Julian Clarke overcomes hardships, finds purpose in skincare business

Julian Clarke, the St. James-based woman, who transitioned her life from a foster child, who use to endure much bullying, to a confident entrepreneur with a thriving skincare product business, is now rebranding her business as she seeks to further triumph over her past hardships.

“The business was started so that people can love themselves naturally, feel beautiful and use natural products that make them feel super from the inside. It is nothing about being superficial, but it is just about natural beauty, and that is what JC Naturals and Beauty is all about,” said the 27-year-old Clarke, in defining her business philosophy.

Clarke, who resides in Green Pond, a few miles inland from Montego Bay, wants to promote self-appreciation in the minds of her clients through her JC Natural and Beauty product line, formerly branded as Keep Faith Beauty, which she originally started in September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The drive, the motivation, and the pressures of life conditioned my mindset to build the JC Naturals and Beauty brand. There was also the fact that I was completely broke, and I wanted to win and push as hard as I could for a better life,” said Clarke.

JC Natural and Beauty, which markets its products through the social media platform Instagram, offers items to include a turmeric and walnut creamy scrub, a stretch marks remover oil, a dark spot remover cream, a turmeric and honey face wash, a turmeric body butter, and a coffee glow face and body cream.

OVERCOME LOW SELF-ESTEEM

Besides providing a source of income for herself and her infant child, the JC Natural and Beauty company also helped Clarke to overcome the low self-esteem she had suffered from being teased about her acne during her days in foster care.

Clarke now uses that experience as a talking point whenever she reaches out to young people in her motivational outreach activities, which includes making presentations at various schools or via the Zoom platform.

“My past was drastic as I had severe acne, I did not love myself, and I grew up emotionally, physically, and mentally damaged. However, I now use my past to let everyone know that they are beautiful and can use products I develop to fix their skin,” explained Clarke.

“I currently do Zoom presentations targeting groups from the ages of 13 to 50, and I do virtual presentations two times per week. I talk about loving yourself and overcoming obstacles as a youth, creating wealth for yourself, putting God first in everything you do, supporting each other as entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs, and why it is important to communicate,” continued Clarke. “I tell them why I started my business and how I always dreamed that one day I would start a business so that persons may learn to love themselves.”