All products featured on Glossy Pop Shop are independently selected by our editorial team. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Plus, sign up for Glossy Pop Shop’s all-new weekly newsletter here.
In this week’s body-care conversation, Glossy sat down with Valentina, Victoria and Camila Marmol, sisters and co-founders of 1-year-old Vavica, a clean and inclusive body-care brand rooted in their Latin culture. Through Vavica, the Marmol sisters celebrate the complexity and diversity of all bodies while giving consumers products that encourage them to feel like their best selves.
While they were growing up in a Latin household, body positivity and self-love were strongly encouraged, they said. However, when they were outside of their home, those principles weren’t so easy to uphold. Societal pressures forced the sisters to feel that they had to suppress their cultural identity and feel insecure about their bodies.
The trio shared that the related trauma they experienced while growing up has shaped the way they view and love their bodies. It wasn’t until they decided to create Vavica that they began to love and accept the skin they’re in.
“We used to [feel like we] had to suppress our curves and our rolls, and all of our differences — not only our bodies, but also our culture and identity,” Camila Marmol said. “It was something we had to work on. Our current body positivity and confidence that we can be our authentic selves was built through body care.”
With Vavica, the sisters have incorporated solutions to the biggest body insecurities they’ve faced. It’s their love letter to not only their Latina culture, but also to their younger selves, they said.
“As we’ve gotten older, we’ve recognized why we [felt] ashamed of who we are,” Valentina Marmol said. “We’re proud of being Latinas, and we should just embrace it. … [Through the brand, we’re] vulnerable with our consumers. We’re very open about the issues and concerns we face [as Latinas].”
Read on to learn more about the Marmols’ body-care journies and routines.
The sisters’ body care focus
Victoria Marmol: “The [area that I focus on most] is my legs. I’ve always been dry on my legs, and we’re a thicker family, so I was always self-conscious about [my legs] — and then I started to embrace them. I like to show them off now; I wear shorts and dresses. So having moisturized legs is something that’s really important to me.”
Camila Marmol: “I was always self-conscious with my back because I had backne — and I would get hyperpigmentation, so I’d have darker spots on my back. I [didn’t like] to wear strapless shirts or a backless dress. It took a while for me to be OK with wearing them. I realize now that it’s normal to have these hyperpigmentation spots, especially in darker skin tones. So, it’s an area [of my body] I’ve learned to just be OK with.”
Valentina Marmol: “I’m a very curvy girl, being Latina, so I love to take care of my curves. [My curves] makes me who I am. I always make sure that I’m glowing in the curvier [areas], and it makes me super happy.”
The Marmols’ body-care routines
Camila Marmol: “I’m a creature of habit, when it comes to my skin on my face and my body. I’m a morning person, so I work out and shower in the morning. In the shower, I apply my shampoo and conditioner, and I always finish off with my body wash so I don’t get anything clogged into my pores. After that, I always use Único Hand + Body lotion every single day. Our formula is very easy to apply, and it leaves the skin very soft. It absorbs really quickly into the skin.”
Valentina Marmol: “I love going to spin class in the afternoon, especially after a long day of work. So when it comes to body care and skin care, I’m simple and practical. I use Vavica’s three-step routine. In the shower, I use our Hand + Body Wash and gently cleanse, especially since I’m a sweaty person. Once I’m out of the shower, on my damp skin, I mix the Body Oil and the Hand + Body Lotion together to lock in the moisture, since I’m prone to dry skin.”
Victoria Marmol: “I have always struggled with anxiety and depression, so having a structured routine is really important to me. That’s why I started to get into body care. It’s important for me to have a nighttime self-care routine, and that’s where my body care routine comes in.
I like to spray our Único Body Oil Spray in the shower. It has a spa-like scent, so it soothes and calms the senses. From there, I play music in the shower, normally meditation music because it’s soothing. During the shower, I’ll use our Hand + Body Wash, which has the same scent as the Body Oil Spray. It all ties together and relaxes you. [The shower] is the place where I decompress from the day. Right after the shower, I’ll take the Body Oil Spray and apply it on my damp skin — it locks in the moisture. It’s important for me to have a hydrating skin-care and body-care routine. It helps me feel good and is a part of my unwind before bed.”
Shop Vavica’s Holy Grail products below.
Visit the Pop Shop to browse all products featured in Glossy Pop.
Shop more Pop-approved products at the Glossy Pop Shop here.
