Alumni Spotlight: Helena Oseguera Abrahamsson
Fashion Media alum Helena Oseguera Abrahamsson (B.A., '21) reveals the inspiration behind her skincare line and how her Meadows education has impacted her business journey.
Helena Oseguera Abrahamsson (B.A. ’21) is this week’s featured alum in our new Alumni Spotlight series for the This Week at Meadows e-newsletter. Each week, a different Meadows alum will be highlighted for their accomplishments post-graduation.
Helena Oseguera Abrahamsson, a graduate of the Fashion Media program at Meadows, is the founder of natural skincare line Plantéa Skin, which was born from a desire to create a product to soothe her mother’s rosacea skin condition.
With available products either not helping or, in some cases, worsening her mother’s skin condition, Abrahamsson began to brainstorm plants and natural remedies that could potentially provide relief. She knew that cactus, a plant that was abundant on her family’s Texas ranch, touts an abundance of vitamins, nutrients, and hydrating properties and believed these benefits would work well in a skincare product. When both her mother’s rosacea and her own acne-prone skin responded positively to the cactus extract that she had harvested, Oseguera Abrahamsson knew she was on to something.
“At Meadows, we were always taught the value and importance of thinking outside the box, as well as harnessing our creativity,” says Oseguera Abrahamsson. “The professors played a significant role in fostering this mindset, which ultimately instilled confidence in ourselves and our decision-making abilities.”
Following her resourceful ingredient breakthrough, Oseguera Abrahamsson spent years studying alongside skincare’s leading chemists and formulators in order to develop an eco-friendly, cruelty-free skincare product utilizing cactus that not only nourishes skin, but heals and reverses damage, leading to a healthier skin barrier and glowing complexion.
Leaning into the creative skills and industry knowledge she learned during her time at Meadows, she was not only able to create a beauty-minded business model but also develop a solid brand identity for her company. Oseguera Abrahamsson took inspiration from the Swedish word “lagom,” which translates into “just right” in English, to develop Plantéa’s skincare philosophy. The brand is all about balancing the purest of ingredients. Following this mindset, Plantéa’s ingredients are sourced directly from her family ranches in Mexico and Texas, where no pesticides or harmful chemicals have been used, ensuring a pure product that excludes artificial fragrance, color, microplastics, aggressive preservatives, or other potentially harmful ingredients used in other skincare lines.
Between its brand narrative and careful ingredient sourcing, Oseguera Abrahamsson, who was the first president of the Latinx Fashion Leadership Council while at SMU, has managed to blend both her Mexican and Swedish heritage and a business-minded beauty model into a successful skincare company.
“SMU’s Fashion Media program provided me with a solid foundation in the fashion and beauty sector, which honed my creativity and communication skills and equipped me with the tools to navigate the digital landscape,” she explains. “These valuable learnings have played a pivotal role in how I created and continue to run my business, enabling me to stay competitive, connect with my target audience and drive sustainable growth.”
You can learn more about Plantéa Skincare at planteaskin.com or keep up with the company via Instagram at @plantea_skin.