Founded by Malibu entrepreneur Lisa Kyser, BuMama is a lifestyle and beauty brand inspired by the laid-back, bohemian spirit of California’s coast.
BuMama started with hand-poured candles and eau de parfums but has expanded to beauty and wellness products, and stresses creating wellness-focused daily rituals in one’s life. (Something this workaholic needs to start doing!)
One of our favorites is the Malibu Sunset candle, with notes of the Cali beach.
BuMama has also expanded into BuMama Beauty, introducing body-care products such as its Sea Pearl Renewal collection, which combines botanical ingredients, crushed sea pearl and essential-oil blends in what the brand describes as a wellness-focused daily ritual. The result is a beauty brand that feels distinctly Malibu: relaxed, sun-kissed, a little bohemian and designed to turn everyday self-care into a moment of calm.
But for Kyser, BuMama is about more than looking and smelling good. The brand emphasizes emotional wellness, sustainability and giving back, donating 10% of annual sales to support trauma survivors.
DAILY CANDID NEWS:
Why did you start your own business, ‘BuMama’ and please explain the name for people who don’t know Southern Cali.
I started BuMama after a major life shift, when I was looking for a softer, more grounded way to create something rooted in ritual, beauty, and the landscape around me. With a background in TV, film, and music, storytelling has always been part of my life, and fragrance became a more intimate way to tell a story: one that can change the feeling of a room or mark a moment in your day. The idea began with a personal need. I have sensitivities and allergies, and I wanted fragrances that felt beautiful and transportive without being overwhelming or headache-inducing. That search led to the first BuMama candle, Malibu Sunset. “BuMama” is a little love letter to Malibu. Locals often call Malibu “the Bu,” so the name is a playful nod to the place that inspires the brand, its salt air, warm light, wild hillsides, and laid-back spirit.
DCN:
Your products are known for being non-toxic, cruelty-free, and long-lasting. Explain to our readers why that is so important for us and the planet. Does this mean we can also burn them around our pets?
Those values are foundational to BuMama. What we bring into our homes becomes part of our everyday environment, so I believe fragrance should feel considered, not just beautiful. We create with an emphasis on cleaner, non-toxic fragrance experiences and cruelty-free standards because self-care should not come at the expense of our well-being, animals, or the planet. Long-lasting products matter, too: when a candle burns beautifully and a fragrance stays with you, it encourages a more intentional relationship with what we buy and use. With pets, I always encourage care rather than a blanket promise. Every animal has different sensitivities, and even thoughtfully formulated fragrance should be enjoyed in a well-ventilated space. Keep candles out of reach, never leave them unattended, and check with your veterinarian, particularly for birds, cats, or pets with respiratory sensitivities, if you have any questions about fragrance use in your home.
DCN:
What would you say is your biggest seller? (We vote for ‘Malibu Sunset’, our personal favorite.)
You have excellent taste. Malibu Sunset is our overall best-selling candle and will always be especially meaningful to me because it is where BuMama began. It captures that unmistakable Malibu feeling: warm, relaxed, sunlit, and a little nostalgic.
This summer, Greenhouse and Bombshell have been the standouts in their own right and have become real customer favorites. Saturn 19 Eau de Parfum has had an incredible response online, it has truly become an internet sensation. It is exciting to see people connect so personally with the collection and make each scent part of their own rituals.
Editor’s note: Candles sell for approx. $45.
DCN: What are the unique challenges facing female entrepreneurs?
Female entrepreneurs are often asked to build a business while also carrying a great deal of invisible labor: caregiving, emotional labor, household responsibilities, and the expectation to be endlessly capable and agreeable. There can also be real challenges around access to funding, networks, mentorship, and being taken seriously in rooms where women are still underrepresented.
For me, the answer has been to stay close to the original vision, build relationships with people who genuinely believe in the work, and trust that intuition is not separate from strategy. There is power in leading with both discernment and heart. I hope the more women who build visible, sustainable businesses in their own way, the more permission the next generation has to do the same.
DCN: What are your favorite products of your line?
That is a difficult question because each product is tied to a memory or a specific feeling. Malibu Sunset will always have my heart because it is the origin story of BuMama, but my everyday essentials right now are very much about ritual.
I use Pearl Surf Hand Cleanse + Cream every day, it is in every bathroom in my home. ($60 for the set.) I also love to layer fragrance. I start my mornings with Springsteen Eau de Parfum then later in the day layer either Saturn 19 or Golden Hour, depending on my mood. It is a small ritual, but it changes the feeling of the day.
I am completely in love with our newest launch, Cirrus Hypoallergenic Dissolvable Laundry Sheets. ($16.) They smell like clouds, soft, clean, and comforting, and make an ordinary task feel a little more beautiful. That is always the goal with BuMama. Creating products that turn the everyday into a ritual.
Editor’s note: The products come beautifully packaged, perfect for gifting. We’re keeping this in mind when the holidays come around.