Piluca Barrau serves 65,000 customers a year at its pharmacy and optical centers on the island of Menorca, in Maó and Ciutadella. Now it is preparing to expand to the mainland with its own establishment in a Salgado Health medical complex in Orihuela Costa (Alicante). “It was our customers themselves who asked us to do it. Many people from the Levantine coast who knew us through social media or who had been our patients in Menorca kept asking us when we would open a branch near them.”
This entrepreneur and mother of three daughters has built a project that transcends borders – both geographical and those of her own professional field. Geographical limitations, like so many others, are only limitations to the extent that you allow them to be. Menorca has been the cradle of a nationwide project, a testament that “innovation, leadership, and reach don’t depend on where you work, but on the vision you have and the perseverance to make it a reality.”
Pharmacist, entrepreneur, optometrist, audiologist, university professor, and a regular media contributor… Barrau combines education, public outreach, and entrepreneurship with perseverance and scientific rigor as non-negotiable ingredients in her formula. This is especially true in the latter case, a scarce commodity in the era of fake news and influencer-prescribed remedies. “Rigor isn’t just a matter of ethics; it’s the only real defense we have. If I can’t back up a formula with science, I’d better not launch it.”
In 2023, she was nominated for Best Health Communicator at the iDermo Awards 2023 in recognition of her awareness-raising work, especially on social media. Two years later, the Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearic Islands (CAEB) awarded her the Entrepreneurship Award at the 10th Entrepreneur’s Gala, a recognition justified by her “innovative approach and her integrative health model based at her pharmacy in Maó,” as well as the artisanal and sustainable project ‘Esencia de Menorca,‘ a line of natural cosmetics and shampoos inspired by Menorcan flora.
This summer, she was named to the Forbes Women list of the 30 most influential women in the Balearic Islands 2026. All of this is the result of an approach to her work that goes beyond traditional boundaries. “Healthcare isn’t just practiced in a clinic or from behind a desk. Today, it’s also built through communication, education, and helping people make better decisions, wherever they are.
A life dedicated to pharmacy and optometry
His connection with the pharmacy and optics business began during his childhood in Extremadura, with the pharmacy his parents opened in Almendralejo and the various optical stores they later opened throughout the autonomous community. From a very young age, Barrau experienced both areas of work as extensions of his own home. He would spend time in the pharmacy or the optical shops, observing how his parents worked, seeing how they cared for patients, and learning how a business is built on the foundation of daily effort, personal service, and perseverance.
That family experience shaped her understanding of work and how she relates to patients. Even before studying pharmacy or optometry, she had already learned instinctively that “behind every counter there is a professional responsibility, but also a relationship of trust.” Years later, this family legacy would become the foundation upon which Piluca Barrau would build her own professional approach.
Her professional path was definitively shaped while she was studying at the European University of Madrid. At just 21 years old, she was offered a position as a professor and coordinator of various modules in the field of Optics and Optometry. This definitively sparked her passion for teaching and imparting knowledge. She spent eight years teaching. This was a crucial period in her own development as a communicator, as it provided her with the basic tools to convey all the information she had acquired to people in an easy-to-understand way. This ultimately became the foundation of her professional work: using specialized knowledge to better understand the person in front of her and then being able to translate that knowledge into understandable and useful decisions.
She then went on to work behind the pharmacy counter, which, in her words, was “the most demanding training ground there is.” Whether in a pharmacy, a university classroom, or an Instagram story, “my goal has always been the same: to ensure that scientific evidence reaches people’s homes and helps improve their health and quality of life. Sharing knowledge multiplies the impact we can have on society and allows us to work more effectively in preventive healthcare.”
And with this goal in mind, she states, “It’s essential to constantly review your own knowledge: I don’t think it’s consistent to ask my patients to trust my judgment if I don’t keep my own knowledge up to date.” This is even more true considering that her professional practices have evolved significantly over the years, expanding the scope of eye health to include hair and skin care, as well as nutrition. “I never stop studying so I can continue to gain knowledge and help others. At our pharmacy, continuing professional development is a key distinguishing feature that allows us to constantly update our knowledge and convey the latest evidence to patients with professional judgment.”
Strictness over commercial considerations
Knowledge takes priority over any commercial consideration. That’s why customers who come in looking for the classic ‘miracle pill’ may leave the pharmacy without having bought anything, but with specific recommendations on how to improve their eating and exercise habits. “If I think a person doesn’t need to buy anything, I won’t sell them anything: at that moment, my professional integrity takes precedence over business considerations.” He argues that this way of working ultimately strengthens the trust between the business owner and the customer.
Every recommendation Barrau makes to his clients – whether about products or lifestyle habits – is based on a personalized assessment, not a generic catalog. And this applies to both those who visit the pharmacy in person and those who seek help online. The latter option has been gaining popularity in recent years, especially since Barrau has started appearing more and more often on social media and in national media.
His approach to communication remains constant whether he’s dealing with journalists or the public he’s addressing: rigor and precision. “On television, you have very little time, so you have to be precise, always guided by the principle of scientific rigor. On social media, the language is faster and more visual, but the principle is exactly the same.” And he concludes with a maxim of his own invention. “I can simplify the language, but never the evidence.”
