How (and why) this Latinx Entrepreneur Created a Low-Waste, “Clean,” Luxury Lipstick Brand to Empower Women

By: Madeleine Wisecup

How (and why) this Latinx Entrepreneur Created a Low-Waste, “Clean,” Luxury Lipstick Brand to Empower Women

After her mother and sister were both diagnosed with breast cancer, Gabriela Navejas, the co-founder of Madame Gabriela lipsticks, made the commitment to reduce her exposure to potentially harmful chemicals – including those that might be lurking in her cosmetic products.

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After her mother and sister were both diagnosed with breast cancer, Gabriela Navejas made the commitment to reduce her exposure to potentially harmful chemicals — including those that might be lurking in her cosmetic products. While she was able to relatively easily replace her skincare products, finding a “clean” luxury lipstick that effectively performed was, unfortunately, not as simple.

For Gabriela, and the women in her family, lipstick has always been a beauty staple — an everyday essential. In fact, Gabriela tells me, “I have a photo of my grandmother at 98 applying lipstick before leaving her bedroom to go into her living room. She would always tell me, “never leave the house without lipstick!””

Frustrated by the lack of options for “clean” luxury lip care that exceeded her standards of quality, efficacy, and sustainability, Gabriela, along with her co-founder Geoffrey Christiansen, decided to create their own brand of luxury lipstick. After two years of trial and error the team’s female chemist finally achieved a “clean” beauty coup d’etat: Mānuka honey rich goodness synthesized with a tsunami of safe and sustainably sourced ingredients.

Today, Madame Gabriela is an award-winning, fully transparent, non-toxic, luxury lipstick brand that is both high performing and planet-friendly.

In this conversation, Gabriela and I chat about:

• The journey that led her to launching a low-waste, “non-toxic,” luxury lipstick brand
• Why using non-toxic ingredients was, and still is, so important to her
• The health benefits of Mānuka Honey, one of the key ingredients in Madame Gabriela’s lipsticks
• The entrepreneurial challenges she faced while launching a new brand during a global pandemic
• How she defines beauty, and so much more!

I am so eager for Gabriela to share her journey, mission, and story with you today. Press play to tune-in now!

Connect with Madame Gabriela:

Website: Madame Gabriela
Instagram: @MadameGabrielaBeauty
Facebook: Madame Gabriela

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The Wise Consumer

Madeleine is a Franco-American podcaster and blogger on a mission to inspire and empower women to live healthier, more eco-friendly, and conscious lifestyles. On her blog/podcast, The Wise Consumer, she covers topics ranging from nutrition and recipes to ethical fashion and eco living tips. When not working Madeleine is either spending time with family, developing new recipes, or trail running.

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