Lamixtura
Silvia and Amaia are the scientific minds and founders behind Lamixtura, a new vegan and dermocosmetic brand utilizing 100% natural ingredients for their creams and serums.
Despite being a young company—having launched in May this year during the pandemic—Lamixtura is here to stay, bringing innovations focused on sustainability, the cruelty-free movement, and galenic innovation. With extensive experience in cosmetic R&D, Silvia and Amaia discuss the journey of founding this brand after countless hours in the lab, a creative process filled with textures and aromas, and the perfect routine for our skin’s needs.
Silvia, Amaia, before discussing Lamixtura, we’d like to get to know you better. Can you introduce each other?
Silvia is a walking encyclopedia of cosmetic knowledge: ingredients, skin physiology, regulations… nothing escapes her. It’s very reassuring to team up with someone so experienced. No cosmetic challenge is too great for her! She is also pure sensitivity and sweetness. Resilient and reflective, I couldn’t ask for a better partner for Lamixtura.
Amaia is pure energy! An tireless engine, brilliant in everything she does, and an excellent generator of ideas. Her dynamism and passion are infectious to everyone working with her. Amaia is very focused on our product’s communication. She cares for our brand’s identity like no one else. In our daily operations, I love how she surprises me with the latest images, actions, or content she’s created for Lamixtura. I’m at ease, I trust her completely, and I know Lamixtura couldn’t be in better hands.
Besides your passion for skincare and dermocosmetics, what else connects you? How did you realize you work well together?
Before Lamixtura, we reached a professional point where we needed to rethink how to create. As cosmetic R&D scientists, we had no shortage of interesting projects. We attended dermatology conferences and industry fairs to stay updated on innovations. We loved our work but wanted to do something truly our own. To have the freedom to design the formulas we always wanted to create without restrictions. To create 100% natural dermocosmetics in the most sustainable way possible. That restlessness connects us, and, well, a bit of craziness too. Without that, we would never have risked creating Lamixtura.
In three words, how would you define Lamixtura?
Advanced natural dermocosmetics.
As cosmetic scientists, what challenges did you face in creating a 100% natural and vegan brand? What is the company’s philosophy?
Technically, the challenge was significant. Our formulas aren’t minimalist; we don’t just package cold-pressed oils. We create science-based formulas, emulsions, oleogels… we aim to surprise with textures and aromas. For instance, when formulating a cream, you need to consider that water is in the formula, requiring preservatives to prevent contamination. Instead of using classic preservatives, which are typically synthetic and more irritating, we use probiotic ferments, plant extracts, etc. Alternative natural preservatives, which also have beneficial properties for the skin.
Finding the right combination is complex, and their cost is higher than synthetic preservatives. But we are experienced formulators and love challenges. The same goes for perfumes; synthetic ones are often used because there are still few 100% natural options. That’s why brands stick to clean cosmetics, using a majority of natural ingredients but also a percentage of synthetic ones or essential oils, which are not advisable for the most sensitive skin. Why do they do it? One of the main reasons is that it is technically very challenging to formulate 100% natural products.
Since you don’t test on animals, what alternatives do you use to verify the quality of your products? Do you think more beauty brands will join the move towards a more sustainable and ethical cosmetic industry in the coming years?
Good news for the cruelty-free movement is that China is reviewing its animal testing policy for cosmetics. China is one of the few countries in the world where animal testing for cosmetics is still done, but it’s a huge and irresistible market for many brands… We’ll see what happens, but it’s hopeful. It’s an example that activism in sustainability and animal respect is important, and although it has taken time, we are close to achieving change.
Lamixtura is dermocosmetics, and proving efficacy is key. There’s no need to test on animals for this. There are many options, from in vitro tests on cell cultures to product use tests under dermatological evaluation. There’s a lot of innovation possible in efficacy studies, but you need the knowledge and creativity to design them. We have demonstrated how the Lamixtura Rejuvenating treatment works with our own study. We just received the results and can confirm that the combination of Canvas Cream® + Intensive Rejuvenating Serum increases collagen production in our skin by 70%.
