Some founders build businesses to sell products. Others build them to tell a story, protect a heritage, and rewrite what’s possible for future generations. For Rose Correa, founder and CEO of AmaSKN, the Amazon Rainforest is more than the source of her ingredients, it’s part of her identity.
Brazil is in her blood, and walking beneath the forest canopy, she’s always felt its heartbeat. But Rose also saw its scars: deforestation, logging, and exploitation threatening both the land and its people.
Out of that paradox came a conviction: you can’t protect the forest without empowering its people, and you can’t empower its people without protecting the forest.
That conviction became AmaSKN, a regenerative skincare company proving that beauty can be more than skin deep.
Every jar connects customers to the Amazon’s guardians, blending high-performance natural ingredients with a business model that reinvests directly into Indigenous communities.
Schools, clean water, women’s craft houses — AmaSKN is redefining what it means for beauty to create impact.
What was the lightbulb moment that sparked AmaSKN’s origin story?
Brazil is part of my heritage, and the Amazon has always felt like home. Walking under its canopy, you feel its heartbeat — alive and full of wisdom. But I also saw its fragility: scars from logging, mining, and cattle ranching.
That paradox shaped my conviction: you can’t protect the forest without empowering its people, and you can’t empower its people without protecting the forest.
In 2019, after meeting Shane, we brought our different worlds together around one vision: creating a skincare brand that nourishes people, regenerates the rainforest, and uplifts its guardians.
That’s how AmaSKN was born.
What is AmaSKN’s mission and vision?
- Mission: To prove that skincare can be regenerative. We create high-performance natural products that deliver results while using business as a force to protect the Amazon and honor Indigenous knowledge.
- Vision: A regenerative beauty economy where transparency and reciprocity are the norm, non-timber forest products keep the forest standing, and Indigenous communities thrive alongside biodiversity.
How does AmaSKN create impact?
Impact is the heartbeat of AmaSKN. From the very beginning, our formulas have centered on botanicals wild-harvested by riverside families in the Amazon. By focusing on non-timber forest products, we:
- Provide direct income to traditional communities
- Preserve thousands of acres of rainforest
- Ensure biodiversity is valued and protected
Beyond sourcing, we reinvest 10% of AmaSKN’s profits back into Indigenous communities. Projects are guided by the voices of the communities themselves:
- Education: In 2023, we helped the Huni Kuin of Ni Yuxibu open a school where 60 children now learn their language, chants, myths, and traditions — preserving culture for the next generation.
- Clean Water: In 2024, we helped fund a $7,000 artesian well, bringing clean water to 250 people and drastically improving health outcomes.
- Women’s Empowerment: In 2025, we began supporting the Huni Kuin Women’s Association, providing materials and resources for artisans to build a Craft House — creating sustainable income from ancestral crafts while teaching younger generations.
For us, the forest thrives when its guardians thrive — and that is the beauty we’re committed to.
How have you funded AmaSKN so far?
From the start, we chose independence. No venture capital. No outside equity. Every bottle reflects our savings, sacrifices, and reinvested profits.
That choice has tested us — we missed the 2024 holiday season due to manufacturing delays, and tariffs on Brazilian ingredients have raised costs.
Yet independence has also been our gift.
It allows us to stay true to our values: committing profits to Indigenous projects, sourcing sustainably even when it’s harder, and holding ourselves accountable to the forest and its people, not investors.
Now, we’re at a turning point.
To scale, we’re talking with angel investor to help us:
- Exhibit at major natural product fairs like Expo West
- Expand into Latin American and European markets
- Secure COSMOS and international certifications to unlock global distribution
For these partners, this isn’t just an investment — it’s an opportunity to scale a proven model that uplifts rainforest families, builds Indigenous resilience, and brings regenerative beauty to the global stage.
What tools do you use to run AmaSKN?
We rely on what I like to call our “entrepreneurial survival kit”:
- E-commerce & Marketing: Shopify, Klaviyo, Canva
- Finance: Intuit QuickBooks
- Collaboration & Ops: Google Drive, Zoom, EDI for retail communications
- And, of course, coffee. Lots of coffee.
Closing
What stands out in Rose Correa’s story is how deeply personal this mission is. AmaSKN isn’t just another beauty brand — it’s a bridge between people and the rainforest, proving that skincare can regenerate more than skin.
By staying independent, reinvesting profits, and letting Indigenous communities guide the impact, Rose and her team are showing that business can be a powerful tool for preservation, empowerment, and cultural resilience.
Schools, clean water, women’s craft houses — these aren’t side projects, they are the heartbeat of AmaSKN.
As Rose reminds us, “you can’t protect the forest without empowering its people, and you can’t empower its people without protecting the forest.” That’s the kind of beauty the world needs more of.
To explore their products and support their mission, visit AmaSKN.
