Phillippe by Almada

This is a story full of improbable but possible events. And the first one happened in 2005, when Filipe Carvalho, a manager working in the car industry, went on a train on his way to Braga. He was leafing through a magazine and an article on donkey’s milk caught his attention. It was about Cleopatra’s beauty ritual, in which the Egyptian queen would bathe in the milk of 300 donkeys. «I didn’t even know that donkeys made milk,» Filipe says, before letting out a laugh. Curious about the benefits of this product in the process of skin renewal and rejuvenation, he went to do some research. His research resulted in a long and sustained scientific study which led him to believe that it was a safe bet. All the more so because there was no large-scale production of this type in Portugal. Filipe went to talk to his friend Miguel, that thought about it. A few weeks later he called him; he wanted to go ahead with the project to produce donkey milk. This was how they became partners and acquired the first animal, a Mirandesa donkey, Bolacha. They signed a protocol with Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra college in 2006. They started producing creams in 2016 and in 2017 moved to the Herdade do Monte das Faias (Coruche), where they are today.

The products are suitable for all skin types

In the meantime, others joined Bolacha: Papoila, Erva, Briosa, Cerveja (who in the meantime was the mother of Imperial), Alfazema, Achada, Bolota… Several happy female donkeys and a lucky male, Trovisco. Currently, there are about 50 donkeys living at Faias, who dictate their rituals. At 6 am they begin the day with a walk through the fields and, at 12.30 pm sharp, the biological clock makes no mistakes, it’s the first milking. We witness the admirable process. On time, naturally, the donkeys head for the milking parlour and «knock at the door». Then, each one takes its place, without any confusion. After milking, they return to the pasture and only return to that parlour at 6 pm, to be afterwards reunited with their young in the fields. 

It took years of study, but thanks to the partnership with Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra, the Universidade Nova, the Institute of Biotechnology and the Faculty of Pharmacy, the magic formula was achieved. The milk is collected, frozen and then subjected to a unique freeze-drying process that transforms it into powder, allowing its initial characteristics to be maintained unchanged. This allowed the creation of the first products, the effectiveness tests of which were commissioned from independent laboratories with international certification: Phd Trials. The results could not have been more surprising: 41% moisturising effect in the soap when the market leader offered only 25%. And thus, Phillipe by Almada was born. From Monte das Faias to the world, it produces a skin cosmetics range that is a genuine elixir of youth for the skin. After trying it out, we can vouch for its effectiveness. The products are suitable for all skin types. Face, hand, and body creams and soap are available on the website. The next new product is a serum.