You’ve mentioned that cosmetic formulation is a creative process that takes you through several stages before reaching the perfect formula. What does your creative process consist of? What inspires you?
Our inspiration always comes from cosmetic science. It’s inevitable given the weight R&D has in Lamixtura, with both of us being formulators. We focus on efficacy, skincare, and understanding the skin’s needs. There are many technical aspects in our creative process: skin mechanisms, ingredient characteristics, etc., which might not sound very inspiring at first, but are crucial in formulation. Just as an artist has extensive knowledge of materials and techniques, we must know raw materials and actives perfectly, as well as the technologies to combine them.
The selection of actives is perhaps the most inspiring part of the process. Here, we draw inspiration from nature, looking for suggestive origins and stories of plants, without neglecting efficacy and safety. But cosmetic formulation is an intensive trial-and-error process. Creativity can lie in finding the perfect balance of oil extensibility for the formula, ensuring the touch is neither too sticky nor too greasy… things that go beyond choosing a plant extract that seems beautiful or exotic to us.
Lamixtura applies galenic innovation in its products. Can you explain a bit more about this science? How do your products differ from others on the market?
A key difference from other brands in this niche or author cosmetics sector is that Lamixtura is essentially R&D, innovation, and many hours in the lab. We have dedicated our entire professional careers to cosmetic formulation—over twenty years—and we don’t outsource the development of our formulas.
The usual process for a brand without in-house R&D knowledge is to hire a lab to develop their formulas entirely. The brand may suggest interesting ingredients for marketing appeal or inspiration, giving indications like no parabens, vegan formula, essential oils, etc., but they can’t delve into details. And in galenic formulation, details are everything. Our formulas are completely custom-made.
For example, a basic ingredient like glycerin, a very good humectant, can be obtained from sugar cane, but it is mainly derived from palm. If I don’t know this, it’s very likely that the lab will use palm-derived glycerin because it’s cheaper. Without a person dedicated to looking into these details—and there’s information that isn’t readily available—these small details that ultimately make a difference are missed.
We know you use a selection of the best natural ingredients in your creative process. What are your favorites? Do you formulate together, or does each of you have an assigned role?
We like to mix well-known and proven-effective ingredients (‘classics’) like hyaluronic acid, centella asiatica, or squalane with more surprising actives, such as acacia peptides, cork oak oil extract, or bamboo powder. We always select certified natural ingredients with guarantees that their extraction processes do not harm the environment.
In developing our capsule collection, R&D was a collaborative process. We both participated in ingredient selection, tests, and coordinating studies in the lab. It was a different way of working—the formulator’s work is usually more individualistic. In this stage of creating Lamixtura, a freer and more organic process was necessary.
In new projects, Silvia leads R&D, although Amaia keeps up with new active ingredients. We still have passionate discussions about ingredients and advances in cosmetic science, but it has been necessary to divide areas and focus.
Establishing a completely natural and vegan cosmetic line has become a highly demanded requirement. Consumers increasingly prefer eco-friendly products. Why do you think this change is happening? Do you think sustainability has become a passing trend, or will it endure?
There is indeed a trend towards more conscious consumption that favors choosing eco-friendly products. And if a natural cosmetic meets expectations and is effective, why not make the switch? At Lamixtura, we trust that sustainability will endure—given the environmental emergency, it can’t be any other way. In the cosmetic industry, it has become a primary topic. By focusing on sustainability, we are forced to make changes and demand certain things we didn’t consider before. Changes endure beyond trends. An example is the ban on microplastics as exfoliating particles. With biodegradable alternatives available, why use plastic?
At Lamixtura, we evaluate all our decisions from a sustainability perspective. We focus on continuous improvement. In every decision, we ask, how can we make it more sustainable? We consider zero waste as an ideal to strive for and guide our work. At Lamixtura, we offset our plastic footprint with our sustainable pouches, we are 99.9% palm-free, we use recyclable FSC paper without plastic film in our packaging, etc. We have areas to improve, of course. We identify them and work on their improvement. Sustainability at Lamixtura is a work in progress.
**Currently, you offer creams and ser