Ultimately, each message can be tailored to its audience’s profile, and so, he insists, it all comes down to the one truly indispensable element. ‘What I never compromise on is rigor. I can simplify the language, but I never compromise on the evidence.’ There, and nowhere else, he insists, is where we must look for the key to connecting with such diverse audiences.
Her work as a communicator
In fact, media coverage has become an increasingly important part of Piluca Barrau’s work. Her multidisciplinary background—pharmacy, optometry, audiology, dermocosmetics, menopause, nutrition, and prevention—allows her to address current health issues from a broad perspective and convey them in clear, understandable language for the general public. Barrau has turned this ability to distill information into one of her strengths as a communicator: explaining in a few minutes what is happening, what information is truly relevant, what the public should be concerned about, and what recommendations can be applied in everyday life.
‘When I appear in the media, I don’t want to limit myself to simply providing information. I want to help the person on the other side of the screen understand what is happening and what they can do with this information.’ For Piluca Barrau, the media also represents one of the most powerful tools for prevention. With one consultation, she can help one person, but through the media, she can reach thousands of people.
For this reason, one of the areas of professional development is to expand their presence on television, radio, and in the press, where current health issues require a professional voice capable of combining scientific evidence, clinical experience, and clear communication.
This credibility, built on the solid foundations she describes, is what really explains all the attention Barrau attracts. This includes interest from brands that want to collaborate with her, both for public events and to train other professionals. This recognition is as valuable, if not more so, than any award, she says, as it demonstrates the trust of her own industry in her work.
Work tools
The high standards that Barrau sets for itself are also strictly applied to its material resources, with modern equipment that is constantly updated. “I can’t imagine offering a service with second-rate equipment when people’s health is at stake.” In the optometry department, she works with high-end Japanese lenses, which her brand offers exclusively in Menorca, and the pharmacy houses one of only three automated dispensing robots on the entire island. Additionally, she and her team have pioneered the incorporation of diagnostic technologies—such as fundus OCT or computerized phoropter—that until then had only been seen in mainland optical stores. “We have always tried to stay ahead and incorporate tools that allow us to offer an increasingly complete and accurate evaluation.”
Their most recent launches include a handcrafted shampoo and a skin cream. The first, called Santolina and Salt, is a formula made with Magónic Santolina, an endemic Menorcan plant, and salt from the island. It’s a product Barrau has a strong emotional connection to: she created it with her three daughters after the pandemic lockdown, “as a thank you to my daughters for their patience in waiting for me at home while I helped my patients; I had to turn away their hugs when I got home to avoid infecting them.’ For this reason, ‘it’s not just a signature organic shampoo, but a reminder of those moments and the values I’ve tried to pass on to them.’
The second product, Skin Longevity & Sun Protect, was born from a question Barrau often asked himself. “Aesthetic medicine transforms the skin from the outside, using Botox, fillers, or hyaluronic acid, but what happens next to ensure that this result is maintained over time?” The product was developed in collaboration with Spainlab Pharmaceuticals, using a BioExtend patent for advanced skin nutrition, with the goal of prolonging the effects of aesthetic treatments performed in the clinic. The formula includes vitamins, antioxidants, hyaluronic acids, organic silicon, lutein, lycopene, and coenzyme Q10. Its approach is based on a complementary vision of skincare: supporting from within the mechanisms related to aging, sun exposure, and maintaining skin quality.
Piluca Barrau’s inclusion in the latest Forbes Women list of the 30 most influential women in the Balearic Islands 2026 represents more than just a recognition of her work. “It means that I feel I represent many women who, every day, make a huge effort to advance professionally while continuing to care for their homes and families, often without anyone noticing that effort.”
Building a legacy for your family
This initiative is shared by her family and her entire team, without whom ‘none of this would exist’. It is also part of the legacy of values she wants to pass on to her daughters. ‘I want to teach them to never settle for less, that you can always go one step further if you do it with perseverance, knowledge, and integrity. That, I believe, is the true value of this list: it shows that you can go far by slowly building, without taking shortcuts, one board and one patient at a time, wherever you are.
Barrau is optimistic and foresees a future where the industry aligns more closely with these types of values. Fewer opportunistic launches and more brands competing on the basis of rigor and scientific evidence as a distinguishing hallmark. This is also a response to an increasingly informed and demanding public. “For my brand, the goal is to grow without losing the traceability that gave it its origin: that each product can still be explained, ingredient by ingredient, to any professional who asks.” The next challenge, then, is to grow without losing our identity.
Arriving in Orihuela Costa marks the first step in bringing a healthcare model developed in Menorca to the mainland, but the expansion must not come at any price: Barrau wants to grow without losing the traceability, personalized attention, professional standards, and identity that gave rise to the project.
She also aims to expand her role as a health communicator in national media and to regularly participate in forums where current health issues require context, evidence, and a clear explanation. “There’s a lot of noise surrounding health. I believe that, as professionals, we have a responsibility to also occupy these spaces and help distinguish evidence from trends, especially when the information can influence the decisions people make about their own health.”
And now it’s making the leap to the mainland with a philosophy that, after all, seems to have been there from the start: you can go far without ever losing sight of exactly where you come from. “Growing up doesn’t just mean being in more places. It means being able to help more people without losing the way of working that made them trust us from the very beginning.”
