February 28, 2022

Phillipe by Almada - a business about love and sustainability

Phillippe by Almada is a Portuguese brand that since 2005 has been producing creams and soaps with donkey milk.

As the brand itself explains, the creation of the project came about when one of the founders, Filipe Carvalho, read an article about the beauty ritual of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, a universal figure connoted as an icon of beauty. The story goes that Cleopatra used the milk of 300 donkeys in her beauty ritual.

Thus, Filipe Carvalho, driven by curiosity about the benefits of this milk in the process of skin renewal and rejuvenation, deepened the topic and created his own brand. The investigation culminated in a sustained scientific study, leading in a first phase to the acquisition of the first Mirandese donkey – the Bolacha (the Cookie).

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Bolacha (Cookie) was not slow to reciprocate with quality milk, which the founders of the brand could control the richness of the product's restorative and renewing properties.
At this stage of the guarantee it had to face a problem, when it projected that the use of fresh milk in the artisan manufacture of cosmetic products to full diligence of its properties. Therefore, the main objective was to find a formula capable of stabilizing and preserving all the natural qualities of milk.
To find the perfect formula, they needed years of study, but they found help in a partnership with the Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra, the Universidade Nova, the Institute of Biotechnology and the Faculty of Pharmacy. It is a completely mechanical procedure: the milk is collected, frozen and then subjected to a unique freeze-drying process that transforms it into powder, allowing its initial characteristics to remain unchanged.

Photo: Phillipe by Almada

The guarantee of due diligence

They already had a unique formula, capable of keeping the natural properties of donkey milk unaltered, later they commissioned tests of effectiveness from independent laboratories with international certification: Phd Trials.
The results were surprising: 41% hydration in the soap when the market leader offered only 25%. Powdered donkey milk makes it possible to use higher concentrations of product in cosmetics, which increases their effectiveness.
The next step was to aromatize the products in order to add a commercial and brand characterization feature. For this, they turned to the only Portuguese recognized by the French Society of Perfumers, Lourenço Lucena.
Its fragrance complements the main ingredient, donkey milk, with natural waxes, vitamin E, jojoba oil and shea butter, and translates into a delicate aroma that does not overwhelm the woman's perfume.

Photo: Phillipe by Almada

Monte das Faias - place for the treatment of donkeys

Currently, around 50 donkeys live in the Faias who dictate their rituals. At 6 am the day starts with a walk through the fields and, at 12:30 am sharp, their biological clock does not fail, it's the first milking.
The milking of the donkeys, which graze freely in the fields with the Ribatejo forest as a backdrop, is carried out in a room built specifically for these animals. Those responsible for the brand guarantee that all animal welfare and hygiene conditions are ensured, in accordance with the requirements of the respective regulators, accompanied by a rigorous quality control process, assure the brand's managers.