Fresh Face by Maria Chammas

fresh face

Meet Helena Oseguera Abrahamsson, SMU alumna and 23-year-old founder of a new skincare brand rooted in her heritage.

by maria chammas

Plantéa is no ordinary skincare line. Its founder, Helena Oseguera Abrahamsson, is just 23 years old, and she launched the line in August, just over two years after graduating from SMU with a bachelor’s in fashion media. With Plantéa, Abrahamsson blends the healing properties of cacti found on her family’s Texas ranch with inspiration drawn from her Swedish, American and Mexican heritage. There are two products available for online purchase, the Nourishing Serum and the Rich Serum, but the company plans to launch a new product every year. All Plantéa products are produced in Texas, but Abrahamson currently lives in Sweden, where she juggles running the company with finishing her graduate studies — she’s earning a master’s in fashion studies from Stockholm University.

A CACTUS CREATION

Abrahamsson explains how a shared love of skincare inspired the first product.

Have you always been interested in skincare?

Yes — I’ve always been super into skincare. It was a ritual between me and my mom — the time of day when we would be together, doing our skincare and telling each other how our day went. We just really bonded and talked about things.

How did you come to create your own skincare brand?

I knew I wanted to start my own company, but I was deciding between a skincare company and a workout clothing line. My family has land out in Texas and in Mexico with a large variety of plants, animals and vegetation. I thought, why not start a skincare line and use the plants that we have growing right here on our ranch? As my mom grew older, she developed rosacea but could never find a product out there that could really help her skin. During COVID, I thought a lot about how I could help her. I had a pretty large knowledge of products, acids and items that can go on the skin that would be beneficial. From there it just grew and became something I’m very passionate about, and eventually it turned into Plantéa.

What is Plantéa’s mission?

Our brand mission is purely to help make girls feel comfortable in their skin. I used to have really severe acne covering my face, so I’ve been there. I know how it is as a woman to feel so helpless and have to cover acne with makeup. So if I can help one girl feel better without makeup on, then I’m the happiest person in the world.

What is special about Plantéa?

During the pandemic I was horseback riding one day and thinking about what was going to be different with this company. I grew up in Mexico, so I was around a lot of plants and food that aren’t common in the U.S. My dad kept telling me to experiment with cactus, which many people eat in Mexico, as it’s full of nutrients. So I cut some cactus, peeled it and boiled it into a serum. I tested it out on my mom’s rosacea, and the redness significantly declined after just one week of using it. I contacted a chemist in France and told her my idea. We went back and forth for about two years and here we are! Now the star ingredient in our products is cacti, and it comes right from our ranch.

Find out more about Plantéa and shop the line at

planteaskin.com