In late 2020, April Orlando received news that would change the trajectory of her life, both personally and professionally. The Jupiter resident was diagnosed with skin cancer on her nose and cheek area, which required Mohs surgery to remove and a plastic surgeon to subsequently repair the affected area. She had always worn SPF products when going to the beach or out on her boat, but she hadn’t realized the importance of daily sun protection. After the cancer scare, she knew better.
Orlando and her daughter, Lauren, decided that from then on, anything they put on their faces would need to have sun protection—including makeup. But they struggled to find beauty products or cosmetics (aside from sunscreen, moisturizer, and clear lip balm) with UVA/UVB protection.
They decided to change that. Orlando began reading books about skin care and attending conferences and seminars to learn about cosmetic formulating. After visiting with various manufacturers who specialize in SPF formulations, she finally found a manufacturer in Milan, Italy that met her needs. After several years in the making, Alamea Palm Beach was born.
The Alamea line offers products for skin and lips, all flush with high color pigmentation and a minimum SPF 30 protection. Orlando refers to the Alamea brand as “the sunification” of beauty. “Damage to the skin from sun exposure can occur next to a window at your office, driving on vacation in your car, basically anytime the sun’s rays touch your skin,” she says. “We wanted to provide a sun-protective product intended for daily wear, not necessarily a product that’s intended exclusively for sun protection. We formu late all of our color cosmetics to include UV filters.”
In addition to their sun-protective prowess, Alamea’s products include anti-aging ingredients such as hyaluronic acid to help smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as botanicals like white peony extract, which is prized in traditional Chinese medicine for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties…