Francisco Costa created his beauty line on the belief that beauty cannot be separated from the health of the earth. In 2016, after a long career in fashion, he returned to his homeland to explore the Amazon rainforest, where he met the Yawanawá and came to know Breu, a resin they hold sacred. He was also introduced to the seeds of ancient sapucaia trees, the source of Kaya, now wild-harvested exclusively for the brand by local farmers on the northern coast. Working with a lab, Costa Brazil refined its extraction to create a cold-pressed Kaya oil.