Today we’d like to introduce you to Jae Bell.
Hi Jae, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
At Zyn Wellness, we believe that your beauty is a part of your overall wellness.
We aim to provide inclusive, plant-based skincare solutions to melanated women through our products and wellness education.
Zyn Wellness is an inclusive skincare brand that focuses on melanin and provides natural, plant-based solutions for women of color.
Our hand-made products are made with all-natural ingredients that deliver visible results. Our founder, a licensed beauty professional, uses her industry relationships and expertise to educate women of color on skincare and elevate their at-home skincare routine.
Founded in December 2020 and launched in April 2021, Zyn Wellness recognizes that skincare is an essential part of wellness and is committed to providing inclusive skincare solutions and education to melanated women. Our founder’s personal experience of seeing her melanated family members’, specifically her grandmother + aunt’s beauty routines and products, inspired her to create a brand that focuses on providing all-natural, effective skincare solutions specifically for women of color.
Initially marketed as a cannabis beauty brand, Zyn Wellness decided to shift the focus to all plant-based ingredients to highlight the effectiveness of ALL the ingredients. Hemp oil is only ONE ingredient of the many plant-based ingredients in our products. Our founder owns 100% equity in the company and works three full-time jobs to fund and grow the business organically.
At Zyn Wellness, we believe that taking care of your skin is essential for overall health, and we are committed to healing the community one face at a time. Our brand is dedicated to providing melanin-focused, inclusive skincare that elevates the at-home skincare experience for women of color.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth road?!? TUH! Not all, but it’s getting smoother. I’ve made so many sacrifices along the way and have learned (and am still learning) so many lessons. During the pandemic, I faced a discrimination case at my then job and decided to advocate for myself and fight…and I won. I took those proceeds and started the brand I’ve always wanted to share with the world, Zyn Wellness. I decided to take a year away from Corporate, and that in it of itself was challenging. Life goes on and bills do too, so you can imagine the challenges there, especially when considering investing in a business on top of my day-to-day.
The next challenge came when I decided to launch as a CBD brand. My GOD, I did not expect to run into so many hurdles. I mean, after all, hemp is federally legal, however, there is still so much stigma around cannabis which proved to be a big hurdle. I found that I had to educate not only my customers but business owners as well. Some businesses did not want to touch Zyn because of the stigmas, and this is a challenge we still face today. Big banks don’t want to allow you to open accounts, payment platforms hold our funds for months on end (which is crippling for a new business), and marketing proved to be nearly impossible!!! From social media platforms to ecommerce hosts, we were completely blocked from being able to market our products the way we expected. There were some days and nights that I would just CRY! Like, how am I supposed to tell people about my amazing products if the very systems we use to market will not allow me to?!? I had to get creative and I am proud to say we’ve been able to get through a lot of the blocks we had at some point and have strapped our boots on tight to get through the challenges in front of us!
We’ve been impressed with Zyn Wellness, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Zyn Wellness is a brand that provides skincare and lifestyle solutions to the girlies with melanin. Period. As a licensed beauty professional, I noticed the uptake in beauty trends and the focus for women of color on the beauty side was on wigs, makeup and chemical-filled products. Though we love the fun, versatility and options wigs and makeup provide, we saw the ugly side of it from behind the beauty chair. Women would come to me literally AFRAID to be their natural selves. They relied on the makeup and hair to make them feel beautiful and without it, they felt just downright ugly and I decided at that point, I had to do something about it.
At Zyn Wellness, we believe wholeheartedly that your beauty and wellness are directly aligned. If you don’t look good, you don’t feel good and you for damn sure don’t perform at peak. So, we wanted to start with showing you how to not only feel beautiful naturally (with tips from a beauty professional) but to understand the importance of nurturing your natural canvas as part of your beauty and wellness routine. We wanted to help women find their pretty and their peace of mind because they deserve to feel it every single day.
Zyn Wellness is known for being a melanin-focused skincare solution infused with fun, wellness lifestyle content. We don’t just sell you our products, we show you how to use them AND we give you tips on how to incorporate wellness practices into your routine as well (e.g. skincare tutorials with affirmations).
We are most proud of the way that women of color have responded to the brand and that we have encouraged them to prioritize their skincare. We all know the phrase “Black don’t crack”, but it’s a myth! It does and it will! So, we’re here to show you how to keep that youth popping with a smile.
We’d like for your readers to understand that Zyn is for them and all of their melanated friends and loved ones. It is the gift of love and peace. Women of color are often overlooked and undervalued and at Zyn, we focus on YOU. Your needs. Your feelings. Your beauty. Your peace. Your Zyn.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Absolutely. As a pandemic-borne brand, we have learned the importance of not putting off to tomorrow what you can do today. Time is a concept that is so interesting and we have to be brave enough to advocate for ourselves and what we deserve IN THE MOMENT.
Tired of that bully boss at work? F*ck that job and go get another one. Or hell, start a business.
Tired of having to show up in the world every day with a fully beat face and buss down lace? Take it off sis!!!
Tired of waiting on that relationship to be what you want it to be? F*ck them people. CHOOSE YOU.
Want more peace? Let’s draw. Let’s brunch. Let’s meditate. Let’s Zyn.
Time isn’t waiting for us and we have to keep moving and do the things that speak to our souls, our spirits and our peace of mind.
Define happiness on your terms. Define beauty on your terms. Define peace on your terms.
Take stock of self and be aware of what you need and voice it! Create boundaries and hold yourself and others to them. These are the brave things. Choosing YOU and being YOU unapologetically. Finding you’re pretty, your peace and your Zyn.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zynwellness.co
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/zynwellness
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/zynwellness
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@zynwellness
