Biocosmetics: Forest Products Changing Women's Lives

July, 2024 – Have you ever heard of biocosmetics? They are personal hygiene and skin/body care products made from natural substances, such as plant extracts and organic materials, without industrial ingredients like preservatives and silicone. 

For many traditional communities in the Amazon, biocosmetics production has become an alternative source of income for women living in the forest. The women are able to use natural resources without generating negative impacts on biodiversity. In the process, they transmit knowledge from one generation to another drawing on local knowledge about the plants, as well as the ripening process of each fruit and oil.

In order to disseminate more knowledge on biocosmetics, the Associação das Mulheres Extrativistas do Médio Juruá (ASMAMJ) produced a booklet that is now available to everyone. ASMAMJ is a community-based organization that works for the recognition of women's contributions and promotes their access to public policies and to legal and citizen rights, including participation in the social, political, and economic environment of their communities and in the Médio Juruá Territory. 

Headquartered in the municipality of Carauari (in the state of Amazonas), the association is supported by USAID through the Médio Juruá Territory Program. PTMJ also works together with the Partnership Platform for the Amazon (PPA) and Natura, a major cosmetics brand in Brazil. This effort is coordinated by SITAWI Finance for Good, working with local partners including ASMAMJ.

Since the creation of the ASMAMJ, women in the region have increasingly gained more participation and leadership in economic activities and decision-making. In March, ASMAMJ celebrated women’s achievements at their 11th General Assembly. “Women managed to find their place in society. In the past, men represented our communities in their meetings, while women stayed at home,” explained Maria das Neves, from the Novo Horizonte community (read more here, in Portuguese). 

Currently, ASMAMJ has 240 members, generating income for themselves and their families. They engage in the artisanal extraction of andiroba oil; and in the production of biocosmetics, soaps, and biojewelry made from regional fish scales, mainly pirarucu. 

The Booklet – The publication includes information about the products made by women, such as andiroba oil and soap, and mulateiro facial cream. 

It also explains what the raw materials represent and how they may be used: for example, according to traditional knowledge copaíba oil is widely used for medicinal purposes, being known as a “forest antibiotic.”

Download the full publication here.