Brockton's 'Black Ink Crew' reality TV star quits and creates a skincare biz

BROCKTON — A small-city girl had bigger dreams than living in Brockton forever.

Gina Eaton, 28, yearned for adventure outside her comfort zone and to make a name for herself no matter the cost.

Even if that meant leaving everyone she grew up with behind.

"At this point in my life, everything was falling apart. I was so broke I got a tax refund of $600, packed up everything that could fit in my car and drove to Chicago by myself," Eaton said.

In 2018, Eaton got in her car and drove 1,000 miles to what she knew was a fresh start in life. She began filming on the reality TV show "Black Ink Crew: Chicago" as Ryan Henry's personal assistant.

"I got to see what it was like to work on a film set and travel. It gets weird when people start to recognize you, but it was a different experience," Eaton said.

"It was exciting. Not many people get an opportunity to be on TV or part of it. The fact it became my job was exciting. People look up to you differently when you do things like that," Eaton said.

The show is based on the lives of tattoo artists in Chicago. Eaton's role was to help elevate Henry and his shop in any way possible.

Eaton worked for Henry until March 2022, when she decided she wanted to be her own boss.

Family drama: 'Why are we fixating on a broken man?': Soupman may be liquidated

"I knew I didn't want to work for somebody my whole life. I didn't want it to be like, 'Oh, that's Ryan Henry's assistant.' No, my name is Gina, and I wanted to have my own thing. I knew this job wouldn't last forever. So it was a cool stepping stone and a good place to get started," Eaton said.

"I wanted to do something I'm passionate about, and something that was for me and I could build for me. I'm constantly building other people's dreams and making it happen for them. I wanted to do my own. I've always been into doing skincare but never knew it was possible," Eaton said.

'Nightmare neighbors': Brockton residents fed up with 'residential nightclub' on Pearl St.

While working in the shop, Eaton created strong connections with people in high places. For example, she was able to network with a man who helped bring her skincare vision to life.

The show helped the budding entrepreneur gain traction on social gaining 38,000 followers on Instagram, which would come in handy later.

Eaton had the following, which made it an ideal situation to market a product to her loyal fans.

The entrepreneur spent almost a year perfecting a unique skincare collection Derma Skin geared to both men and women.

The four-product line includes a gentle citrus cleaner, a hyaluronic acid serum, moisturizer and gold undereye patches.

Eaton customized a cleanser with loads of vitamin C from several fruits, including lemon, grapefruit, orange and tangerine, to refresh and awaken the skin.

One of Eaton's biggest pet peeves is when people tell women they look tired.

"I wanted to create something that can help with that," Eaton said.

The unisex skincare line launched on Aug. 16, 2022.

Although Eaton didn't receive as much support as she expected at first, she didn't let that deter her from continuing.

"It's not going to stop me from continuing or pushing my products," Eaton said.

Eaton works from her Chicago home and ships products directly to customers.

The goal is to one day have her products in Ulta or Sephora, and she won't let anyone stop her dream.

"I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't grow up in and attend Brockton High School. I didn't have the easiest journey in high school, but it made me who I am," Eaton said.

Despite the many obstacles in Eaton's way, she continues to stay positive and work hard to achieve her goals.

The advice she suggests to a young entrepreneur is to be your own boss no matter the cost.

Enterprise staff reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel can be reached by email at stciela@gannett.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @alishaspeakss and Instagram at Alishaatv. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton Gina Eaton: 'Black Ink Crew' TV star launches Derma Skin