Created by one of Brazil’s first clean cosmetics brands, businesswomen talk about the pains and joys of running their own company.
In 2018, Luciana Navarro and Patricia Camargo decided to be pioneers and thus created CARE Natural Beauty, a Brazilian brand of clean cosmetics. At the time, the clean beauty market was still being touted as an industry trend, but less than five years later, they proved substance-free formulas are here to stay, and they’re determined to encourage them.
A lawyer by training, Patricia learned the background of cosmetics development while working in the legal department of a multinational beauty company. “I was completely shocked by everything I saw, from the allergy cases, which were very complex, to the infertility problems due to excessive heavy metal contamination, everything impressed me a lot,” she says.
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The research, data, and trends she had already followed showed that clean beauty was a promising prospect for the future of the beauty market. He gathered the information he had and decided to start his own business, in partnership with Luciana.
Luciana, who has already left the business market, says that after the birth of her first daughter, she will do something that “has a greater purpose, leaves a legacy and contributes in some way to the planet,” she recalls. Three and a half years later, she discovered a molar pregnancy, which led her to undergo chemotherapy. In treatment, she saw that her cosmetic options had become very limited.
At that time, I didn’t ask why, and they didn’t explain to me either. But I looked for a possibility to be able to continue using beauty products during the treatment. For me, the self-care on this journey, like being able to put on eyeliner or blush, made a huge difference in making me feel empowered. That was my first contact with cleaner formulations, says the businesswoman.
With the help of fate and with a touch of serendipity, after having lunch with their friends, they shared a common desire and decided to bring to the world a beauty company that is responsible and safe for the environment and society. However, the challenges to position itself in one of the most competitive sectors in the country were many. In a conversation with Glamour, they open up behind the scenes of business life and offer advice for those who want to embark on this intense journey too. Read the full interview below:
