Founded in Paris, the skin and hair care brand develops its products in Brazil, drawing on the country’s biodiversity and a signature scent inspired by memories of Minas Gerais.
By Letícia Lima Laurino
White flowers, passion fruit, fig, vetiver and palo santo set the scene at the Hotel Marignan Champs-Élysées on the evening of October 7. These elements echoed Jardins 22, Naúba’s first collection, unveiled at the event, where guests were invited to discover and experience the body and hair care products.
Fernanda Gomes and Olivier Claude, the couple behind Naúba, devoted more than a decade to research, formula development and travel before launching the brand. Born in Minas Gerais, Fernanda deepened her relationship with ingredients through gastronomy, with experience at Le Cordon Bleu Paris and the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Le Cinq. Olivier, a plastic surgeon based in Paris, brings his expertise in aesthetic and dermatological medicine to the formulas.
“In the kitchen, I learned that good ingredients, working in harmony, nourish the body and awaken memories and emotions,” says Fernanda. She brought that same attention to combinations of ingredients and scents to the development of the cosmetics. Fragrance is also part of the experience of using the soaps, creams and hair care products.
To develop the Jardins 22 signature scent, Fernanda worked with perfumer Anne Dussourt. The composition grew from memories of Minas Gerais: jabuticaba fruit on the tree, wet grass, a wood-burning stove and Sunday mornings. Jabuticaba and passion fruit mingle with white flowers and coffee over base notes of palo santo, vetiver and white musks. Anne attended the launch and shared the creative process behind the fragrance with guests.
The ingredients come from different regions of Brazil. In Ceará, communities of women harvest seaweed; in Piauí, moringa is grown at Fazenda La Reserva; and in Pará, Indigenous communities supply oils and butters from the Amazon. The name Naúba itself pays homage to the carnaúba, a tree native to northeastern Brazil known as the tree of life. Its many uses provide communities with raw materials, food and livelihoods. This relationship between nature and everyday life inspired the founders.
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Within the collection, jabuticaba features in the shampoo formula, while cupuaçu appears in the body cream alongside moringa and seaweed. The range also includes a conditioner, a leave-in treatment and soaps. According to the brand, the formulas are vegan, cruelty-free and made without petrolatum, silicones or parabens.
In the village of Guriú, in Ceará, Fernanda and Olivier also head Associação Guriú Verde, which oversees a botanical garden dedicated to environmental protection and education. Naúba states that it allocates 1% of its annual revenue to environmental and social initiatives.
The brand also offers a limited collection of handcrafted objects to accompany daily care rituals, including a green corduroy toiletry bag, a mirror and a brass soap dish. The skin and hair care products come in refillable aluminum bottles, and the packaging is recyclable.
Photos: Courtesy of Naúba