This Hawaiʻi-Based Body Care Line is All About Authentic Scents

This story is part of our Meet the Makers feature, which was published in our Fall 2023 issue. In Hawai‘i, we always try to support local. Whether we’re buying produce from the nearby farmers markets or shopping at the mom-and-pop boutique down the street, it means a lot for us to give back to our Island economy. So check out some of these Hawai‘i makers who have started their own businesses from scratch and make products that perfectly encapsulate everything we love about the Islands.

“For me it’s all about the scents,” says Lori Silva, founder of Napua‘ala. Since the official launch of her company in 2002 she has expanded from a single line of pīkake products to six scents available in a variety of forms such as soaps, lotions and body scrubs.  

Silva strives to create her products with authenticity and purpose. Each one of her scents has a personal meaning and memory behind it; from the white ginger she handpicked to make lei for her high school boyfriend (now husband), to the windswept gardenia fragrance that filled her grandmother’s home, to making her first plumeria lei at 6 years old. 

“I want other people to have the same reaction, it reminds them of something,” says Silva. 

Originally a licensed cosmetologist by trade, Silva attended Honolulu Community College in 1982 where a semester of chemistry was part of the program. The class was geared towards cosmetology with an emphasis on making products from scratch. “It totally sparked my interest, being that I didn’t realize you could do something like that.”

The class laid the groundwork for one day creating her own products, but Silva wouldn’t revisit the idea until years later. After gaining her degree and starting a family, Silva and her husband were relocated to Utah in 1990. During her seven years on the mainland she found herself searching for lotions and products to remind her of home but quickly realized that nothing could genuinely capture the true essence of her favorite scents. It was then that she decided to make her own, starting with pīkake.

“I always wanted to make something, but now I needed to make something with a purpose,” says Silva. “I wanted it to smell like pīkake, not what somebody thinks pīkake is supposed to smell like.”

After moving back to Hawai‘i in 1997, it took five years for Silva to develop her pīkake scent, all while still working as a cosmetologist.

Napuaʻala products.
Photo: Courtesy of Napuaʻala

Over the years Napua‘ala has grown from a single scented line to much more. Each product is still small batch and hand made by Silva herself—who also uses locally sourced ingredients as much as possible. Her slogan “handmade in Hawai‘i by a Hawaiian” represents not just where the product comes from, but also her heritage and love of her community.

Although she doesn’t have an official team, she says she enlists the help of her family frequently. As Silva says, “I’ve always been surrounded by other people, it’s kind of been an amazing ride really.” From bottling, labeling, and even promoting, her family and friends have helped her every step of the way.

Silva has not only spent over 20 years developing her product line, but also growing her business by attending craft fairs and markets throughout Hawai‘i. Starting with smaller local fairs and farmers markets, she eventually moved on to be involved in larger exhibitions such as Made In Hawai‘i Festival and Merrie Monarch Festival.

While the scents and products themselves are Silva’s main passion, she says that at first she struggled with the logistics of running a business. She ultimately took the steps to become certified through the Enterprising Women of Color Business Center, and continues to seek out ways to improve her knowledge of entrepreneurship.

She now spends time mentoring others when she can, saying that it keeps her grounded and reminds her of where she came from. “[There’s] a lot of people that helped me, a lot of organizations, family, friends. We’re not alone… I believe everybody has an opportunity and there’s room for everybody to be successful.” 

After retiring from cosmetology just two years ago Silva continues to expand Napua‘ala, most recently with a move to distribute in Japan. While she has big plans for the future, she always tries to stay as close to her culture as possible and to remember how far she’s come. For Silva, “it all started with a bar of soap.” 

To learn more, visit napuaala.com.

This story was originally published in the Fall 2023 issue of HAWAIʻI Magazine. Get a copy here.