"Our Skin is Intelligent", with Jasmine Tran, on Working with Nature, Being Present, and Feeling in Our Body.

Transcript:
0:14
Hello everyone, welcome to The Intersection, a podcast program about intersectionality, intersectional identity, and intersectional journeys both professionally and personally.
And as we all know, these journeys are very interconnected and intertwined.
0:33
And we're still in May, so still happy API month.
And also it's mental health awareness month.
So hopefully folks are taking care of ourselves.
And today, I have the absolute pleasure and honor to welcome a new friend and a new peer and a teacher really to the program.
0:55
And her name is Jasmine Chan.
She is the founder and operator at Asong Skin Care, which is a local brand, a local skin care brand that's been around for quite some time, a long time.
1:12
Jasmine and I met via a mutual contact, Connie, I believe, who's also in the Wellness space.
So it just shows how well connected our community is.
So that's a wonderful thing.
And I would love to invite Jasmine to introduce herself.
1:28
Welcome, Jasmine.
Thank you.
Thanks Joe.
Hi everyone.
My name is Jasmine Tran.
I am the founder of Eason Skin Care.
Eason Skin Care was actually founded in 2011 and that was the time when I have a difficult time with finding work for myself.
1:52
So that's I decided to create the company to give myself a job.
How better position would that be to give myself ACEO job?
Yes, but it's not for everyone.
2:09
It does take a quite a bit of work in the beginning, but I would say if you're persistent, you're, you know, believing in what you do, eventually you will jump through the hoops and hurdle to get to where you want to go.
2:29
Yeah.
Well said.
I think that's basically the kind of the hard working, like high work ethics in our community in general.
We, we hustle and we grind.
We have a goal and then we're going to achieve it.
So maybe so you started a song skin care 14 years ago.
2:50
And I recall when we chatted before you were working actually for someone else and that's where you were kind of chem a chemistry kind of background coming in.
Could you share a little bit more about that and how that kind of background supported you starting a song skin care?
3:11
OK, thanks.
So a little background about how I began a song, skin care.
I actually have worked for a cosmetic laboratory as a project manager and account manager.
So what that mean was that I was in charge of helping a lot of the folks who was gay ready to take the product to market.
3:37
And they come to us where I would be able to look at their recipe and let them know if they need further consultation with the lab to be able to help them determine if their recipe would be sustainable on the shelf or if it's a workable product that can be produced in the organic formulation.
4:05
Yeah.
Just because you have an idea or a recipe, that will necessarily mean that it can be produced organically because it all jive down to what ingredients are available in nature.
Yeah.
4:21
And also whether it can be sustainable on the shelf because working with nature can be tricky because it takes certain combination of different ingredients to make it more shelf stability Because if you don't have proper preservation, eventually the product will grow more or it just cause separation In terms of skin care.
4:55
It's what I'm Speaking of in the products.
It might be workable such as like balm when you create like skin balm it's more sustainable is to give you an idea.
5:12
Any product with water will be problem, but if it's just purely oil or butter or wax, it's not so much of a problem.
It's more stable on the shelf.
I see.
5:29
Oh, I think you should teach chemistry.
My was so bad at school.
Now I feel like I'm learning something really good for our Wellness.
So I caught you saying working with nature can be tricky.
5:45
And I think that's actually a very kind of can be profound statement.
I I what the sense I get from it is we in order to create something that's good for us, we have to show respect and humility to nature.
6:03
Like the ingredients is we work with in order for them to work for us, we have to work with them.
So could you share a little bit of your practice?
You know, how do you combine your understanding of how nature and organic matters work into your business practice that kind of stay grounded and be respectful?
6:30
How has that helped you in your business journey?
I love your question and it's one that's very complex to respond because it involves so many intersection.
So to start with, to start with, I mean we're very intentional.
6:50
So it's how it's part of my upbringing as well growing up in Vietnam.
Everything is like from planting the the actual plant into the ground is intentional to how we water the plant, how we cultivate that plant is also very intentional.
7:11
So when it come to our skin care product with ASON is also intentional for determining the factor of like who's going to be using a product, what sort of solution are we providing for the end user?
7:29
And then we can also determine like what type of plant is also beneficial for these outcome of the formulation that we're designing.
And in terms of like, you know, once we establish that formula, then we also think about like what is the sort of packaging that can also work with these product.
7:56
And we very much like give thoughts to the type of packaging that doesn't cause more environmental impact right onto our planet.
So we think about like packaging that can be recyclable, that can be reusable.
8:15
And so then we source into the glass packaging because it's the most biodegradable as well.
And so a lot of these concepts are actually like, you know, not just like what is trendy out there that we can, you know, look into and then just selling product that, you know, but it's more about like, OK, who's using the product and how much impact are we gonna produce onto the planet and how will we give back to the planet?
8:50
So we think about all that too, especially when they come to the type of plants or is the plant also suffering from, you know, getting close to extinction, Right.
So then we don't want to use that type of plant.
9:08
Then we then we think of a different type of plant material that is more abundant in nature, right, That's more available.
Yeah.
So which is why, you know, it's not just, you know, producing for, you know, the purpose of rejuvenating your skin, but also rejuvenating in nature.
9:33
I love that.
I think, I think that's actually the abundance mindset.
We can't just keep taking and taking.
We have to be sustainable.
We have to be mindful with what we take and then we have to remember to give back.
9:49
So, so we actually have that sustainable relationship with nature so that we can continue to receive from Mother Nature and then we continue to give back so that it's kind of like a loving relationship.
I don't.
Know.
Like even though we're doing this business, but we have to be good.
10:08
So yeah.
I love that you pointed out because I often have a vision of how the, you know, as human, we're in the population of the 8 billions.
And when I walk into the forest, I would always see myself as one of those virus in this entire ecosystem of the planet because the planet in itself to me is one large species, right?
10:38
And we're just happen to be 1 very micro, you know, species within that large ecosystem.
So, so if we don't do a part within that ecosystem, we're destroying that entire specie, right?
10:56
So in in that retrospect, we're destroying ourselves.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
OK, that quite.
Large, but that's how I see it whenever I walk into the wood because every tree to me is like a vein and the artery of that entire species.
11:20
But it's breeding.
It's breeding life just as much when it move the wind, the wind is part of that, you know, respiratory system, right?
But when the the stream or the water system is toxic, it's the bloodstream that being toxic in that system as well.
11:40
So if we can relate in that way to nature, we can also understand what it need most to care for it just as much as we care for our own health.
Well, you are basically describing our whole ecosystem as a whole Organism and I think that's really cool.
12:02
Yeah, you can always treat it as that's one part of your being.
You're just a small microcosm of that large being.
That's so humbling.
It feels like a lot of us are doing a lot these days, and that's great.
12:19
And sometimes we can lose kind of a sense of self, right?
Like exactly who we are and what's our position in this world.
And I feel reminding ourselves we're just part, a tiny, tiny part of a whole Organism.
12:40
I think that's really humbling.
So thank you for the reminder.
I want to go back to a song a little bit.
So I have the.
So thank you for the oil you gave me earlier and I've been enjoying it.
And I think I shared with you earlier, it's very, very easy to use.
12:59
I think a lot of oil products for skin could be thick and kind of hard to apply.
But your products are very, very friendly to our skin, which you know, skin care, they should be friendly to our skin.
But lot of I think products out there are not really doing good and I think your products are just, so how to say, beneficial to us.
13:29
And from your website you have take a skin quiz and I did it myself and I really appreciated it.
And I think it goes back to, you know, who is using the product.
Can you talk a little bit about your vision for a song like after 14 years of operation, where do you see the business and your products going?
13:54
And I know you are doing a lot of like in person educational workshops too.
So I'm curious to learn about your vision for maybe skin care And also, you know, a high reward these days is the Wellness industry.
14:12
Like where are we going in Wellness?
It's a really big question.
You know, it's like one $1 million question in my, in my mind.
I have never and I'm probably one of the very few person who doesn't plan like 5 or 10 years.
14:37
I tend to work with like OK, one year ahead would be big for me to plan really that would be my vision.
And I often see what is what is reachable for me rather than what is so far for me to reach right.
