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Natura, the Brazilian cosmetic company that has pioneered “ethical cosmetics”, inaugurated its first store in France the 22nd April 2005, in Paris. At the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic, negotiations were underway between Natura representatives and women stallholders in Belem’s Ver-o-Peso open air farmer’s market, for the use of a local aromatic herb, Priprioca. One year later, the women demanded financial compensation in return for imparting their immemorial know-how with Natura, turning the case into an emblem of the movement to protect traditional knowledge. An agreement was finally reached, mollifying the stallholders.This article reviews the events and analyzes the arguments on both sides, thus revealing the tensions between the legal practices aiming to preserve socio-biodiversity and the socio-economic realities of Brazil. The authors emphasize the social consequences of transforming a traditional practice into one that garners high economic stakes.