Let’s talk about the quiet warriors in beauty. The ones who aren’t just making products, but changing lives one formula at a time. Kim Cross is one of them. She doesn’t chase trends or hype. She builds skincare that behaves, listens, and loves people back.
A Navy veteran with two decades in beauty and wellness, Kim approaches skincare like a chemist and a caretaker in one body. Every Zhi Bath and Body formula is handcrafted with intention, informed by her own long journey with sensitive skin and the frustration of products that made promises but never delivered. Instead of settling, she created what she couldn’t find. What started as personal necessity became a mission to restore comfort, confidence, and dignity to people who often suffer in silence.
Kim’s connection to her community is honest and human. She speaks to them through real talk, elevated self-care, and goat milk-based formulas created with meticulous research and genuine compassion. Her philosophy is simple. Skin should never be a barrier to joy. Her brand exists to help people glow, grow, and live freely without apology, because life is too short for bad skin.
Today, Kim shares her SwagHer Society Story, opening up about the moments that shifted her purpose, the lessons that shaped her craft, and the vision she’s building for Zhi Bath and Body.
Faith, Purpose and Foundations
About ten years into my journey as a skincare maker, I met a woman at a holiday pop-up market who had received my goat milk cleanser and lotion as a gift to brighten her day. She approached me teary-eyed and gave me the biggest hug. She told me she had been visiting pop-up markets looking for me so she could tell me how much my products had changed her life. She made one short statement that was so powerful it changed my entire perspective on formulating and crafting. She said, “Never stop doing what you are doing.” She explained how using my products had soothed her skin and gave her a sense of calm during a Lupus flare. I was blown away to hear I was actually changing lives. Because of her, making skincare became a way of life instead of just a way to make money.
Craftsmanship and Chemistry
There is a level of focus I have to have with all the other hats I wear, but precision and tenderness is not something I have to or had to balance. Being a forever learner with sensitive skin of my own informs the way I work and what I create. I thoroughly enjoy research and development, and since I’m always on the lookout for others with sensitivity issues, staying on top of formulas is constant. Likewise, I know the hardship of sensitive and reactive skin personally, so accurate and thorough research is critical to helping others as I find solutions for me.
Authenticity and Connection
My family is my tribe. I’ve found over the years that the only person I can be is me. There was a time when I thought I was creating space for my people when, in fact, I was only squeezing myself into a box I didn’t fit in. In essence, I was being who I thought my folks wanted me to be. Once I started coming across as my whole authentic self, it became easier to connect with folks like me. It was easier to talk to those who followed me, and as such we became like family. Family Circle became my tribe of newsletter members that I could discuss the good, bad, and indifferent of living a life with skin that doesn’t cooperate. InnerZhi was started for those like me who wanted a more personal connection, people who want the raw, unfiltered, and honest truth, with a few perks like direct access to me to boot. Many people I encounter are new to sensitivity or have resigned to “this is the way it will always be.” My job and passion is to let all of them know I have been at this for a very long time, they are not alone, and discomfort is not the norm.
Self-Care and Confidence
Glowing confidently without apology means I am free to be me no matter what. My skin condition no longer defines whether I go out, whether I show up on video calls, or whether I feel confident in talking about my psoriasis. It took a long time to get that way. Where once I wore my bandanas to keep others’ attention on our conversation, I now wear them because they are cool and well, it’s what I’m known for.
Without apology means the stares don’t bother me. It means that I am going to show up for myself because I can, even if my routine is fifteen steps long to keep my skin calm and I have to wear certain fabrics to enjoy public outings. At the end of it all, what people see on the outside, or what I think they see, has no bearing on what’s on the inside.
Entrepreneurial Lessons
Taking care of me is vital to the sustainability of Zhi Bath and Body. I’ve long believed that there is a level of grind and hustle one has to have in order to build, run, and lead a successful business. That is true, but there is a way to do it properly that consists of taking care of self first. Learning to take care of me years ago would have prevented so many errors that were due to working at twenty or thirty percent instead of one hundred. As a business owner, taking care of self, then business, is the only way to ensure the right decisions are made, the right folks are hired, and the brain can heal. This is especially true in the wellness and beauty industries. Living what I teach is the most authentic way to change the lives of others for years or decades to come.
Sensitive Skin Truths
All products are not made the same, and just because a product says it is for sensitive skin does not mean it helps sensitive skin. I really wish people would recognize that their sensitive skin could be the result of the ingredients in their daily skincare products. I’ve taught, written, and preached for years that folks should read the labels of their products to make certain what they are using is not doing more harm than good. Labels won’t just list formaldehyde or phthalate as ingredients; they show up as other names like methanal, formalin, DEHP, or DMP. Instead, people should choose products that have a shelf life of six months or less and are made of ingredients you can pronounce. Products from small businesses like mine, Zhi Bath and Body, are an awesome alternative to chemical filled products. You support a small business and get amazing, clean products all at the same time. Once a routine of products that work is established, stick to it. Consistency is the key to youthful skin, not thirty five different products from fifteen brands.
Vision and Expansion
I’ve said many times that I didn’t know I loved to write until I started writing. I’m grateful for Fancy for the push to become a writer. In that, I’m working on writing three books, a book and accompanying workbook for my wellness class, a coloring book, and a book documenting my experience making five figures in a single order. I also look forward to opening a dedicated physical location where I can teach, manufacture, and hire staff all in the same space. Becoming a space where the community can convene, shop, learn, and feel at home is vital to thriving and being connected.
How We Can Support
Zhi Bath and Body and me are all over the internet. So please do connect with me via my website, social media accounts, my Family Circle newsletter, InnerZhi VIP text club, and via email. Keep a lookout on my articles in SwagHer Magazine or read the current articles and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for one to two minutes of self care and practical ways to nurture your love story with you.
Connect with Kim:
Website
www.zhibathandbody.com
Instagram
www.instagram.com/zhibathandbody
Facebook
www.facebook.com/zhibandb
LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/in/kimcatzhi
www.linkedin.com/company/zhibathandbody
YouTube
www.youtube.com/@kiminaminute
Join Family Circle Newsletter
www.zhibathandbody.com/pages/joinfamilycircle
Join InnerZhi VIPs
www.zhibathandbody.com/pages/joininnerzhi
Email
info@zhibathandbody.com
