Two Albany entrepreneurs are hoping to win a Wal-Mart competition that would see their skin-care line on shelves all over the country.
Delmar native Jaclyn Livingston and her boyfriend, Shannon O’Brien, are competing in Wal-Mart’s “Get on the Shelf” campaign with their all-natural skin-care line, Skin Candi. The products were created last year to help alleviate skin problems within their own family.
“Our baby had eczema and we were using the most expensive products to treat it,” said O’Brien. “I started doing research into finding a more holistic approach, and it worked.”
Livingston and O’Brien said they were unhappy with the chemicals found in the prescriptions they were given for their toddler. They began doing research on their own into organic ingredients found in nature known to relive the symptoms of ailments like eczema, psoriasis and blotchy skin. Through trial and error, the couple came up with several lotions that they tested on their family.
The couple then took what they started at home and turned it into a product for the public. Through their website, Skin Candi offers three facial scrubs called Face Candi, Face Candi + and Face Candi Venom.
The couple said all of the scrubs are honey-based and are infused with antioxidants and essential oils. Face Candi + uses Manuka honey, which is alleged to be one of the few, if only, topical solutions to treat the MRSA virus, said O’Brien. Face Candi Venom also contains a small amount of bee venom to create what Livingston called an “instant face-lift.”
“We’re not experts, by any means,” said Livingston. “But we wanted to create a skin-care product we felt was safe and pure.”
O’Brien said they found all of their ingredients either at the grocery store or through local specialty stores. The couple said their products are even safe to eat, and taste “yummy,” hence the name. But they wouldn’t suggest customers ingest them, all the same.
Livingston said their goal was to put nothing in their products deemed too “scary” or “confusing.” They wanted to know what they were putting into their bodies, and wanted those ingredients to be transparent for their customers.
Skin Candi has already made it through Wal-Mart’s first round of judging, which ended in July. The couple was next asked to create a video to be placed on Wal-Mart’s “Get on the Shelf” webpage. The public is now being asked to vote for their favorite products, and those with the most votes will make it to the next round.
Finalists will then have their stories featured in an original web series produced by Wal-Mart. Another round of voting will then take place. Those winners will have their products made available through Walmart.com, and the “grand champion” will receive marketing support.
“For us, this is a huge opportunity,” said Livingston. “We just began selling our products online, so the exposure alone is great. We could be reaching millions of people.”
The couple is still making their project at home in their own kitchen. Batches are made fresh, based on the size of orders. The tops of the glass jars are then hand-dipped into a wax seal that works to preserve the product.
“We can truly say each batch is made with love,” said Livingston. “We hope we can keep doing that forever, but that may get harder as the brand grows.”
Eventually, Livingston said she would like to grow the line and offer lotions and body scrubs, which are already being used by the couple’s family and friends. Skin Candi also stands behind their products, and offers a 100 percent money-back guarantee if customers are unsatisfied for any reason.
“We’re just waiting to see where this all leads,” said Livingston.
For more information about Skin Candi, visit their website at skin-candi.com. To vote for Skin Candi in Wal-Mart’s “Get on the Shelf” campaign, visit getontheshelf.walmart.com.