Your True Shade has been dubbed Jamaica’s first healthy cosmetics line.

The brand is committed to producing products that are free from harsh chemicals while also celebrating the diverse skin tones found throughout the Caribbean and beyond.

Your True Shade’s creator, Dianne Plummer, started her green skincare journey out of necessity while studying sustainable energy and chemical engineering in Sweden and Finland.

Dianne was struggling to find makeup that offered ideal coverage without irritating her sensitive skin and causing eczema flare-ups, so she used her engineering background to formulate her own skincare and makeup line with hand-picked, natural ingredients.

In 2015, True Shade Cosmetics Limited was born.

Dianne is determined to be a trailblazer within the natural skincare sphere in the Caribbean and therefore focuses heavily on innovation, research and development.

She says: “I’m always trying to make everything better, change formulations and tweak things as we go forward. Because innovation has to be at the core of the business.”

Dianne believes the same old way of doing things is not a sustainable business model and she’s prepared to begin something new that has never been seen or done previously.

She says what will separate the outstanding entrepreneur from the average Jane or Joe is the ability to think outside the box and in an already saturated market, like skincare, business owners must figure out how to be innovative and different.

Your True Shade uses locally-sourced, natural, anti-inflammatory and hydrating herbs, spices and plant extracts which not only conceal and minimise imperfections but also heal and repair skin.

Dianne’s products fuse technology, science and nature to deliver a safe and effective range of make-up and she has successfully changed the narrative surrounding beauty by making it synonymous with health.

The brand is also the first Caribbean cosmetics range to be certified Cruelty Free International in the United Kingdom. Some of Dianne’s numerous accomplishments have also been featured in European media, including on Richard Branson’s Virgin.com, and selection for the Caribbean Export Development Agency’s Women Empowered Through Export (WE-Xport) programme.

WE-Xport provides mentorship, technical support and funding to women-owned Caribbean businesses to prepare them for export, and to expand their current exports.

Your True Shade is in 10 stores across Jamaica and is close to reaching deals to enter three new stores.

“We want to dominate locally so persons can access the product in different parishes,” Dianne reveals.

“We are also working on building a presence in the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.  So, with WE-Xport I am learning the tools that are needed to get me into expanding beyond Jamaica.”

In August 2019, Your True Shade will celebrate four years in business, and Dianne says she is pleased with its growth, and excited about being able to establish the brand on the world stage.

Dianne’s vision for her company, along with her ability to maintain positivity and momentum during what has been an exciting, but challenging entrepreneurial journey, are certainly a winning combination.

She adds: “Once I formulated my vision and started making decisions in line with it, I saw tremendous growth and cohesion with all my activities.”

“So that’s one thing I would like to leave with every single entrepreneur out there.  Keep the vision in mind and tie every single business activity to that vision.”

Find out more about True Shade Cosmetics on the website:  www.yourtrueshade.com and join their community on Facebook @trueshadecosmetics and Instagram @yourtrueshade.

Visit the WE-Xport booth at the Barbados Manufacturer’s Exhibition (BMEX) in June 2019 to see more of the Your True Shade product range. The WE-Xport programme is an initiative of the Caribbean Export Development Agency.