For many, the luxe whipped body butter trend is an exercise in self-indulgence, but for one South Fulton mom, it was the key to her ailing son’s skin issues.
When Jonika Sutton stopped being able to use store-bought skincare products due to her son’s health condition, she began making products for him. She found that her all-natural and organic product recipes brought about a significant change in his skin, so much so that he no longer had to take the steroids he’d been prescribed.
“Natural products work better because you don’t have the adverse effects of the extra chemicals in store-bought products,” said Sutton. “The more natural we can get, the better our skin is.”
Seeing how her products had dramatically improved her son’s skin, she began making them available for sale to the public with the launch of Blessed by Spa. Now, three years later, her business boasts an extensive collection, including spa baskets and gift sets.
Sutton offers everything from soaps and body oil to a beard maintenance kit. But her top sellers are her whipped body butters, which many experts say are key to combating dry skin in winter. She offers a variety of scents to choose from, including lavender, lemongrass, vanilla, cherry blossom and lemon sugar.
When asked what’s her own personal favorite from her product line, she says it’s the carrot facial scrub. “I think I use more than I make,” she joked.
Sutton, a South Fulton resident for 25 years, is part of the city’s fast-growing small business base. They are a major force among the approximately 1,900 businesses that operate locally, and the city will soon launch a business incubator program to further cultivate the trend.
As a Black woman, Sutton is also part of a larger national movement. Minority women control more than 40 percent of women-owned businesses in the U.S. And between 1997 and 2016, businesses owned by Black women grew by over 500 percent.
It’s an identity that Sutton is proud to claim.
“I’m a female-owned, minority-owned product line, and I’m open 24 hours,” she said.
While you can often find Sutton vending at local events in the metro area, her online store is open around the clock. To shop her products, visit www.blessedbyspa.com.