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Growth & Jobs | 'We need more manufacturers of beauty-care products'

Published:Monday | November 12, 2018 | 12:00 AMJodi-Ann Gilpin/Gleaner Writer
Dianne Plummer, founder of Your True Shade.
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Dianne Plummer, founder and chief executive officer of Your True Shade, cautioned upcoming entrepreneurs to ensure that they do diligent research if they are to achieve sustainable economic benefits from their business ventures.

Plummer also said that if more persons, including policymakers, took the beauty industry more seriously, tremendous benefits could be accrued for individuals and the country.

"My background is engineering, so initially, I didn't know much and the need for contracts and doing my due diligence, so, of course, I got burnt a few times," she said.

"Joining certain associations and getting the proper business training can definitely help you in the early stages so that you don't make certain mistakes. Do your background check on businesses and companies so that you don't get burnt along the way," she advised.

Plummer, who copped New Exporter of the Year Award at the Jamaica Manufacturers' Exporters Association gala recently, said that what started out as a need, has become a thriving venture that has catered to the needs of her clients locally and internationally.

"I left Jamaica in 2011 to pursue my master's in energy and mechanical engineering. While I was there, it was very difficult to find make-up and skin-care products. So I used my background in chemical engineering to start making my own line of products, and I would sell them to my classmates," she recalled.

"When I got back to Jamaica in 2014, I got it tested at Bureau of Standards. Usually, you don't hear health and cosmetics coming together. So I wanted to enhance beauty without compromising health. It has always been my brand statement," she said.

Plummer calls on manufactures and individuals to take the beauty industry seriously and to make sure they make use of every learning opportunity to make themselves and businesses better.

"I think the personal-care industry is one of the only industries that can stand during a recession. When we are stressed, we still want to look good, we still buy make-up, we still buy beauty care products," she said.

"I think that it (beauty industry) should be taken a little bit more seriously. Personal care is the market to get into. We need manufacturers of personal-care products. We need the local buy-in because there are other brands out there that are just as good as international brands, and they are using more natural resources. You can't go wrong with beauty-care products. People need to wash their faces, they need to lotion, they need to take care of the hair," she declared.

jodi-ann.gilpin@gleanerjm.com