The Scrubstance of Suzanne Scarlett
Suzanne Scarlett has been around the world and back. In a past life she was a flight attendant who managed to amass over a decade of experience, and it is that industry that exposed her to the exotic.
“Being a part of the airline industry without a doubt exposed me to the exotic products which existed out there in the wider world. This made me realise that I had the creativity and confidence to develop and market my own exotic products while still staying true to my Jamaican heritage,” she said.
A self-dubbed do-it-yourself (DIY) crafter, Scarlett is always busy with her hands. Not only that, she is always looking for ways to do things differently.
“After my daughter was born I believe an unusual awareness was born in me. My senses of touch, smell, taste, everything seemed to heighten for lack of a better word,” she shared.
She had a spa treatment, and said she remembered little else apart from the scrub they used on her, which smelled like coffee.
“The only thing I remember was that I loved the smell,” she said.
It was not until years later while she was reflecting over a cup of Blue Mountain coffee that she remembered her spa experience.
She later recalled that the spa therapist at the time had told her that she could make her own scrub and so that’s exactly what she did.
A true home based operation, Scarlett’s scrubs are made from scratch by hand.
“I work from home, in the kitchen, like a baker. Everything is mixed and handled by hand. I also have a space used as an office and storage for the products,” she explained.
Scrubstance is a natural coffee-based scrub which aims to exfoliate your skin, leaving it hydrated and firmer looking.
“I did some research and thought I would make the scrub for myself. My daughter Zoë, who was nine at the time, embraced it and wanted to scrub every day, which is why each flavour is Zoë ‘heart’ mint, sweet, citrus… because each flavour I made, she loved.”
With girlfriends willing to line up and be guinea pigs for her scrub, Scarlett was now well on her way to creating a marketable product.
It was then that Scrubstance was born.
“For me, that’s why Scrubstance is an experience, not just a scrub. Scrubstance is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. And so right now I’m only thinking global. I mean it’s Jamaican coffee so it practically sells itself.”
Since starting in February of this year, the requests for other items in the bath and body works line have been steadily coming in. And Scarlett, who is not setting any limits on herself, is ready and willing to take up the challenge.
“Bar and gel soaps, gel scrubs, face scrubs, bath soaks, are just to name a few of what I plan to experiment with, and the best will make it in the Scrubstance line,” she said.
