Ua Body Hawai‘i is the continuation of a natural skincare line started by cofounder Leala Humbert’s family. Leala’s mother, Alice first formulated the floral-inspired body products 30 years ago at her Hawai‘i Island home. Following her passing, the company adopted its current name–ua (rain) speaks to the nurturing and healing effects nature has on our bodies.
These days, together with her husband Blaine, they handcraft their lotions, soaps, and more in small batches at their workshop nestled in Waimea. The couple honors its legacy in the Heritage collection using Alice’ original clean, vegan and additive-free formulas. By incorporating native Hawaiian ingredients–think mango butter, aloe extract and kukui oil–their products hydrate and protect the skin.
Ua Body Hawai‘i also launched its Essentials collection, which features products such as the Botanical Skin Repair and Ekolu Body Butter. The new line is created with the pair’s own herbal infusions, which Humbert learned from her mother early on. The brand also added new essential oil fragrances to its line of Dry Oil products as well, allowing the oils to heal, soothe and repair damaged skin.
For the brand’s matriarch, developing skincare was simple, and Ua Body Hawai‘i continues to maintain that same philosophy today.
How they give back:
Ua Body Hawaii sources local ingredients thereby supporting local agriculture. The Hawai‘i Island-based brand utilizes sustainable packaging materials and also offers a refill program to help eliminate single-use plastic.
Furthermore, the couple currently donates 1.5% of all sales to Nahelehele and Ho‘ola Ka Makana‘ā o Ka‘ūpūlehu, non-profit organizations for Hawaii Dryland Forests, which seek to help preserve and protect our ecosystem. They also support the Hawaii Conservation Alliance, whose mission is to provide unified leadership, advocacy, and collaborative action to conserve and restore native ecosystems and the unique biodiversity of our islands.
The company makes all its products in Hawai‘i, providing jobs here and keeping manufacturing based here.