We stepped behind the scenes and into the Amazon rainforest to see the inner workings of Brazil’s biggest beauty brand—Natura—that’s spreading far and wide in the U.S.
From the Amazon rainforest…
I’ve never appreciated a skin-care product more than when I looked up 40 feet in the air to see a man carefully slicing a branch of açaí down, knowing that, after a long journey, it would make its way into that formula. “It all begins in the Amazon with the identification of raw materials,” says Maria Eduarda Vasconcelos de Sá Cavalcanti, head of new business and open innovation for Natura. “We start by mapping potential species in the region, researching traditional heritage information and understanding the ingredients’ natural properties.”
After an ingredient is confirmed beneficial, the brand works with small rural producers and agro-extractive communities to collaboratively develop the production chains and best practices to harvest and collect these ingredients sustainably. “These communities are the real protagonists in this process, and everything is done respecting nature’s time and local culture,” Vasconcelos explains. Natura supports these communities with equipment, field courses and workshops. After the various fruits, like tukumã, maracujá, andiroba and castanha are picked, they are sent to local community organizations to be transformed into the butters and oils that our skin loves so much.
To the lab…
Before these naturally sourced ingredients are incorporated into a product and eventually launched, they’re analyzed in Natura’s labs with state-of-the-art equipment to identify their benefits for skin and hair. “We turn these ingredients into finished cosmetic products through high standards of quality and sustainability,” Vasconcelos says. Raw butters and oils are sent to Natura factories that mold them into the final products.
And then into your hands
After their journey through Brazil and to the U.S., these precious Amazonian fruits end up in our showers, nurturing our hair and bodies in a way that feels deeply connected to the earth. The products then “make their way into the hands of our consumers, who can enjoy the benefits of sustainably sourced, high-quality cosmetics,” says Vasconcelos.
The impact
“Natura has been making a significant impact on the Amazon rainforest for more than 20 years,” says Vasconcelos. “Since launching our Ekos brand in 2000, we have built strong relationships with local communities, focusing on a sustainable economic model that benefits everyone involved. We have developed a regenerative economy, where a standing tree has more economic value than a cut one. Our sustainable practices have contributed to the protection of 5.4 million acres of forest—an area larger than the state of Alaska.”
Natura partners with 44 communities in the Pan-Amazonian region, positively impacting more than 10,000 families and 40,700 people. “These communities have been living in the Amazon for generations, making them the true guardians of the forest. They possess invaluable knowledge and deep connections to the land,” says Vasconcelos. During my visit, I met mostly women who have been able to achieve financial freedom, buy their first house and send their kids to school. I could feel the pride in their work as they invited me into their homes to explain the process.
