How It’s Made: Madame Gabriela Beauty Honey-Infused Lipstick Formula

The search for the perfect lipstick that she could wear everyday led Gabriela Navejas to start beauty brand Madame Gabriela Beauty, alongside her co-founder Geoffrey Christiansen. Together, they set out to create a range of clean products that protect the lips as much as the best skincare.

Inspired by the wanderlust of travel — Navejas is a Mexico City native who has lived in Paris and now resides in the US while Christiansen is originally from Australia — and the women in her family who never leave home without a swipe of lipstick, Madame Gabriela Beauty products are named after the founders’ favorite cities around the world — New York, Sydney, Paris, Mexico City and Saint-Tropez. 

Using only safe ingredients that are usually found in skincare products, such as shea butter, sunflower oil, chamomile flowers, bergamot and ylang-ylang, the brand’s lipsticks are infused with natural Manuka honey for a rich, satin finish that works with every skin tone and, at the same time, provides great care for the lips.

Creating a safe, non-toxic formula was important to the founders, who worked with a chemist for more than two years to find the right combination of ingredients sourced from the best suppliers, to develop the perfect composition for the three shades of lipsticks (red, pink and nude) and treatment balm.

The ingredients

Carefully chosen to heal and protect, the ingredients in Madame Gabriela Beauty’s nutrient-rich plant-based formula are powered by Manuka honey and free from a broad spectrum of undesirable elements. Every Madame Gabriela product is free of phenoxyethanol, synthetic traces of pigment, petroleum-based products, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, carmine, GMO ingredients, talc, glycol and artificial fragrances.

Manuka honey has a very dense consistency, so natural plant oils from avocado, sunflower, lavender and cocoa butter are used to even out the texture, resulting in a smooth, silky lip. Rosemary and vitamin E chosen to heal and nourish the delicate skin of lips, while antioxidant-rich Manuka honey boosts collagen production.

The process

Raw, unpasteurized, gluten-free and organic New Zealand Mānuka honey is independently tested and certified using the Unique Mānuka Factor (UMF™) grading system, which checks its quality, purity and authenticity, before it leaves for Madame Gabriela’s facility in California. Each batch of honey is minimally processed and delivered by hand, then it is gently warmed, filtered and added to the brand’s clean and organic ingredients to create its lip products.