Voyage LA TALKS Good Scents Oils!

Meet Regina M. Earvin-Underwood of Good Scents Oils

Today we’d like to introduce you to Regina M. Earvin-Underwood.

Hi Regina M., we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started Good Scents Oils (GSO) in 1994 by creating products derived from recipes inspired by my grandmother. Some of the labels carry her name, such as Ella Mae’s Strawberry Cheesecake Body Scrub and Ella Mae’s Lemon Pound Cake Whipped Butter Cream. I started selling GSO products from home, then I started vending at events, then I started hiring individual sales reps, then I opened my first store in 2006, then I started selling products at a mall kiosk in 2019, then I opened my own warehouse distribution center in 2020 and I recently partnered with Walmart Marketplace in 2023. Each stage of my journey has been an opportunity to expand my brand and build community. I have come a long way; someone once told me to put my products down and get a real job. Now I own a business that provides real jobs and GSO products are distributed to 51 states and 10 countries. I believe I am the rose that grew from the concrete.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My journey has not been a smooth road. Life for me has not been a crystal stair. I actually closed the business three times. I experienced a deep, dark depression because I could not separate myself from the business. However, the people who loved the business kept calling me, emailing me and texting me.

Each time I tried to stop; I kept returning because people still loved the products, and they could not get enough of Good Scents Oils products. Life was happening, then in 2018, Tym Wallace, a celebrity stylist, called me and asked, “Why is your website off at the time?” He told me that he needed his butter and that he had been ordering for six years. His support from Hollywood has been consistent. As soon as I hit publish to the website, there were other orders that came rolling in and it was interesting because I did not announce that the website was open again.

Then in 2019 is when I moved into a mall kiosk. Then an order came in from Mary J. Blige in 2019. Then March 2020, Taraji P. Henson placed an order. That led me to need to open a warehouse distribution center. Then the love and continuous support came from singer and actress Brandy. The support for Good Scents Oils continues today from actress Tisha Campbell, who took Good Scents Oils to share on the Sherri Show. Additional celebrities that love and support GSO include Naturi Naughton, Malinda Williams, Sidra Smith, Shanna, Jhonni Blaze and Mikki Howard.

The support from celebrities flooded into the website, then I called my son to come help me. He became the person who recruited additional people to work at the warehouse distribution center. Me and my husband, ML Underwood have been consistently building Good Scents Oils and now we are gearing up for distribution through the Walmart Marketplace.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Good Scents Oils?
I am good with my heart and my hands. Whatever comes out of my heart, my hands produce. I beautify spaces in the home, commercial buildings and industrial buildings. Through Good Scents Oils, I create beautiful skincare products, candles, balms, body sprays, scrubs and body butter creams and a purposeful line.

I built a kitchen in my warehouse, I can bake, make wreaths and I am very creative in everything that I do. I did not come from rich people; I came from people who worked hard for everything they had. They gave me gifts that still inspire me today; like the gift of knowledge, understanding and property to live in at an early age.

I am most proud of myself because I came through challenges in life and still discovered my resilience. I was not one of the people who fell by the wayside of life. I had to raise a baby alone starting at age 14. I lived through seeing relatives addicted to drugs. I surpassed death a few times in my young adult life. To overcome everything that I experienced is what makes me most proud of myself.

What sets me apart from others is my ability to see myself beyond where I am currently. Another quality that sets me apart from others is knowing myself and knowing that I have a mission on this earth. I stay true to my mission to make women feel good and to beautify spaces. I create to change moods and make people feel good at every stage of life.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My Husband, ML Underwood is my backbone. He helps me with my business, and I help him with his business, My Life Entertainment. I have been friends with him since fourth grade. I was in the choir, and he was in the band. He has loved music his whole life and now his career is soaring in the music industry with features from celebrities like Willie Taylor, Mikki Howard, Juvenile, Shawnna, Lil Boosie and Jhonni Blaze. He has always been an extrovert and I have always been an introvert. We work together well. I am good at being a nurturer one on one, but he is the side of me that I am not. He is like a one-man marketing department. I appreciate his support.

My brother, Michael Earvin is definitely one of my inspirations, he is a solid man, a family man, a Navy Veteran, he stands on his word and holds me to my word. Every day he makes sure to FaceTime me, he calls me with positivity, and he calls to remind me to take care of myself first.

My Son, Terry is my energy, he keeps me on my toes, he is there when I need him, and I appreciate him. He is a charming, handsome young man who grew up with me and still respects me as his mother. He brought out the nurturer in me. He helps with the growth of GSO and I am thankful for him.

Tym Wallace has been a consistent GSO supporter. Tym is the catalyst who connects me and my business to Hollywood. His encouragement, his phone calls, his heart, the love that he has for Good Scents Oils products is tangible.

Brandy is a consistent encourager. She often reminds me that she loves GSO and her mother has also expressed her love for GSO.

My mother, Patricia is my cheerleader and supporter, one of my inspirations is getting up every morning and speaking to my mother.

To view the full article on the Voyage LA website, click HERE