From Sunshine to City Lights: Jamaican-born New Yorker nurses her way to skin care From Sunshine to City Lights
Published:Saturday | July 9, 2022 | 12:05 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Simone Myrie Dawson is a mother, wife, registered nurse and author. While she prides herself in being the ultimate superwoman, stress crept into her life, particularly during the pandemic, and she found herself riddled with acne. She began researching solutions and created her own skin care line.
“As an RN and a front-line worker, I worked long hours, and my face had a lot of bumps. I would go home with lots of redness and irritation on my face. That was really challenging for me. I went to dermatologists and different places. And nothing seemed to work. All it did was lighten and harm my skin,” she told Living. But she recalled the days growing up in Jamaica, where everyone used many natural ingredients to cure themselves. It didn’t help that her daughter, Drupassion Winterjoy, had terrible eczema. That’s when the brilliant idea popped into her head to make home remedies.
“We always used to hear, ‘Yuh head hurt yuh? Drink ginger tea.’ So I started from there, going into my kitchen and mixing oatmeal and hemp. It worked. And I stopped using the harsh chemicals the dermatologist prescribed for me,” she added. From there, the concept grew into a natural line of skin care products called Simmie Skin Care.
“I create quality products to help alleviate common skin conditions such as acne, eczema and hyperpigmentation. Simmie Organic Oatmeal Face & Body Soap is inspired by her daughter for her eczema. Another product, Simmie Tangerine Combo, is inspired by New York City because it’s just one of my favourite places. And then products like the hemp soap, mango face and body butter, brown sugar and coconut body scrub, and papaya skin cream are all inspired by my country of birth, Jamaica,” she explained.
Born and raised in Hertford, Westmoreland, life was great. Her mother was a nurse at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital and she is proud to be following in her matriarch’s inspiring footsteps. She went to Petersfield High School, taking six subjects at grade 10. She went on to attend community college and worked for the government for almost a decade, before migrating to New York.
Her extensive research saw her falling in love with natural treatments to achieve healthy and beautiful skin. Repulsed by the toxic synthetic ingredients which can be found in many of the personal care products on the market, Myrie Dawson decided to be the change she needed to see in this world.
“I decided that I would only make my products with natural ingredients like herbs, organic fruits, essential oils, superfoods and organically derived ingredients to help alleviate the dependency on chemical-filled products that our communities are exposed to. The unnecessary chemicals they use have over time been linked to infertility, cancer, atopic dermatitis and a host of other illnesses. I definitely have a newfound respect for going natural,” the ‘mom-trepreneur’ shared.
The biggest challenge she has faced to date as an entrepreneur is with manufacturing. The most reasonable ones, she confessed, could only be found in China, and they admitted that they would have to water down her product for mass production. Not one to compromise on quality, she continued to brew up batches of her organic goodness in her kitchen. “Also, a lot of older people doubted me in the beginning. But the fact that I pushed through to the end and actually launched the company was a big moment for me; knowing that I’m helping other women,” she said.
The businesswoman is eternally grateful for the support of her family who pitch in on the business aspect. Her husband, who helps with packaging, saw to it that his wife expand to a mini-house, which she is currently utilising as her production house as of last year. Her daughter, now 18, assists with labelling, marketing and online customer service.
Her ultimate mission as an agent of change is to improve quality of life and increase self-confidence through beauty products, “I decided on the name Simmie Skincare because once I began making and using my own products, my skin became so radiant that it literally glowed and made me feel good and glowing. Simmie Skin Care is formulated by a black woman, for black women, men and children, so you can be sure that all of the products are both safe and effective.”
Today, you can find her products on Amazon and Shopify, and she is looking forward to being on the shelves of Target, Walmart and CVS Pharmacy by the end of August. In the near future, she would like to expand her business to Jamaica, Westmoreland to be specific, to open a factory so that she can provide employment for her community.
“My advice to entrepreneurs is to find the confidence in knowing that you too can start a company; that is the most rewarding part. You can’t be afraid to be vulnerable and really bring yourself to the endeavour.”