14:55
And so I often see a son as taking a step forward and in that way as like, OK, like a baby learning how to walk right.
15:10
And then, you know, we're at a stage right now where we able to, you know, climb the ladder one step at a time.
And so when you ask where do we see ourself, you know, it sounds to me like we need to jump from that two step to, you know, the top of the ladder.
15:31
I don't see that happening yet.
But we are working on growing ourself in a way where we can be a household brand that everyone will have access to Asan, whether they're across the country in China or even in Japan.
15:57
But, you know, they be able to recognize our brand just by hearing Asan or even seeing us on, you know, just, you know, in a friend home.
They're like, Oh my gosh, yeah, I have used that product.
16:15
So that's that's my biggest vision that I have for a song.
I really appreciate that.
I think a lot of us, myself included, sometimes will be like, oh, what could be or like what should be like ahead of.
16:30
I think that's good.
At the same time, I think being able to do things, be present right, like one step at a time.
And every step we take, we take it well.
And I think that's really good advice for entrepreneurs out there as well as someone with ambition and goals and dreams.
16:51
Of course we want to go far.
Of course, we want to run at the same time.
If we don't have solid steps every steps of the way, then we won't be able to go very far.
So thank you for that advice for the community here.
17:07
And I also, it's funny you mentioned, you know, to become a household brand and going to Japan, China or other places.
I actually do plan to get something for my family.
And so when I go visit them in China, yeah, I'm going to bring some Assam to South China.
17:23
Thank.
You I'm excited for that.
We often have, you know, customer like yourself who actually take a product across the country.
For example, we have a very loyal customer who is a French woman and when she visit her family in France, she would pack them up and her mom always remind her to get some of her favorite revitalizing facial moist moisturizer and she would pack a few jar into it.
17:54
And then we also have customer in Australia, you know who only come to visit Portland once a year and again she does that.
And then we got customer from Hong Kong does that too.
So, yeah.
So it's nice to hear that you like to spread the love, yeah.
18:12
Definitely.
I do really think it would be really meaningful to expand into other markets, especially when what you're doing is good.
It's good for our health and it's also good for the planet.
So I'm excited about that.
18:28
And I also do need to visit you at your store.
I had that on my list and I haven't been able to do it.
So it's a good reminder for my, for myself to give you a visit soon.
And also I noticed that on the website again, you mentioned we are committed to donating 2% from every order received to Friends of Trees.
18:55
So give back.
I think it's in your DNA.
And you know, this month is AAPI month and you've been interviewing folks to share, you know, about heritage and culture and what moves people forward, what inspires people.
19:13
And I think you are actively doing a lot of giving back to the community work, be it nature or our own AAPI community for entrepreneurs, women of color, etcetera.
And you do it very consistently.
Tell us how I know everyone wants to do it, but then actually go do it.
19:37
That's another story.
So could you share like how do you do it and?
That's exactly what how you just put it.
Just go do it.
This is why I love the Moto from Nike.
Just do it right and, and it, it, like I said, it's not easy.
19:57
And for me, it's about not putting too much into the planning so much because the, I feel like the more you plan, the more you confuse yourself and you just waste a lot of that, you know, thinking, overthinking process.
20:16
And I said, if you feel inspired to do it, go with that inspiration because don't question about is the inspiration from that.
You know that gut feeling, and that's what actually provide you with the leap of moving forward.
20:35
And for me, it's like, OK, I just make a list of who I want to, you know, engage with, and I just follow through that list.
And that's part of my planning, and that's enough.
I really love that.
20:50
I think we have a lot of overthinkers.
You know, I, OK, so I'm, I'm going to, I'm going to guess a lot of folks who tend to overthink perhaps are perfectionists.
21:08
And I think being a perfectionist, it does comes with benefits.
At the same time it can be limiting it.
Can be hindering.
Yeah, yeah, it.
Can be hindering too.
And I think that often times like, oh, I haven't thought it all out.
21:30
Oh, I just need more time or you know, I don't have these pieces all together.
I need to have a really good plan and to me, and probably to you too I'm guessing is just go do it already.
Yeah, yeah.
21:45
Just imagine like, you know, questioning all that will take you 2 step back because you feel, you don't feel you're, you're confident enough to get that going.
