Beaumont native creates soothing skincare products

Remember the old Saturday Night Live skit featuring Mike Myers as a Streisand-loving mom? “It’s like buttah,” the character would say when comparing Barbra’s smooth voice to the silkiness of butter.

Beaumont native and entrepreneur Dorion Renaud wants to make his clients feel the same way about their skin – that it’s as smooth as Buttah. That’s the name he chose for his line of skincare products, which are crafted to soothe problem skin and designed to smooth out life’s little wrinkles in all skin types. 

A model, actor, recording artist and Buttah Skin CEO, Renaud’s expansive career has taken him from the pages of Vogue to the catwalk to television as a host for NBC’s EXTRA, E’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians and as a star in a Bounce sitcom, “In the Cut.” But, he shares, it all started right here in Beaumont.

“I grew up in Beaumont. I went to Ozen High School. I worked at Parkdale Mall, like everybody else,” Renaud recalled. “My dad had a barber shop and shoe shop growing up, so self-care was always so important to me. I worked in his shop since I was 10 years old, and I just remember being down South and people, Black people in particular, caring about the moisture in their skin. 

“I remember struggling with acne, and not really finding a solution for my skin in Beaumont. I started traveling to Houston and working on my skin issues. As I became someone in front of the camera, they became worse. 

“I was modeling in New York and I discovered shea butter. We had used cocoa butter, but shea was something I wasn’t familiar with. I started using it on my face and my skin, and I saw such a transition of my skin. I brought my routine of a simple, gentle cleanser and vitamin C serum and shea butter, which I was using to clear my skin, and started Buttah about three-and-a-half years ago. Now, we have over 25 products in our line and we have different moisturizers for all skin types.”

Renaud ships Buttah products all over the United States and around the world. Wherever he goes, he always takes Beaumont with him, he says, telling people about his hometown and using lessons he learned in Southeast Texas to market his skincare regimen to the masses.

“Growing up in Beaumont gave me inspiration and imagination,” said Renaud. “It’s definitely a place of strong love and strong, passionate people who say what they mean. I’ve taken that with me on my journey – my ingredients, the campaigns and how Buttah looks and feels definitely derive from the south and how I saw us taking care of ourselves. 

“A lot of my inspiration comes from what I saw back home, and the textures and landscapes and people. I draw a lot of inspiration for my campaigns from my southern heritage and that bayou heritage. It’s a big part of Buttah. I always heard growing up, ‘You’re as smooth as buttah,’ so that’s something that was relatable to me. I wanted to be true to who I was. 

“It was a great place to grow up and I’m so proud that I can have the city of Beaumont really supporting Buttah. It’s been crazy how many people from back home buy a lot of products and support it and tune in to everything we do. I hope that I’m doing them proud.”

To learn more about Renaud and his line of Buttah products, or to place an order, visit the company’s website online at https://www.buttahskin.com/. After all, as Renaud would say, “Everyone needs a lil' Buttah, baby!”