Maker: Andrea Pearce-Naymon, CEO
Business: OY-L Natural Skincare
Plant Based: OY-L specializes in lotions, creams and soaps that are all plant based. OY-L CEO and founder Andrea Pearce-Naymon wanted to create an alternative to the many skincare products that use preservatives and other chemicals.
“I started reading labels on everything and I was just horrified by what I found,” Pearce-Naymon said. “I started researching and thinking, ‘I can do this.’”
Because OY-L products don’t have preservatives, the shelf life is not as long as other products.
Bounce-ing Around: Pearce-Naymon started in 2016, creating skincare products in her home in Richfield.
“I took my kids playroom and turned it into a lab,” Pearce-Naymon said.
She gave her homemade skincare products to family and friends. When the demand for her lotions and soaps got higher, she was motivated to become an entrepreneur.
“Having your own business and coming to OY-L every day is better than I thought it would be. Yes, there are days where you go, ‘Can I do this?’ But I love it.”
Pearce-Naymon moved OY-L out of her kids’ playroom and into the Bounce Innovation Hub, a community of startup companies in a renovated Akron warehouse.
“I still think of myself as a really small company, but it’s just been amazing to see how many people are aware of us.”