And so you kept on waiting and waiting for the right piece of the puzzle to fit in.
22:03
But what is the right piece of the puzzle?
Because if that piece of the puzzle come in and then you, you come up with another question.
Oh, I don't have this.
Do I have that or don't I?
It just create that domino effect and that domino effect eventually will crack and fall, you know so.
22:27
Yeah, I think that's, I mean, a lot of us again, myself included, we experienced fear and the worry that what if I mess up, right?
What if I make that mistake?
What if I misspeak me speak?
22:45
What if I do something wrong?
So like what?
Folks out there who want to do something meaningful and good and also have the motivation and drive but that fear is holding people back.
23:02
Do you have any personal like experience or advice to share for folks who?
I really want to do it but I'm so afraid.
So I have the one advice is to know what decision is right for you.
There is only one way to show this.
23:21
So it's really simple.
It's not that complicated, right?
You feel in your body, right?
You take a moment, you quiet your mind and you feel in your body.
If I feel good, that means it's a yes.
23:37
Go do it.
If it doesn't feel good, it produced this fear, nervousness, then don't do it.
Then you can decide, OK, can we do this another day, right?
23:52
Then you can say, OK, tomorrow come.
Do I feel good about this?
If I do, let's do it and you get you get going with it.
Don't even answer question, just go do it.
But that's that's how you can tell yes or no.
24:09
If it feel good, it's a yes.
If it feel bad, it's a no right?
And if you feel excited, yes, that's a 200% yes, because that's your inspiration and motivation to get it done.
24:29
That is so wise, I think in modern wisdom, right, We try to kind of reason, we reason.
We, we use our brain a lot, I mean.
24:45
We should.
I mean, we should you celebrate, but like you said too much and I really think you know, you honor you mentioned the gut feeling, you mentioned what makes you feel good.
25:01
You didn't say think and think and think and make the right decision for you.
You didn't say that.
You said think about how you feel in your body.
And I think that is so connected to your business as well.
25:19
And I really want to point out is you've been doing or providing like facial demonstrations to live audience in Portland area.
And I think that interpersonal touch is also really important when it comes to feel not think.
25:43
So could you share a little bit about your kind of in person events and practice and how that helps your customers and your audience to learn to feel in our body again versus think all the time?
26:03
Yes.
And thank you for bringing that up, Joe.
So, you know, first of all, I'd like to point this out.
Actually science has discovered that the guts is the bigger brain than your actually brain, and then the heart follow that too.
26:23
Yeah.
So there's, you know, there's an institution that actually measure how the heart actually translate information.
So there you go.
You got multiple brain, not just your physical brain.
26:38
OK, so in comes in terms of like our facial workshop, a lot of folks who signed up for the facial workshop were not expect to receive what they had planned to to understand what this workshop is all about.
26:59
But the moment that they had experience with the workshop, they were all in shock, mainly because number one, they received the proper education on what how to provide the daily facial routine that is necessary for them.
27:19
It doesn't necessarily have to apply to everyone, but at least they can walk away with the confidence of knowing how to work with these facial product.
You'd be surprised, even though it's very directly, sometime people don't know which direction which one to use first or next, right?
27:44
For example, toner, often I get question of like why do I need to use a toner?
What's the purpose is used for?
And do I need to use before this or that, right?
So that's the question that they often ask.
28:01
And then also cleanser, what when do I use cleanser?
And do I need to wash it off with water or not?
Yeah, so that's also a common question.
It may seem very straightforward to one person, but to another it's not.
28:20
So and and therefore we have to be mindful about who we're directing the message and not assuming that everyone will share the same information.
I.
See.
Yeah, and I'm guessing because we all have different kind of texture and skin types.
28:42
Yes.
Yeah.
Yes, you can say that you do have different skin type just because they're based on the food that you consume and the type of activity that you're involved in.
Because if you're more of an athlete, you would tend to produce more oily skin because your your skin structure will will naturally produce more sweat and along with the sweat, it produce more oil.
29:14
So your skin is very intelligent because it's also regulate from the different organs in your body.
So it every single cell in your body is always communicating with each other.
29:29
And This is why I emphasize that your single body is no different from the entire specie of the planet, which is one single body itself, right?
So it.
Yeah.
And that's another subject I don't want to get into.
29:47
But ideally what the workshop is providing is mainly education, direction and to help you feel more confidence in self-care, in taking care of your skin because, you know, your skin is protecting you from all form of diseases.
30:08
Also different climate changes.
Yeah.
So it's it's a huge defender that keep you alive because without your skin, you would not be alive.
Trust me.
Yeah.
I agree, I know.
30:24
It's like a jacket.
It's like a coat that protecting you all the time.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I really appreciate you mentioning, you know, our skin.
Of course, a lot of us know it's the it's an organ.
Our skin is an organ.
And and the fact that you mentioned skin is very intelligent.
30:42
The fact for athletes, you know, we tend to, if you are a athlete, you are likely to produce more sweat and oil and my guess is that's a protection that our skin does to our, you know, the.
Well, because for athlete they move, they are constantly moving, so they provide a lot of heat and when they're not moving, they cool down.
31:07
So the skin also regulate those temperature in their body.
It help to sweat to release the heat, Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, I think most of us just think of skin care as cosmetic, yes.
31:27
But really it's a science.
It's Wellness.
It's really about how we properly get educated and properly take care of ourselves, and then we can share that information with other people so we can all learn from the proper practice of self-care, really.
31:45
And then it becomes self love.
We shouldn't.
Well, one thing that now I'm just remembering these kind of social media thing is that it seems like very young people are being influenced by people on social media and they would go and buy products that oftentimes are not really doing them good.
32:14
And I think that's really dangerous.
I think from the surface it looks harmless, right?
You are just applying things on your face or on your body.
And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
But like you said, our skin is very intelligent.
It absorbs what we put on it.
32:32
What if it's something really toxic and harmful and it could really cause health problems?
Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because it's a really important key, especially we're living in such a high demand media age where everybody actually is, you know, having access to all these influencer, right.
32:58
So when when they create these trendy content, somehow you place all your trust into that one specific content and thinking that's the best solution for you.
But you without understanding further, you just, you know, decide that, oh, I want to be part of that.
33:18
And so to give you an example, you know, I don't know if you remember there was a huge trend with these masks when you put them on and then you peel them off, that is make it appear like you're struggling with peeling it off.
33:35
And a friend of mine thought it would be so fun for him to do that.
And the next day, his entire face was all red.
Because you know, what he, what he didn't realize without consulting me first is, and I, I literally put this out on Facebook, say do, do not use this product for any reason.
34:01
Because basically what you're doing is you just putting glue onto your face and then you're just peeling them off.
And if you're trying to peel it off fast, then you're stretching the skin, which is also, you know, causing more damage than good.
34:21
Yeah, I can feel the pain.
I.
Know that's what he went through.
He's like it was so painful.
I'm like, well, OK, that's that goes your viral video.
I know.
Oh, God, yeah.
I hope people please do not do that.
34:37
It's so harmful.
I think, I mean, if we really go down the rabbit hole, there's so much talk about when it comes to harmful content from the Internet and.
Then, of course, you also mentioned, like, some of the younger crowd, right?
34:54
And, you know, their skin is so delicate that they also should consider as well.
And to learn, yeah, because they still have so much room to grow.
But often, you know, like a lot of these crowd is that they tend to look for, you know, an instant mod gratification, right, An instant result rather than weigh it out.
35:23
Hey, OK.
I just need to train my skin to adapt.
It's all about adaptability rather than, you know, more like, you know, transcend.
Yeah.
35:38
First you have to adapt before you can transcend.
Yeah.
Or transformation.
Yeah.
That's really good advice for not just, you know, my generation and definitely younger generation.
35:54
I mean, right now we not only have Gen.
Z, we also have Gen. alpha.
And yeah, are really consuming a lot of content right now.
And it's really hard to tell what is good and what is harmful without, again, proper education.
36:10
And I think, you know, as we continue our conversation, one thing that comes to my mind is really connected to our Asian American community as well as our culture.
36:26
Like, what do we think as beautiful?
