Teyma Touati
“I just kept focusing on the ideas of interconnectedness and unity.”
NERRĀ founder Teyma Touati grew up at a literal intersection of Mediterranean bathing culture. In Carthage, Tunisia, practicing hammam with her family within sight of the ruins of the Roman Baths of Antoninus, Teyma grew fascinated with the history and similarities of Mediterranean bathing traditions. Later, after relocating abroad and realizing much of the modern world had never experienced bathhouse cleansing like she grew up with, Touati directed her expertise in cosmetic science into the creation of NERRĀ with the idea to offer everyone the best of past and present self-care.
What advice would you give anybody who is thinking about starting a beauty brand?
Learning to take the risk and listen to yourself. Following your intuition is so important. NERRĀ was a new idea, a new product in the market. Exfoliation is such a traditional practice, an ancient practice really, and I wanted to bring it to life and honor all the people who were on this earth before us. And I wanted to modernize it.
By the standards of the beauty business, I am young, and this is my first adventure in business. I had a lot of people with 25 years of experience giving me a lot of advice and often suggesting I was making the wrong choices. But I'm a bit stubborn, so I was like, “No, I'm sticking to my idea and that's what I feel.”
I just kept focusing on the ideas of interconnectedness and unity. The name NERRĀ actually stands for NEw Responsible eRA. When you go to the roots of hammam, there is this interconnectedness of cultures that started with this idea of public bathing spaces. Roman, Greek, and Turkish influences influenced the practice and architecture of warm, hot, and cold chambers.
It all interconnects like DNA. If you take a DNA test, you will often find a strand, some origin, that you never thought of. I'm Tunisian, but when I did the DNA test, I found Spanish, French, Italian … and it makes you appreciate the beauty of the world. My parents are philosophy professors, so I grew up appreciating that there is no black or white, there's always something between.
Grace Jones and Azzedine Alaïa in 1985
Who's a creative person who's had a major influence on you?
There is one fashion designer who has been a significant influence on me. Azzedine Alaïa was a legendary Tunisian designer who went to France and built an iconic brand. His designs dominated the 1980s and 1990s, and he had a fascinating life. I feel we share the same dream of exploring the world, sharing some of our culture with the world, but also mixing it with some modern and other styles.
When you see his haute couture, he always includes some Tunisian piece, something subtle but unmistakable. That’s what I want to do with NERRĀ. I wanted to make something global that can resonate with everybody. I wish I could’ve met him, I'm really proud of his path.
“We want to be beautiful and we want to feel happy, and those things can happen at the same time.”
If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about the beauty industry, what would it be?
The pressure placed on women regarding aging, and the endless creation of products to hide or get rid of your wrinkles. So all of these anti-aging things, basically. Why can't we embrace aging? It's an integral part of our beauty, like this is a sign that we made it, you know?
I also would address all the greenwashing campaigns we see today. Many brands claim to be natural or sustainable or clean, and this misleads consumers. People automatically assume “clean” means “safe,” and there are a lot of marketing claims out there that trade off that.
I am a cosmetic formulator, so I know the science and the chemistry behind every product. For me, being green is more about making ingredients in a way that does not pollute. Or being eco-certified, which ensures the sourcing of the ingredients is ethical. Clearing up this misinformation would empower consumers with truthful insights, and encourage companies to make substantial and meaningful changes in their products.
What is your favorite part of the hammam bathing experience?
The ritual is a profound moment of self-care that goes beyond skincare, and that's the beauty of it. Hammam offers a moment where you connect with yourself, where you relax, rest, and feel lighter.
It's like therapy. Whenever I feel down or stressed, I go to my bath and do this ritual and it rejuvenates me. I grew up going to hammam on Sunday, and we just enjoy and laugh all day. And it's not about cleaning yourself or skincare, it’s about feeling aligned with yourself and giving some love to yourself. When we talk about skincare, we don't talk enough about emotion and psychology. We want to be beautiful and we want to feel happy, and those things can happen at the same time.
What's a skill or subject you know a surprising amount about?
I played piano for seven years. I know how to play piano very well, and I think maybe five people know about it. Unfortunately, I don't have a piano now, but I am giving some lessons to my nieces, so I’m getting a lot of practice.
I love music. I think not a lot of people know this aspect of my personality. Since I was very, very young, I started collecting and building playlists. When I work in the morning, I like to be quiet so I can concentrate on my emails and not start singing! Then in the afternoon, I’ll typically have calming, spiritual music on in the background.