Inside Aura Cleanse
A deeper look at how this beautiful gel cleanser came to be.
Aura Cleanse is poetic in every way.
I always knew a gel cleanser was going to be apart of MARA’s line-up, but how to make it truly one-of-a-kind felt daunting. The idea of taking a step so simple, and making it truly extraordinary was a journey I began in 2023, that materialized when we landed on the most beautiful marine active, Arctic Algae.
Our Algae Enzyme Cleansing Oil is a brand best seller— creating a secondary product in the same category as your hero brings on the pressure. It has to be perfect, in every sense because our customers know we know what a great cleanse feels like.
As with most of our formulas, Aura fell into place effortlessly. My product brief kicked off with “the most sensorial gel cleanser you’ve ever experienced — in viscous and scent, with the most luxe velvety foam, supportive and efficient, that leaves skin refreshed, hydrated…”
I knew from the get go this was not going to be your average gel cleanser. Cleansing is your daily ritual, and arguably the most important part of your routine.
The Name:
I landed on the name Aura almost instantly. We had sourced this incredible Arctic algae that’s wild-collected in Iceland beneath the Aurora Borealis — one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in the world that I am utterly obsessed with yet still have never seen with my own eyes— yet it can only survive in almost freezing temperatures and some of the harshest conditions on earth. I was so inspired by that duality: the ethereal beauty in the sky contrasted with the extreme climate below. That balance of strength and softness became the foundation for Aura Cleanse — a product designed to be both deeply effective and incredibly sensorial. Aura Cleanse was always meant to be more than just a face wash. I love the double meaning behind the name: the idea of cleansing your aura both physically and energetically. Skincare is such an intimate daily ritual, and I wanted this cleanser to feel like a reset at the beginning or end of your day: washing away buildup, stress, and heaviness while bringing skin back to a balanced, radiant state. The sensorial experience, from the plush foam to the refreshing marine ingredients, was designed to feel uplifting and grounding at the same time. Clearing your energy, while caring for your skin and revealing your true Aura.
The Inspo:
The tremendously intimidating beauty of a towering glacier carving into the ocean and the way the water splashes, crashes, and effortlessly yields to make space for it. That contrast became the emotional foundation for Aura Cleanse. The experience mirrors the ritual of washing your face: water rushing over skin, creating a moment of release, renewal, and reset. A pause to clear away not only the day, but the mental and energetic buildup that comes with it — allowing you to return to yourself feeling lighter, calmer, and restored.
The Design
I wanted to change up the blue for this product, and I am obsessed with the shade of this bottle. It was SO hard to perfect, we went through so many crazy variations to get here. Funny enough, I found a blue teal press on nail that was actually the bench for this color. I loved the idea of it being translucent at the bottom but ultimately went for our subtle signature graduation. You also may have noticed that our unit cartons look different for this SKU! I will do a full post on this, but I am so excited to roll out our new branding. It will be a little while before legacy products are in it, but it looks SO chic and is going to be such a moment on shelf!
How to Use Aura Cleanse:
This product requires little instruction, but it has a myriad of ways you can use it in your routine. This is not meant to take the place of your Algae Enzyme Cleansing Oil, rather, to amplify it’s benefits. If you like to double cleanse, this would be your second step cleanser. If you like to intuitively wash your face, I like this for days when I’m wearing little to no makeup. It’s also my morning cleanser if I wash my face, my shower cleanser and my post-workout go to.
My Morning Routine:
Step 1: MARA Aura Cleanse
Step 2: MARA Sea Vitamin C Serum
Step 3: Good Weather Skin SPF
Step 4: MARA Sea Silk Lip Balm
My Nighttime Routine:
Step 1: MARA Algae Enzyme Cleansing Oil
Step 2: MARA Aura Cleanse
Step 3: Calecium PTT 6 Stem Cells
Step 4: MARA Algae Retinol Face Oil or MARA Flower Acid Algae Serum
Step 5: MARA SeaDream or MARA Universal Face Oil
I hope you decide to try Aura Cleanse! We’ve already gotten incredible feedback from beauty editors in Allure, W Mag, Bustle and The Zoe Report. If you do, please let me know what you think!