And I I think that could be a pretty sensitive topic because as we talk about skin care, I am reminded that growing up in China, everyone wants to be like light skinned.
36:44
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember and a lot.
Of skin products I used growing up actually taught they claim that they can lighten your skin and of course I don't do that anymore.
I know that is not true and that is very harmful.
37:02
So I really kind of like invite you to talk about these colorism in our community and how proper education in skin care can help correct that.
Oh, that's a really good, good, you know, question that you just brought up giving that.
37:19
You know, I actually experienced all that growing up as well because because of my skin color, I'm very tan considering, you know, my background come from Asian, you know, ethnic.
37:37
And when I was growing up, a lot of, you know, our relative or, you know, friends in the neighborhood, they would always, always, you know, didn't feel that I don't fit into the Asian community or nor do I come from the family that I come from because they got lighter skin than mine.
38:00
Yeah, so, so often I feel like, you know, a foreigner to them, right.
And then having seen a lot of the skin care that trying to treat these type of skin to lighten them up, I always questions like, what exactly are we trying to do change, you know, your ethnicity or you actually helping with, you know, lightening the skin?
38:28
What is the point here, right?
Is it aren't you born into the skin that you're actually that identify you is your identity?
So then that become really confused for me when I was growing up.
But then I also recognize as I dab into this industry, I learned that a lot of those chemicals that help with lightening the skin are very harmful for your skin because it's it's the type of chemical that they use in bleaching products.
39:02
OK.
Yeah.
So you can imagine just by, you know, what bleach can do, right?
So, yeah.
So Can you imagine, like, having to use that daily or even take it internally because they also provide internal medication too.
39:20
Yeah.
For people to change the pigmentation in the body so it can translate through the skin.
Yeah, that's just so for me, it's very, very unfortunate and very sad and dangerous.
39:36
It's like, we are beautiful, right?
It's like, yes, if you want to improve the the the health of your skin, by all means.
But if it's something that's really kind of superficial or even we can say colorism and internalized racism, you want to look light and like that not only physically harms us, it also harms us culturally and also like emotionally as well.
40:08
So thank you for educating us about how harmful this is.
I mean, baby me used that kind of product before.
Luckily, I never injected anything.
But the fact that I did use it growing up, I mean it's problematic.
40:28
Yeah, and that clarification of, you know, from lighten to dark skin is still such a stigmatism in in today culture.
I mean, you know, I, I don't know what else to express, you know, but you know, hopefully more education can help people to understand that's not the case.
40:55
Yeah.
Thank you so much, Jasmine for coming to the program and talking with me today.
And I would love to amplify the work you do in community and in your business.
So how can people find you either online to purchase your products or find you in real life in Portland and find the workshop you are at?
41:19
I appreciate that you can always discover us through many different channel.
Well, definitely our website is one that is very direct and open to everyone who is interested in learning more about Exxon skin care.
41:36
So it's Exxon skincare.com and then you can also discover us at New Season Market, which is one of the bigger organic produce store in Portland and market of choice just as well.
41:51
They are also specialized in organic produce grocery and very, very supportive of local makers.
Yeah.
And we also partner with many local esthetician as well as businesses such as Missionary Chocolate.
42:12
So they're available on Sandy.
They just moved into a larger facility and at the Portland airport as well.
I didn't know that.
That's cool, yeah.
Yeah, so before you head out on your trip and you just forgotten a moisturizer or a hand cream, you can stop by there and pick us up or like.
42:35
A facial spray, like a toner?
Yeah, Toner.
You.
Get dry on the plane and then you.
I love that idea.
Yes, yes.
Yeah.
And then, of course, sign up on our facial workshop.
42:50
Yeah, we, we offered the facial workshop once a month.
I would like to invite you, Joe, to join us for July.
Yeah, I.
Will, I would love to, yeah.
I look forward to the.
Link is on our Instagram so you can also find us there.
43:08
OK.
We will make sure to share them in our notes as well as in our promotions as well.
And so with that, thank you so much, Jasmine.
Thank you, Joe, for having me.
I love this conversation.
43:24
It's just so delightful.
Yeah, yeah.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
For what you do as well.
Thank you.
Yeah.