Once Babba Rivera made the switch to a fully clean skin-care routine, she never looked back. Given the industry's embrace of natural, plant-based ingredients that deliver effective results, the transition wasn't too difficult. But finding hair products that followed the same principles and worked proved to be a different story.
“As time has progressed, we've seen how the skin-care industry and the makeup industry has really developed and pushed the boundaries for what it means to go clean,” says Rivera. “I wanted to do the same with my hair and was sort of shocked at how behind that industry is. Most hairdressers are old-school where they think that in order to deep-clean your hair, you have to use sulfates, and in order to make your hair smooth and shiny, you have to pack it with silicones, which are just microplastics.”
So she launched her own brand. Totally clean, naturally derived, and deeply influenced by Rivera's Latinx roots, Ceremonia is setting out to shift the hair-care market by making toxic-free products more accessible. Today, June 7, the brand launched the Guava Collection—a leave-in conditioner and detangling spray that doubles as a UV shield—that was developed to protect strands from all the wear and tear that comes from having (much needed) fun in the sun. Guava, the star ingredient, just so happens to contain five times as much vitamin C as oranges, meaning its protection against solar rays is top-tier. The antioxidant-rich fruit is also a staple ingredient throughout the Americas and the Caribbean.
“The Latin community has so many amazing home remedies,” says Rivera. “We're also the source of so many super-plants and super-fruits that are extremely powerful. So I wanted to bottle all that into a modern brand that isn’t only good for the environment but also good for you. And that looks really chic in your bathroom.”
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As for Rivera's skin, one glance and it's clear she’s cracked the glow code. However, she does have a specific set of concerns.
“I have very dry skin, so moisturizing is always key for me,” she says. “I also have a tendency toward redness—I can get some red spots especially around the nose and around my mouth. And then my nose is probably the most congested area, so I try to use products to shrink the pores.”
To keep her skin in check, Rivera has two New York spots she likes to visit for a facial. “One is called Glow Spa and it's very tech-focused,” she says. “I like to get the Dermalinfusion treatment. There's so much that clogs our pores, from products to pollution to dirt, you name it, and it's like a deep cleanse of everything.”
When she's not at Glow Spa, another NYC-based studio she loves is Tracie Martyn: “I go there once a month for a natural face-lift, which helps tighten your skin. [Martyn] has this patented technology, something with frequency waves. I don't really understand it, but it's insane. It really makes your cheekbones pop.”
At home Rivera has a narrowed-down list of go-to products she likes to use to keep her skin looking fresh and radiant long after she's left the spa. Below, she drops her routine.
Verso has a micellar water that I like to put on a pad and go over my face with. I don't wear heavy makeup—at most I‘ll wear a concealer, never full foundation—so for me it actually works as a makeup remover and cleanser in one. The little particles in the water really attract the dirt from your face. The packaging also doesn't leak, which makes it a good one for traveling.
I use the Enzyme Exfoliant Mask from Tracie Martyn a lot. It smells really nice and it's blue. Tracie doesn't have a huge line, but the brand’s philosophy is like mine, which is using natural ingredients with a very performance-driven approach. That's really important to me because I want to be kind to the environment and to myself, but I also want to see results.
The one essence that I really love is by Tata Harper. Before I knew much about essences, I just thought they feel good on the skin and smell nice. But then Tata told me that when you prep your skin with an essence before putting on the serums, it actually helps your face to receive moisture better. And I really feel like that's made a difference for me, especially since I have dry skin.
Tracie Martyn has a really good firming serum that I like to use often.
Eye cream is super important. And I feel like since I turned 30, I can start to see some wrinkles here and there. I'm currently obsessed with Fortuna Skin. I just started using it, but it's so powerful.
I also use the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair eye cream and I use that at night. I just love that series and have been using the cream for, like, 10 years. A lot of products come and go, but that's a staple.
After my serum I use the Vintner's Daughter facial serum. To me it's an oil because of the texture. After I layer up, I'll let it sit, go eat breakfast and so forth.
Sunscreen is really important, so I started layering on Saie's Sunvisor after my oil. Truth be told, you'd think I'm working with them or something, but I'm not. I'm just obsessed with how this is the first time I found a SPF that feels like skin care. It's so translucent and it feels hydrating. My experience in the past with SPF on your face is that it causes breakouts; it's thick and your skin can barely breathe under it. This feels like a serum, so I really love it. Normally, I'll layer it with their dewy highlighter and I use this combo instead of foundation because it just gives this natural glow.
I love Kosas’s Lipfuel. Holy crap, it's so good even my husband is using it. They have one that's just a natural finish and I literally have one of those in, like, every bag, and then they have some that are tinted. I have the tinted one that's a warm tan, which is really nice.
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