded on the NextJen Line and our Jencare Line with amazing new offers for our clients, some of which now outsell our legacy products,” Samuda-Palmer said.

Launched in 2011, NextJen targets skin problems ranging from sensitive skin conditions such as eczema to inflammatory conditions such as acne. Since then, the duo has committed themselves to continuous research in bringing new products to market on an annual basis.

Samuda-Palmer herself has introduced Jencare’s Malibu Pineapple Enzyme Scrub and Pumpkin Spice Body Butter to Jencare’s line of products following the death of her mother in February 2017.

Jennifer died in Florida after a long battle with cancer, but not before gaining many recognitions, including a nomination for the Jamaica Observer’s Business Leader Award and the NCB Nation Builder Award in the category of Women in Business.

Jennifer’s vision for her company was further embraced with the rollout of the opening of a Skin Bar in Miramar, Florida, in July 2018, and plans are under way to launch another in Jamaica. Crediting the origin of the Skin Bar concept to her mother, Samuda-Palmer said it was Jennifer’s vision to have customers smell, feel and touch the products in-house as a means of enhancing the spa experience for clients.

Mimicking a bar setting, Jencare’s Skin Bar features a variety of skincare products that are fragranced in line with popular alcoholic mixed drinks. Some of the products include the Moscow Mule Body Butter, Cucumber Mojito, Malibu Pineapple, and Tequila Sunrise, all infused with different fruits, herbs, essential oils, botanical extracts, and other organic ingredients.

Locally, Samuda-Palmer is planning the introduction of new products for the upcoming Christmas season.

“My mother would always say when your passion meets your destiny, you must share it with the world. The vision is to build on the legacy of the company, streamline manufacturing and improve on the customer service experience,” Samuda-Palmer told the Financial Gleaner.

“We also intend to expand our reach in overseas markets through robust e-commerce capabilities and possibly open new locations. The spirit of my mom lives on in everything we do,” she continued.

Jencare currently employs over 40 full-time staff and caters to a wide cross section of clients primarily based on its pricing, which starts at $1,200. Jencare also attracts customers through targeted and specialised treatments and packages such as Couples Jenscape, all-inclusive, executive, and ambassador suites offerings.

Within Jencare’s plans to expand its footprint to more international markets, Samuda-Palmer is adamant the Jencare’s growth will be organic, and trust that her two-month-old daughter, Jennifer Skye, is next in line for the post of CEO.

“I have two children, my son Josiah, and my daughter is appropriately named Jennifer Skye. But I am far from being done with all I have to do for this company, and both are far from ready. We hope that this business will be generational in ownership as it is with our customers,” she said.

karena.bennett@gleanerjm.com