HOW IT ALL
STARTED
HOW IT ALL
STARTED
STARTED
From a 9-month experience to a life mission.
My name is Mafalda Soto, and I am a pharmacist. More than fifteen years ago, a trip to Malawi changed my understanding of skin, health, and care.
I went there to collaborate on health cooperation projects, but I encountered a reality I could not imagine: that of people with albinism, whose skin is extremely sensitive to the sun, exposing them to a constant risk of skin cancer, as well as exclusion and discrimination.
In that context, cosmetics were not a matter of aesthetics but of survival. Developing a sunscreen could mean preventing an illness or restoring dignity to someone who had been rejected because of their skin.
When I arrived in Malawi, I was only going to stay for nine months. But those nine months turned into nine years of deep learning, working alongside a team of pharmacists and dermatologists, and human discovery.
From that experience, Beyond Suncare was born in 2017, an organization that works to ensure that people with albinism can live protected from the sun and fully integrated into their communities.
Over time, the project was recognized by the United Nations as a 'Best Practice' in global health.
From development cooperation to cosmetics
During those years, I understood something essential: sensitive skin is not weak skin; it is skin that needs respect, calm, and constant protection. And that conviction led me to ask another question:
why not apply all this scientific and human knowledge to the skincare of every person?
THIS IS HOW UMOA COSMETICS STARTED.
Together with Giacomo Proli, my adventure companion, we decided to bring that same vision to the world of cosmetics:
to create formulas inspired by the study of the most delicate skins, caring for them with scientific evidence, but also with empathy and purpose.
One purpose, two paths.
Every UMOA product is born with the same logic we started with in Africa: to protect, repair, and strengthen the skin barrier without disrupting its balance.
And most importantly, to keep alive the connection with Beyond Suncare.
UMOA and Beyond are not two distinct projects, but two forms of the same mission: to unite the science of care with real social impact.
Part of UMOA’s profits are reinvested in dermatological programs and training initiatives supporting people with albinism in Africa, while the research and clinical experience of Beyond directly inform our formulations.
FROM THE STUDY OF THE MOST DELICATE SKIN, TO THE EXPERT CARE OF YOURS.
This is, at its core, the story of UMOA: a brand born from the study of delicate skin, but above all from the commitment to improve the lives of those who live with it, protecting their health, supporting their inclusion, and affirming their dignity.