Rivaling the effect of Cartagena’s hot, humid air, Joaquina Botánica harnesses the potential of Latin American super fruits such as cacay, sacha inchi, and orchids.
Meet Joaquina Botánica, the New Clean Beauty Brand With Colombian Roots
Two years ago, when New York born-and-bred Giovanna Campagna was in her mother’s native Colombia enjoying a breakfast of fresh cherimoya and pitaya, a light bulb moment occurred: We have the most incredible natural ingredients, she thought—many of which are underappreciated or entirely unknown outside of the biodiverse region. A former fashion consultant who helped Latin American designers break into the international fashion scene, Campagna had a mounting interest in skin care (and an overwhelming desire to further connect to her roots). So, the then Columbia Business School student set out to bottle the benefits of these powerfully potent botanicals and introduce them to a larger market, much the way she had with Hunting Season’s leather heirlooms and Johanna Ortiz’s bright, bold frocks. Today, the 33-year-old entrepreneur is finally launching the fruit of her labor: Joaquina Botánica, a clean beauty brand that takes its name from her great-great-grandmother’s apothecary in Cali.
Crowdsourcing advice from her Colombian circle of cousins, colleagues, and her 103-year-old great-aunt, Campagna quickly settled on a facial oil that would impart a glow rivaling the effect of Cartagena’s hot, humid air. “The second you step off the plane, your skin feels plumped and cushioned,” notes Campagna, who tapped active super fruits like brightening camu camu, vitamin E-packed Peruvian sacha inchi, and reparative cacay, the last of which has been harvested from a supplier who has simultaneously reforested extensive areas of land in the Colombian Amazon, while creating employment for at-risk communities in the country’s remote conflict zones. The product’s star ingredient, however, is an antioxidant-rich extract of orchids, Colombia’s national flower, which (in a surprise to her mother, who grew up with them in her backyard) has proven to help maintain firmness and elasticity.
Consider it the ultimate seal of approval that many of the same friends and family whom she originally turned to for advice have since adopted the complexion hero (a portion of whose profits will support Latin American communities through the organization Glasswing International) as an essential part of their own carefully considered regimens. “Part of the beauty philosophy I’ve picked up from them is this idea that taking care of your skin and your hair and your nails are actually moments of pleasure and self-care and joy,” muses Campagna, smiling. “It’s the secret reason why they look so beautiful and radiant at every age.” Of course, the Joaquina Botánica addition, which is scented with saccharine plum and the nuttiness of cacay, will surely only sweeten the deal.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Zoe Ruffner
