Sounds familiar? We hear your frustration girl, we’ve been there and we got you!
MY INSPIRATION
Hey I’m Marsha Indigo McBain, Founder, Creative Director and Photographer for Berri Clear Skin. Since high school I had always dealt with breakouts which later caused dark spots also known as hyperpigmentation. They got worse during college and took a toll on my skin after motherhood, and I realized that my self-esteem had taken a huge hit because I didn’t even recognize my own reflection in the mirror any more.
Back then, I realized that many of the products that were accessible for women of color for hyperpigmentation often contained harmful ingredients that could negatively impact our health later on. Fresh out of options, I didn’t know where to turn, so I had an epiphany: I decided to go back to my Trinidadian roots and create my own solution, something that I knew would not harm my body in the long run.
When I was a little girl, during summer vacations to my mum's native homeland Trinidad and Tobago, I remember her and grandma rummaging through my grandparents backyard to find everything she needed (and then some!). It used to be such an adventure because their backyard was no ordinary backyard, it was literally a tropical oasis with large, bushy, untamed trees and mini ecosystems everywhere. They raised chickens, you'd hear the neighbor's goats, and you’d even find the occasional Manikou lurking (aka possum pronounced "man-ee-koo") or Crapaud hopping around (aka frog pronounced "krap-oh"). And it was HOT AF too. I also remember mum picking fresh Aloe Vera and using it as a cure for literally everything. Bug bite? Aloe. Belly "griping" (stomach ache)? Aloe. Suck your thumb? Yup, you guessed it, aloe.
FOR THE CULTURE!
So I began mixing aloe vera with turmeric, another staple in Trinidadian culture by way of Indian cuisine and for the first time, I began to see a dramatic difference in my skin. That’s when I decided to create my own facial serum by using these same principles and infused those ingredients with my 5 Berri Botanical Complex and Vitamin C, ingredients that have been scientifically studied to target dark spots and uneven skin tone, found in my hero product Berri-Clear+. And, inspired by our bold, colorfully vibrant Trinidad Carnival and tropical atmosphere, Berri-Clear Skin was born.
Berri-Clear Skin, is a woman-owned, plant-based beauty brand inspired by old school Trinidadian culture where ingredients for home made remedies were grown fresh and picked from our back yards. Welcome!