Rahua - strong performance, modern design and sustainable environmental protection

Rahua products, known for their pure ingredients and unparalleled performance, would not be available today if it weren't for a wonderful confluence of events. Fabian Lliguin, a renowned hairstylist and colourist in New York City, was visiting the Amazon rainforest as an environmentalist to educate indigenous people about their land and human rights when he noticed he was surrounded by women with fantastically long, shiny hair that reached their waists.

Inspired by the strengthening and revitalizing effect of Rahua oil on hair and skin, the renowned New York hair stylist Fabian Lliguin and his wife Anna Ayers founded the natural cosmetics brand Rahua. Their aim was to introduce customers worldwide to the beauty secrets of the rainforest. The success of their organic hair care products is based on the powerful Rahua oil, which is contained in all shampoos, conditioners, hair masks and styling products. The secret of Rahua oil lies in its unique molecular structure, which allows the active ingredients to penetrate deep into the hair shaft to nourish and repair it. Omega-9 fatty acids strengthen the hair root and promote healthy, strong hair. In our online store we present a selection of shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, hair oils and styling products from RAHUA. These products are purely natural and effective, vegan, organic and free from gluten, parabens and sulphates.

What is the secret of Rahua?

The secret, the women told Fabian, was Rahua oil. The members of the tribe, who live deep in the rainforest, had relied on this oil for centuries to care for their hair and skin.

The women gave Fabian a bottle of Rahua oil, which he carefully brought back to New York in his suitcase. At his salon on Fifth Avenue, he decided to use the oil on a trial basis and without any expectations as a treatment for a client with extremely dry, damaged hair. After 10 minutes, her hair was transformed: from brittle and lifeless to healthy, shiny and sweeping. Fabian was just as shocked as his client. Here was the tangible proof that this ingredient, which has been used for centuries, was producing tangible results.

Fabian knew he was dealing with something very special, and he also knew he had to treat it with respect. Rahua oil was – and continues to be – produced by the Quechua Shuar tribe in the same complex, ritual and sustainable way that has been the case for generations. Fabian, who has been working for the indigenous population of the rainforest for a long time, did not want to interfere with this process.

Step by Step originated Rahua

In 2008, Anna Ayers - Fabian's wife and business partner - came on board, combining her expertise as a fashion designer and New York trend forecaster with Fabian's experience as a hairstylist and colorist to create a purposeful beauty experience for consumers around the world. Together, they launched the Rahua brand, drawing on the wisdom of a legendary people to create a unique line of innovative, plant-based products that heal, nourish, beautify and transform.

Today, more than 500 Quechua-Shuar, Achuar and neighboring tribal families work with Fabian and Anna to grow rainforest-grown ingredients for the Rahua hair care and body care collections.

The Rahua brand is Symbiotic® certified.

Rahua cares - because the rainforest needs our protection

Symbiotic® certification promotes the economy and strengthens indigenous communities and their peoples. It actively helps indigenous communities in the Amazon to achieve a healthy, self-sustaining economy and encourages them to continue to live in the Amazon rainforest and use their special knowledge and traditions to ultimately become empowered as guardians and protectors of the Amazon rainforest for the future of our world. More about the requirements for the Symbiotic® certification can be found on the Rahua homepage.

Environmentalists in first place, entrepreneurs in second place

As environmentalists, our founders are inspired by Mother Nature. Fabian Lliguin and Anna Ayers work with the indigenous peoples of the Amazon to source rainforest ingredients from only self-managed forests. We promise never to harvest ingredients from non-regenerative rainforests.

Water protection

Our non-toxic, clean formulas prevent pollution of our waterways. 

Packing

The plastic packaging we use, PET #1, is 100% recyclable; it is recycled worldwide and reused to make park benches, designer carpets, clothing and much more. Our highly effective plant-based, organic ingredients create powerful, concentrated formulas that require less consumption than synthetic formulas. Lower consumption dramatically reduces packaging usage.

The Pink Flamingo Project

In collaboration with our environmental group Ecoagents, Rahua has launched the Pink Flamingos Project. This is an ongoing environmental clean-up campaign, working with local people to clean up the natural habitats of pink flamingos and other endemic species in the Galapagos Islands.

Philanthropy

In founding their company, Lliguin and Ayers took the approach of establishing a business model where philanthropy is built into the DNA and operation of the company, with reverence for Mother Nature. Before founding the company, they brought together their passion for the environment and conservation to create the non-profit organisation Ecoagents, which aims to raise awareness about the Amazon rainforest and the importance of its protection, the indigenous peoples who live there and their wisdom. During this mission, Rahua became the conduit through which the work was done. By producing ingredients using revived traditional methods, the tribal communities have built an economy and are very proud of their culture and land. The couple's philanthropic approach is to enable indigenous peoples to create and sustain an economy based on the preservation of their traditions, while remaining strong as guardians and protectors of the forest, which lives in balance and nurtures its wealth for generations.

Carbon neutral and beyond

So far, Amazon Beauty, Rahua and Ecoagents' environmental work on the ground has been a success! We have preserved 37,500 hectares of pristine and biodiverse tribal land deep in the Amazon rainforest for eternity. Ultimately, we produce oxygen and offset the carbon footprint of each of our customers, trading partners and more! We are proud to say that we are more than carbon neutral and produce an excess of oxygen. Beauty is power!