It is one of the absolute benchmarks of the archipelago and therefore could only be part of this formula, but if it seems to you that we are preparing a table for a snack, the truth is that we are talking about nutrition for the skin. “I went looking for a hat box. “It smelled all over the car!” Violante Pacheco de Medeiros remembers about this summer’s experience. Master of ceremonies of the morning workshop where she guides users through new products, she is scientific director of BAMandBOO, the national cosmetics brand that applies the best ingredients from the Azores to its skin care products and which opened its first physical space in April. at the Lx factory. “I think this serum with hyaluronic acid in which the ingredient hero Green tea is the best thing I have ever made. The difficult thing is to get the right consistency of the gel, when it spreads it looks a little milky,” he explains.

The brand’s history began in 2017, with a subscription model for bamboo brusheswhich remains one of the best sellers today, committed to mitigating excess formulations and the use of plastic. In 2022, they launched the deodorantThe founding image of the panda was lost, and the differentiation strategy was reinforced. Arriving in 2024, a new line and renewed image, which extends to the packaging, faithful to the motto “grounded skin care“.

He already had his factory and his laboratory, all the know-how needed to be guided. This is how molecular biologist Violante Pacheco de Medeiros joined the brand’s team. In April they achieved their first results, with a day cream.

Born in São Miguel, where she lives and works, Violante is a visiting assistant professor at the University of the Azores and holds a PhD from the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany, and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. . It was in September of last year that he brought his technical knowledge from seven years of product development to an operation that was already set up, joining the brand led by Francisco Camacho and Fernando Ribeiro. “We were fast. In six months we developed these products. We reached the day cream on our eighth attempt,” he says, aware of the leap he made in his career. “I have never had such a big challenge. “I was developing my brand and my products because I set up a factory, but I didn’t have any of this experience on the marketing side, the focus.”

A botanical treasure in the Atlantic

If the oils recruited for BAMandBOO are collected in the center of São Miguel, the extracts come from “a wilder area, in Lombadas,” explains Violante, while handling a package with basalt powder ultrafine, another star condiment of the region whose properties are used, evoking the volcanic rock of Pico and serving as a reference in the decoration of the store. “We have clay in Santa María but it is not easy to have clay. But we have basalt, it is ours. It has a great consistency, it helps a lot when cleaning,” describes the person in charge. The result is the exfoliant (€34.90) which is worth trying.

If you frequently enter the blond When cooking, you have to rethink its uses: the Azores variety has a more rounded leaf, a slight fluff and a more citrus aroma. Oh, and it’s another star ingredient in the two new BAMandBOO facial ranges launched this year. “Working with the smell of bay essential oil is not easy. How to make it attractive to the client? Not even intentionally, a doctoral student is developing a bay leaf extract suitable for the brand. “The objective is to follow this path of patenting,” describes Francisco.

Samples with different textures, prepared for an in-store workshop.

The new range Rooted vitality (from €34.90) uses HydraShieldCLN™ technology, for essential hydration. Already the Natural Aging (from €25.90) ​​uses AlgaeTrioComplex+ technology to firm, neutralize free radicals and stimulate cell renewal, focusing on mature skin. Nomenclatures may scare the less experienced, but the molecular biologist simplifies the laboratory context with down-to-earth enthusiasm. “I spend the day playing. He is wearing a coat and sneakers. My lab life is one of casual shoes. I can’t risk taking something that cuts me or a more toxic reagent. You have to work rigorously. The week is everything ready. We already have about 90 prototypes, to see where we want to go and where we don’t want to go.”

Always linked to the world of plants and academia, for chief scientist The most challenging part of the team was discovering the practical application of the chosen areas. If nature is everywhere, phytotherapy and the ancestral medicines of mothers, aunts and grandmothers inspired the search. “I started playing with formulas, making things for friends and as I set up the lab I started doing things scientifically. “We have a large amount of essential oils in the Azores.” The final result today includes references such as hyaluronic acid, the Q10 enzyme and bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol.

From the islands to the world, from the briefing to the final packaging

It was by pure chance, during a personal trip to the Azores, that Francisco, coming from the mass consumption industry, met Pacheco de Medeiros, whose experience gave strength to the project: scientific development was until then in the hands of external partners. “In my first pregnancy I started knitting, in my second I discovered cosmetics. (laughs) The truth is, I think it comes from the hormonal changes that the second pregnancy causes. He was very rational, perhaps in a scientific sense. I always thought that I would not be a creative person, but I am always full of ideas,” admits the biologist.

It is in the main LX Factory building where Francisco Camacho inaugurated the first BAMandBOO flagship in April.

The “marriage has worked well,” guarantees the general director, but there is a clash that is not always harmonious between what the client wants and what is possible to do in the laboratory. With perfectionism on both sides, the brand leader believes it is possible to improve the formula. The scientific leader is the first guinea pig of each test. “Now, at 45 years old, I aim to formulate products that I enjoy using.. I am very demanding with what is on the market. I don’t like everything that is fashionable. I have to feel comfortable with what I can wear.”

But what does the consumer want in a sector where supply abounds? For Francisco, there are general trends, such as a growing demand for natural products, but without losing sight of effectiveness. “I also think there is demand for less conventional brands. “People like to discover and tell their friends that they discovered a different brand.” Violante adds the search for transparency in a brand’s communication. “They read labels much more and want to understand the contribution of a product”

As for the myths, there are still many and they dominate much of the topic. “People think that natural products do not contain chemicals. No, nature is chemistry. What is needed is to stabilize and be able to extract the best that nature has to apply to cosmetics. And not everything that is natural is good. It has everything to do with the doses,” explains Camacho.

On the right, below, the Azorean bay leaves, one of the star ingredients of the new skin care line

There is a long and discreet road ahead until we see each product in its respective packaging. For now, design work, information on brand positioning and target, so that Violante can move forward later. “The brief is crucial, you have to have the right ingredients and immediately define the textures, the scales, if we want something more fluid or thicker. The world of emulsions ranges from lotions to ointments..” Then there is a coming and going, a natural interaction until we reach the magical combinations. “In the laboratory we see what concentrations we can incorporate, because not everything is added, there are safety limits on certain ingredients, such as fragrances. And I may have a wonderful product but someone tells me I need a new fragrance. We add the minimum of ingredients and the cream comes to life. Gymnastics is needed. There are many attempts,” admits Violante.

In their purest form, the natural resources that come from the nine islands, such as volcanic soil and hot springs, are rich in minerals. Fucus algae, green tea and volcanic basalt are also combined with natural ingredients such as virgin olive oil and ground olive pits. “I’m happy when they tell me it’s velvety,” confesses the biologist, while testing samples of the five founding textures of the brand, from the most fluid to the thickest, from the white gradient to the most yellowish. “There are no active ingredients or fragrances here, but it allowed us to define the structure of the next range.” When you add a touch of algae, the result could only be green. This is the first finished product version of the Elemental face cream, which in terms of value leads in popularity, and can be used day or night.

The novelties in the development of the brand extend to the packaging of the new ranges

Despite not closing the offer to a single gender, at BAMandBOO around 90 percent of clients are women. Historically, they sell more outside of Portugal and online has been the main platform until now. In addition to the new lines and founding pieces, the portfolio includes soaps, solid shampoo, body moisturizers or toothpaste tablets.

After the retail presence in points such as Wells and Perfumes e Companhia, the first flagship that allows the physical experience of the product arrives on the continent. “We are already seeing if we can find a space to open in the Azores but we want to see how the business develops,” says Francisco Camacho. It is true that trends change faster than obtaining a successful prototype, but Violante still risks a vision of the future. “People look above all for health and minimalist health. A simple routineYeah, that makes me feel good. More concentrated and with a good selection of ingredients.”