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Danielle Amaral, food engineer aged 34, returned to Belém after visiting a fair in São Paulo, purchased three makeup courses for about R$ 100 each, and spent nearly all of 2023 testing formulas with annatto, cupuaçu butter, and passion fruit until creating the first cosmetics for Tekohá.
Food engineer Danielle Amaral, 34, did not start her cosmetics brand in a factory or structured laboratory. After returning to Belém, in Pará, she began using her own kitchen pots to test formulas, mixing Amazonian raw materials with knowledge gained from online courses she purchased.
According to a report by PEGN published on September 14, 2026, this artisanal phase occupied nearly all of 2023 and ultimately led to the creation of Tekohá. Three years after starting the tests, the brand participated in Beauty Fair for the first time and also set its sights on a new phase: export plans to the United States and Australia.
A fair in São Paulo changed the direction Danielle wanted to follow
The turning point began after a trip to São Paulo. Danielle visited a fair and returned to Belém with the realization that she wanted to work with natural cosmetics. The experience was enough to motivate her to find a way to understand how those products were formulated, practically.
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Instead of starting with a ready-made professional structure, the engineer decided to begin learning from home. She purchased three online courses on makeup production, spending about R$ 100 on each.
Three courses opened the way for the first tests in the kitchen
The courses provided Danielle with a foundation to start experimenting. Her home kitchen then received pots that would normally have domestic use, but during that period served for the first attempts at creating cosmetics.
The process did not result in a finished brand immediately. Danielle spent months learning, testing, and adjusting formulas, using the resources available at the time to turn theoretical knowledge into products that could come to fruition.
Almost all of 2023 was dedicated to the formulas
The experimental phase occupied practically all of 2023. It was during this period that the engineer worked on the combinations that would later give rise to the first products of Tekohá.
The time dedicated to testing indicates that the transition from courses to developing a proprietary cosmetic did not happen overnight. The kitchen served as the starting point for a series of experiments, as Danielle sought to reach the formulas she wanted to create.
Urucum, cupuaçu and passion fruit entered the experiments
Among the selected raw materials were ingredients sourced from the Amazon. The source highlights annatto, cupuaçu butter, and passion fruit as key active ingredients employed by the entrepreneur during this development phase.
These components became part of the cosmetics proposal that Danielle was building in Belém. Thus, the project began to unite two aspects of the food engineer‘s journey: the technical knowledge tied to her education and her newly discovered interest in makeup production.
Tekohá was born after months of learning at home
It was from this routine of courses, pots, and tests that Tekohá emerged. The business was born after Danielle transformed the experiments conducted throughout 2023 into her own cosmetics.
The most significant leap at that moment was moving from the idea of learning to make makeup to actually creating a brand. The domestic origins remained part of the journey: before reaching an industry fair, the first products were made in the founder’s kitchen in Belém.
Beauty Fair marked a new phase for the brand
In 2026, Tekohá participated in the Beauty Fair for the first time. The presence at the event placed the business in a very different environment from where the initial tests had begun.
For Danielle, the transition from home cooking to a beauty market fair encapsulates a change built over the years. The engineer who enrolled in three courses to learn how to produce her own cosmetics was now showcasing her brand at an industry event.
The journey began with about R$ 300 spent on learning
In total, the three courses cost approximately R$ 300, considering the roughly R$ 100 mentioned for each. This expenditure does not represent the total investment needed to create the company but marks the starting point for Danielle’s learning about makeup manufacturing, as described in the report.
From there, months of experimentation and the use of Amazonian raw materials followed. The contrast between that domestic beginning and the subsequent participation in the Beauty Fair helps explain why Tekohá’s journey draws attention: the initial development phase was conducted right at home.
Plans now include the United States and Australia
After the brand’s debut at the Beauty Fair, the trajectory described by PEGN points to another ambition. Tekohá has plans to bring its products to the United States and Australia through exports.
The source does not specify dates, sales volumes, or a timeline for this expansion. Therefore, this phase should be understood as a company plan rather than a completed international operation.
From Belém to a project that began looking outside Brazil
Danielle Amaral’s entrepreneurial story began practically: after finding natural cosmetics as a field she wanted to explore, she invested in courses, took the tests to her kitchen, and spent a significant part of 2023 developing products.
The venture that started with home cookware, urucum, cupuaçu butter, and passion fruit has now led to the establishment of Tekohá and its first participation in the Beauty Fair. Now, the prospect of export adds a new phase to a journey that is still unfolding.
What stands out to you the most on this journey: the beginnings in the kitchen, the use of Amazonian raw materials, or the transformation of 2023 tests into a brand that is already eyeing international markets? Let us know in the comments.
