Henrico Small Business Spotlight: Best Life Beauti

Tamra Collins is a problem solver. And Best Life Beauti was her answer to skincare issues she saw within her family – and beyond.

Founded in 2018, Best Life Beauti is a clean, vegan skincare brand that operates out of Collins’ home in Henrico County. The story for her company began from wholesome beginnings fitting for a hardworking mother of three who would do anything for her children.

“What actually catapulted everything was my oldest daughter,” Collins said. “She was having some skin issues. . . And I was just trying every little DIY thing that I could find to try to help her gain some more confidence and clear her skin up without using too many harsh chemicals because she was very young at the time.”

That led Collins to the creation of a foaming African black soap made with ingredients like cocoa pod ashes, plantain skin ashes, palm oil, Jojoba oil and tea tree oil.

“She started using that on her skin, and it worked really well,” Collins said. “It didn't irritate her, and it helped to clear her skin up.”

Seeing the success of her very first product led Collins, “a researcher at heart,” to keep experimenting. She then found herself trying to handmake something new every couple of weeks, and Collins grew to love the creative process. 

After officially debuting in 2018, Best Life Beauti really started to take off a year or two later when she launched her Etsy page and started tabling at more events. As her business grew, so did her mission.

“I just started making sure people knew that I started this not only for my family, but for other people who wanted to have clean products,” Collins said. “I'm very focused on healthy skin, more so than things that smell good or that look a certain way. . . I'm really trying to focus on people who have sensitive skin.”

Collins hopes her products serve as an alternative to steroids or over-the-counter medicines. Her motto for people dealing with skin issues? “Try a natural product first.”

Best Life Beauti has a wide range of products for people to try. Collins' best seller? It's still the Foaming Black Soap, which works well for acne, redness and skin inflammation. 

“I kind of compare it to a charcoal type of soap,” Collins said. “But when I liquefy it, it makes it a little bit more gentle. . . Everyone kind of loves that one.”

The Face and Body Oil is another product she loves. It’s meant to help balance out the oil production of your skin, as well as address redness and inflammation with its grapeseed, lavender and Jojoba oils.

“Jojoba Oil is wonderful because it is one of the only oils that is closest to the natural sebum that all of our skin creates,” Collins said. “So it's great for oil production.”

Another product she uses regularly is the Herbal Salve – grape seed oil infused with plantain leaves, among other ingredients. 

“You can use it on cuts, scrapes, burns, bug bites,” Collins said. “And over the years, that has been a lifesaver because the kids are always scraping something or getting mosquito bites or all types of things.”

Another star of the show is Collins’ Healing Body Butter – a whipped, moisturizing concoction with raw shea butter, coconut oil and argan oil. She sources her shea butter from Virginia-based Northshea – a sustainable cosmetic company founded by Charity Malia Dinko that empowers low-income women in Northern Ghana to become financially independent.

“[Dinko] has a team of women that she pays fairly and they create this amazing shea butter – the best shea butter that I have ever personally used,” Collins said. 

All of Collins’ products are made without fragrance oils, so any scents from her products are thanks to organic essential oils. Envision peppermint essential oil for her Infused Hair & Beard Growth Oil and orange and clove essential oils for the Radiant Bath Soak. 

Collins does a lot of her sales online through her Etsy shop and Instagram page. But you also can find Best Life Beauti on Facebook, as well as at a local store and various events. On Dec. 27, for instance, Best Life Beauti will have a table at Jolene Family Winery (2750 Pocahontas Trail in Quinton) from noon to 4 p.m.

“I usually post everywhere I'll be on my Instagram page, and that's just @BestLifeBeauti,” Collins said. “I also do sell some products at a store in Carytown in Richmond, called Mamie’s Apothecary, and they have been a great partner.”

Online inventory varies depending on the timing of markets, but customers can reach out to Collins via email at bestlifebeauti@gmail.com with questions about product availability. 

Collins is determined to deliver quality products, and she’s proud of the support she’s earned from the local community. But that pride comes with an overwhelming sense of appreciation for the people who’ve helped her get this far.

“I am very grateful for all of my customers that gave me an opportunity to provide a good skincare experience for them,” Collins said. “And I'm grateful for everyone that decides to spend money with local, small-owned brands because it shows that you are intentional about where your dollars are going.”