Mexico City beauty brand Aora launched online at Sephora in the U.S. this past July with the campaign line "Hot Like México," built around its lip-plumping serum Acaríciame Más, which is infused with five kinds of Mexican chilies, according to Elle. Aora opened its first physical store in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood in December 2023; CEO Nour Tayara said he and co-founder Rodrigo Peñafiel designed the brand to "give the people what they want—and they wanted Mexico."
The brand's other viral product, Inicia, is a 12-hour illuminating primer that uses agastache, cactus flower extract and tepezcohuite tree extract. Nopalera founder Sandra Lilia Velasquez said Mexican beauty's bolder approach — "people here don't just wear blush, they wear blush" — is part of what's resonating internationally.