Roots of Radiance—Kapua Browning’s Journey with Honua Skincare

An avid surfer and beach-goer, Kapua Browning, founder of Honua Hawaiian Skincare, began to notice sun damage and signs of premature aging as early as her 20s. She loved the sun, but the appearance of fine lines, crepe-like skin texture, and dark spots made her want to hide. Torn between her sun-loving lifestyle and the desire “not to look 50 in my 20s," Kapua embarked on a mission.

“I set out to find a natural remedy to reverse some of the damage and to protect my skin from future harm. While the products were initially for me, I soon realized many others in Hawai'i shared the same concerns.”

Her passion for skincare grew as she trained in aesthetics and explored traditional Hawaiian healing, particularly the use of medicinal herbs. She integrated Lā'au Lapa'au, an ancient Hawaiian practice that uses plants as medicine, into her work.

“Twenty years ago, when I became an esthetician, there weren’t many great plant-based skincare brands, and none that approached skincare traditionally by treating the root cause,” Kapua explains.

She opened a small apothecary spa offering facials that incorporated Hawaiian healing plants which aimed to simplify skincare by addressing its core issues. By 2015, demand for her handcrafted products grew beyond her treatment room, prompting her to officially launch Honua Hawaiian Skincare.

Her products blend traditional Hawaiian botanicals like ‘ōlena, noni, and kamani with modern skincare science. These Hawaiian ingredients are rich in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fatty acids, and some of the world’s most potent antioxidants. Recognizing that the potency of these plants depends on the quality of the soil, Kapua emphasizes how critical sustainable sourcing is to her process.

However, this focus on sustainability also presents one of her biggest challenges.

“To truly source sustainably, you have to understand the entire process and ask, ‘Is there enough of this ingredient to go around?’ Some brands think they’re doing a good job by using natural ingredients, but they may unknowingly contribute to deforestation, like wiping out a whole palm forest."

A key mission of Honua is to support Hawaiian farms and ecosystems. They do this by donating funds to hire interns and farmers, reforesting native plants, and using locally farmed ingredients when they’re in abundance. Kapua highlights the importance of consumer understanding, acknowledging that natural ingredients may vary throughout the year because they're not lab-made.

Honua means earth, land, and foundation. “What makes our line special is that it’s rooted in Hawaiian botanicals, born from Mama Honua (Mother Earth),” Kapua says. This principle is the foundation of her company.

“We give back to the earth,” she adds. “This isn’t a trend for us—it’s who we are.”