The Quality Makers: Allison McNamara of MARA

Tell me about MARA. 

MARA is an algae-based skincare line, born and bred in LA. It started with this idea of a proprietary, wild-collected algae blend. The idea came to me on a trip to Turkey. I've always wanted to do something in skincare, so when I was at a crossroads in my career I had this idea of starting my own line, but I didn't really know the concept of what I wanted to do. So I was on this trip in Istanbul, on the sea of Marmara, and I thought: Mara, that's such a pretty name. It also happens to be the last four letters of my last name, and it means “sea” and Gaelic. 

Since I'm an Irish citizen, I knew this would be such a beautiful, ocean based story, really bringing in not only my heritage, my last name and my family, but also paying homage to where I grew up in Palos Verdes. All of the original photography for the brand was shot on this cove I grew up on. In terms of skincare, we are really built around the principle of less is more. I launched in the middle of the Korean skincare craze, when they recommended 30 steps in a routine. I wanted to remind people that you really don't need a million steps to have beautiful skin. Invest in fewer, better things. That's been the ethos of the brand since it all started with one product, the Universal Face Oil ($72), and here we are now!

What sparked your interest to start this company and how is your personal journey related to it?

My dad worked at various consumer product goods companies while I was younger – from Neutrogena, to Too Faced, to philosophy. It was really fun getting to watch him bring home products, go to commercial shoots, and even join the award shows. Every time I got to go, I was just enamored with all of it. My first career as a television host was also inspired by that – getting to see commercials being recorded, or watching the actors or celebrities speak the marketing jargon to the camera a million times. I just thought the whole production of it all was so cool. I’ve always been really inspired by my dad, especially given that beauty has been at the core of my interests for so long, I took a chance on doing something new.

Tell me about the power of algae. 

Algae is such an amazing superfood. For one, we're constantly discovering new species of algae, which is very rare considering we've touched every piece of this planet, for the most part. Ocean and space are the two things we have yet to fully understand. We're discovering new types of species and finding different ways to utilize the technology from algae. These are single cell organisms at times, and so they're really using sunlight, since they’re at the bottom of the food chain, to actually live and survive in harsh climates and waters. This makes them have many amazing and resilient properties for the skin – very rich in trace minerals, B vitamins, and iodine, and also really wonderful for the matrix of cells, so great for collagen production and natural hyaluronic acid synthesis. 

We source two types of brown algae from Ireland, but then we're also constantly incorporating other types of algae into our formulas. Whether it's seamoss that we use in our SeaDream Algae Crème ($64), or more recently, I've been working on a new product in which we're using a really cool type of rainbow algae. We kind of play with whatever active we're using, and support it with an algae that also has those same properties. 

What brought you to the understanding of how magical algae can be as a source of care for your skin?

I think a lot of us have been exposed to it for a long time. There's been iconic brands that have done this before me, but not in a clean and sustainable way. When I dug into the research of the creation of the brand, wanting to do it around the ocean and wanting to use algae as a key pillar, I learned so much through that process. Just like any sort of sourcing, there's a right way to do it when collecting, meaning you leave the harvest and the colonies better than you found them. 

There's also really unsustainable ways of doing things, so we wanted to make sure we’re choosing great suppliers, really finding efficacy in the ingredients that we source, and making sure that we’re only using clean ingredients. A lot of the brands who use algae in their products are using a lot of silicones and dimethicone to give it that beautiful slip, but I didn't want to use those. 

I'm curious about where your inspiration comes from in terms of using different types of algae.

I’m very kinetic – I have sounds, colors, emojis and words that go with the ethos of each product. I really start with: what is the function of this product? And then we build the story around it. I'm going to use our Algae Retinol Face Oil ($120) as an example. I knew I wanted to do a retinol. I knew I wanted it to be strong. We picked really unique plant oils, and made sure that everything we were doing was synergistic with our proprietary algae blend. But then, to make it extra special, we added different types of algae that had similar qualities to what vitamin A does in the skin. 

Retinol makes you more sensitized to the sun, so we added this one ingredient called alaria esculenta extract, which actually helps your skin manage sun exposure. For me, it's about finding really cool things that not only add to the story and add to the marketing value of what we're trying to create, but also really add to the formula. There’s truly an algae for everything. 

I love your take on minimalism and your commitment to less is more. Tell me what that looks like in both your own skincare routine and your brand.

I’ve always said: three steps or less in any given routine. It doesn't mean you can't have more products, it just means you should be using three or less products every morning or evening. I formulate all of my products with this lens – a really great cleanser, a really great treatment, a really great hydrator. What I've noticed with a lot of people, based on Tik Tok and just influencers in general, is that they're using too many ingredients at the same time, and they're not allowing these beautifully formulated products to actually do their job. I see people layer a million different things on their skin, and the products simply don't go together. At the end of the day, your skin can only absorb so much. 

I know it's called skin cycling now, but I've been intuitively treating my face for well over a decade. And by that I mean, you should have a really great retinol in your arsenal, and a great vitamin C that you use every morning. Acids are really important for the exfoliation, so I like to rotate between a strong AHA, usually in the lactic acid form, which is my preference, and also a BHA, like a sal acid base, which is really great for hormonal acne, breakouts, and preventing future blemishes. Having great representation across all categories, but then picking the one for the evening based on your concern, is the first step. Then, using these products repetitively, kind of cycling through them, is how I think you get your best skin.

What kinds of products do you offer?

We have a beautiful Algae Enzyme Cleansing Oil ($58), which is super multi-functional – you can use it to remove your makeup, as a dry cleanse, as a damp cleanse, as a light peel to shave your face, to gua sha, however you want. It won the Allure Best of Beauty award last year and it’s our best seller. We've got some incredible treatments – our Algae Retinol Face Oil ($120) is a great nighttime product and probably my favorite. I also love our Flower Acid Algae Sérum ($74). 

We recently launched a product called Clear Skin Mineral Milk ($64), which is 2% sal acid hydrating adult acne treatment – the first of its kind. It’s tough on cystic acne but gentle on your skin barrier. Another treatment we have is our Sea Vitamin C Sérum ($96). I made a really stable, oil based vitamin C with 14 natural forms of vitamin C. It's powerful, and it's great for sun damage and hyperpigmentation. I was really inspired by the idea that vitamin C shouldn't smell like burnt chicken or hot dog water, it also should not be sticky or oxidize so quickly. If it changes color on your skin that usually means it's unstable. 

And I can’t forget to mention our Sea Sculpt Body Oil ($68), our SeaDream Algae Crème ($64), our Volcanic Sea Clay Detox Masque ($54), and last but not least, our Sea Silk Lip Balm Clear ($26), which we now have in a bunch of new shades. All of our products give a glow to your skin, they’re super hydrating, and very effective, which is really what we're known for.

What do you hope that people will take away from your brand when engaging with it?

I wanted the brand to feel very familiar, but also elegant and luxurious. I wanted it to feel timeless. I wanted any person, no matter how they identify, no matter what age they're at, to feel comfortable using our brand and putting our products on their shelves. I hope people can recognize the quality that's put into these products. We are using top of the line ingredients, the best we can source, and offering them at a reasonable price point. 

What are your hopes, visions and dreams for the future and growth of MARA? 

I've really been loving playing in this makeup, skincare, hybrid space. Getting to play with color has been really exciting, especially since the whole brand is rooted in this gorgeous blue shade that we use for everything. It’s been such a breath of fresh air for me, creatively. I also think there's a lot of opportunity to skinify other parts of the body, or even working in hair. There's so many amazing territories I'd love to grow into.

Tap into the magical power of algae with MARA’s minimalist skincare products.