Argaia: The Galician brand that transforms medicinal plants into organic cosmetics

Pamela Pardiñas has a degree in chemistry but has had this brand for five years with which she brings nature closer to the skin through products such as her solid toothpaste, deodorant, ointment, gels or shampoos that she makes with the plants that she grows and harvests herselfPaula QuintásOffered by:

The Galician brand Argaia Biocosmética came onto the market at the end of 2016 and since then it has carved out a niche for itself in the organic cosmetics market. All part of the medicinal plants that Pamela Pardiñas Lira cultivates and collects in O Valadouro (Lugo) to later elaborate her own products in the laboratory that she has in Burela.

This chemistry graduate was giving private lessons when, eight years ago, she took a course on medicinal plants and discovered its applicability in cosmetics. She pardiñas began to investigate until she arrived at the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Aemps), where she obtained a large amount of information and access to the regulations. The woman from Lugo fell in love with the possibility of being able to create her own products and started a project with which she has managed to bring nature to the skin of many people.

The raw material, from own cultivation

"They were always quite interested in cosmetics and it was very difficult for me to find things that weren't very synthetic," explains Pardiñas about her concerns. Knowing that it was possible to make products from the plants that she herself grew seemed like a perfect idea and she decided to commit to a project in which the natural goes directly to the skin.

Argaia's products are made with the raw material that Pamela Pardiñas and her partner Estefanía grow organically. Lavender, rosemary, thyme... there are many medicinal plants that the brand takes care of in order to obtain top quality cosmetics. "There are two parts that I like the most to work, take care of the plants, and also manufacture the products," explains the person in charge of Argaia. The fact that the brand grows its own raw material also avoids unnecessary transfers and transport and converts the brand's cosmetics into zero kilometer.

The raw material is grown in O Valadouro and moved to Burela, where the laboratory is located. The weighing room is the storage place for the plants that Argaia uses for its products, and also the place where they are weighed. “É como cociñar“, describes Pardiñas about the elaboration process. Thus, if what you want is to make a facial cream with oils, you should put it on a low heat so that the butters or waxes melt without reaching a very high temperature so that they do not lose their properties. Once cooled, essential oils are added to give them the aroma.

The promoter of the brand is responsible for controlling each part of the production process, from cultivation to macerating and packaging, which is a guarantee of quality. This also makes it easier for products to be as harmless as possible to both people and the environment. "There are some cosmetic ingredients that are suspected of not being harmless," explains Pardiñas. This led her to bet on natural cosmetics, in which the minimum ingredients from plants are used to obtain the product and emulsifiers to stabilize it.

Argaia Biocosmetics products

Argaia Biocosmética products are divided into five lines: facial, hair, body, children and sun. “O first thing that was created was the ointment. I had the idea of ​​having my own lab shortly before I got pregnant, so the first product they fixed was to use as a small girl“, explains Pardiñas.

The hair line focuses on solid shampoos and the entrepreneur is now working on the creation of a solid hair mask that she plans to release before the end of 2020. The fact that the brand promotes this type of cosmetic and uses glass or aluminum to its packaging has a clear objective: to avoid plastic. Currently, only bath gel has this material and Pardiñas is looking for a supplier to be able to change it to a more sustainable container.

Argaia also offers the consumer the possibility of acquiring other products such as solid toothpaste, lip balm, facial cleanser or micellar water within its facial line, as well as deodorant, shower gel, cream or oil within the body. And among such a wide offer, which are the most demanded? The semi-solid toothpaste is, along with the eye cream, one of the best-selling products and it required a great deal of research and testing to achieve the final result.

Argaia products are unisex, although most of the buyers are women over 30 years of age, and can be used by people with all skin types because the ingredients are basically vegetable oils and floral waters. The Galician brand also has different facial creams for dry or combination skin, for example. «A xent with atopic dermatitis use the ointment é vaille moi ben. It is multipurpose, because it contains calendula and chamomile, so use it from time to time for ulcers and to cure piercings or tattoos“, indicates Pardiñas.

Argaia sells its organic cosmetics through the web, although the favorite sales channel is stores. Pardiñas defends the importance of local commerce and, in fact, distributes its brand products in small businesses throughout Spain, although most of them are located in Galicia. This is how Argaia Biocosmética has become in just five years a unique option for people who are committed to natural, ecological and sustainable cosmetics.