Behind the Brand: Aethera Beauty Combines Native Caribbean Botanicals with CBD and Cannabis Sativa for Glowing Skin
Aethera Beauty Caribbean Botanical Brightening Coconut Body Scrub ($18) exfoliates with sea salt, coconut seed, and shell powder while coconut and sunflower oils smoothe and soften skin.
Aethera Beauty is a clean skincare line that offers cannabis sativa (hemp seed oil) and CBD products to achieve healthy, glowing skin. Their products also include enhancing ingredient complexes that are inspired by the tropical botanical concentrates that are native to the Caribbean.
Cannabis sativa contains antioxidants that fight free radical damage, beneficial fatty acids, and amino acids—its anti-inflammatory properties soothe skin while minimizing issues like acne, uneven tone, and other imbalances and irritations. CBD includes a range of cannabinoids that offer exclusive therapeutic anti-stress and relief benefits.
Manisha Singal is Aethera Beauty’s Chief Medical Officer who is on the forefront of the cannabis movement, currently leading the effort to create one of the country’s first hospital-based pain management centers using CBD/THC. In her role with Aethera Beauty, Singha applies personal and professional insight into formula development, and she recently published a book about CBD for personal use and skin care, The CBD Skincare Solution: The Power of Cannabidiol for Healthy Skin.
“Originally we researched CBD skincare, but we decided to include non-CBD products to keep some items at an accessible price point,” says Noreen Moriarty, VP of Marketing and Sales for Aethera Beauty. “We also wanted to be certain to have products in our lineup that customers who prefer to not use CBD could use. In researching actives, we had a conversation about using actives from the Caribbean.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, Aethera Beauty decided to focus more on ingredients from the Caribbean with the intention of sourcing most actives from that region, as well as adding a philanthropic element to give back to those in the Caribbean that are hit by hurricanes every year.
“As our business grows, we hope to be able to focus even more on this philanthropic arm and create fair trade agreements with direct suppliers in the region,” shares Moriarty.
We chatted with Moriarty, who shared the inspiration behind the brand, favorite products, future plans, and more.
When was Aethera Beauty founded and what’s the meaning behind the name?
The brand was started in 2017 and we launched products in 2018. We wanted a name that reflected the natural elegance of our clean products as well as the radiance that is achieved from using them. The "rainbow" ribbon on the packaging represents a celebration of light and purity, and ties to the Carribean/tropical origins of the actives in the line.
Tell us more about your products and what makes them special.
The ingredient cocktails of beautiful tropical actives we use help reveal a glowing complexion. A little goes a long way with our formulas. We are partially owned by a natural products formulation lab and benefit from being at the forefront of innovation. Also, we are able to test unusual textures, new actives, and launch products with less lead time than most brands.
Aethera Beauty Everyday Botanical Brightening Concentrate with CBD ($88) is infused with skin-soothing CBD plus botanical actives to gently brighten and help promote a smooth, even complexion.
Do you have a hero/favorite product?
There is some seasonality that plays into best sellers. Our reverse emulsion moisturizer, the Everyday Botanical Brightening Concentrate, with or without CBD, is our top performer, especially with people with normal to dry skin. However, we launched a Caribbean Botanical Brightening Coconut Body Scrub last summer and it’s quickly rising in popularity.
Where are your products sold?
We focus mostly on our direct-to-consumer business through our website and Amazon, but have relationships with specialty partners like Shen Beauty and Veer and Wander.
What's next for the brand?
We have two masks coming: a flash mask to address dullness and congestion, and another with CBD to nourish and soothe skin.
For more information and to purchase, visit the website and follow on Instagram: @aetherabeauty
[Images courtesy of Aethera Beauty]
Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk