Are you into Ayurveda? Do you like clean beauty and organic skincare? then you should meet businesswoman Shrankhla Holecek, founder of UMA oils, (those cutest oil bottles that you can see all over the gram) A well known clean beauty brand that actually works, followed by ayurvedic principles and sustainability practices.
A CF team member had the chance to speak with Holecek from how she started her journey when she moved to the USA thirteen years ago to what clean beauty means to her and how she created those perfect blends.
Q&A with Shrankhla Holecek, UMA oils founder
Q
What is the story behind UMA oils? How did you start and why?
I’d be lying if I said it was an epiphany or triggered by a life-changing circumstance. It was gradual, and it started to take shape when my history with Ayurveda and clean ingredients intersected with my present life living in the US. As I think about it, there were three key drivers.
When I moved to the U.S. (now nearly 13 years ago) for business school, I witnessed first-hand the plethora of low quality/ diluted natural products that inundated the market, and that customers were paying ridiculously high premiums for. There are few standards, and even fewer honest distributors and many skincare companies are buying unreliable ingredients or essential oils from unreliable sources.
Having grown up in a family that has farmed and manufactured famed ingredients for generations, has been the exclusive distributor for many prestige skincare companies, I came to believe that our 100% organic, straight from the source oils would be an excellent fit for consumers who want (and deserve!) nothing but the best.
The 5000-year old Indian science of Ayurveda, as well as the therapeutic benefits of essential oils, are extremely powerful, and deliver real results, all naturally. However, I found that perception of them was shrouded in “mysticism” and a general lack of understanding, often giving them a bad rap. As an engineer, I really appreciate the value of good information that explains how something works before expecting people to adopt it.
This is why UMA is very focused on creating that solid base of education around the science behind our products (and for essential oils and Ayurveda in general) so thinking consumers can understand how and why it is having such a great impact on their skin, mind, and bodies.
Finally, I wanted to create a product that meant “luxury” in the truest sense – and not the kind that you just slap on things to give them a perception of higher value. To me promising someone luxury is promising them an investment of your time and your absolute best effort. All our products are always handcrafted, and in small batches, with extreme care taken to formulate and package everything right. We use hand-stitched, hand-embroidered silk bags for packaging (also because they generate valuable employment for underprivileged women in India).
Most importantly, the Uma regiment was created around giving yourself the ultimate luxury – time. We request that you spend a few minutes following the 3-part wellness oil ritual in full, and give yourself a lovely facial massage every time you use our face oils. To me, that is the age-old idea of luxury we practice in India, and I wanted to bring that to the world through Uma.
Q
How do you go with the creation of the blends?
In my humble personal opinion, a truly potent blend is much, much more than the sum of its (independently great!) parts and that’s where I believe that our generational expertise comes in. Knowing what ingredients, and in what proportion, would extend the performance and efficacy of another is as much art as it is science.
Fortunately for us, I had access to formulas my family has worked on, and tested over time, for centuries. Originally crafted for the Indian Royal family (since we have been their family physicians for over 800 years) – UMA formulas are equal parts potent and equal parts indulgent. We strongly believe that the best skin- and self-care is crafted around indulgent rituals.
Q
What clean ingredients mean to you? Also, do you work along with sustainability practices?
From a scientific standpoint, it’s because of the age-old adage: over 80% of what we put on our skin, goes into our bodies. Knowing that makes it extremely hard to justify certain ingredients in products that I – or we, as a society – have little understanding of. Many of these additives have been chemically synthesized in the last few years – have they been time-tested nearly enough to know what they could do to our bodies in the long run? How they could impact our health, our children’s health – even children we haven’t quite had yet?
Many chemicals initially deemed as safe can be disastrous in the long run – and I’m not talking just about asbestos. Natural products have the advantage of having stood centuries-worth of testing, and our bodies are most naturally adapted to use them.
From a personal standpoint, it’s because I perceptibly see and feel the difference in my skin and health when I’m putting in natural ingredients vs. synthetic ones. I sometimes have a crazy schedule and need to rely on protein bars and synthetic vitamins – which arguably have the same nutritional value as a salad or a green juice – but trust me, I can see the difference in how I look and feel (as can many others!). Given such a strong personal testimonial, it’d be disingenuous for me to use synthetic chemicals in our line – no matter the cost advantages or “buzzworthiness” of a given popular chemical.
I will add that when you make the switch to natural and organic products, two things are absolutely critical to seeing the same results you saw from their synthetic counterparts: potency of the natural ingredients (meaning they have to be pure and concentrated) and really powerful formulas. Without those, you will simply have natural products that won’t have side effects that some chemically-laden products could, but also not nearly the same degree of efficacy.
Ayurveda philosophies of sustainability dictate all the practices within our product lifecycle – from our farming methods to the actual formulas in our products. According to Ayurveda, a close relationship and balance exists between human and the universe we exist in – including nature, which has long been revered in Ayurvedic tradition.
Pesticides – a relatively recent development – would interfere with the natural balance of a plant’s composition per Ayurveda, and hence we farm organically. We also respect plant seasonality and adhere closely to practices that enrich the earth’s natural fertility – and try to minimize our dependence on artificial irrigation – all in accordance with the belief systems that natural energy thrives when natural functions are least disturbed. The harvesting and processing of our crops, including timing (e.g., never harvesting before ripeness or in the late evenings), all integrate Ayurvedic wisdom on sustainability, as do the processing of our raw materials into their ingredients (never overheating substances to try and get higher yields, etc.)
Our family estate has had a long history of providing safe and dignified employment for women, and takes great pride in the fact that local women make up over 50% of its workforce. From its inception and as a pioneer for its time, Uma has provided men and women equal pay for equal work. In a country that where gender discrimination is sadly too often the norm, Uma’s progressive stance on gender equality sends a powerful, positive message that past injustice will be tolerated no more. We believe that giving our female employees financial independence through fair pay, enrichment programs, and flexible and supportive employment terms is a necessary contribution toward the broader movement to emancipate woman in India.
To us, sustainability considerations for your environment and your community, are a commitment to delivering true luxury to our customers – reminding them very tangibly about how their choice of product is enhancing and enriching someone’s life significantly, every day.
Q
Which one is your favourite oil if you could pick just one?
This is so difficult and subjective – but if it had to be just one, it’d probably be the UMA Absolute Anti Aging Face Oil. As someone recently said to me, it feels like your “skin is enveloped in a layer of silk”. The minute you apply it, you can feel it going to work. It somehow manages to make me look luminous even in times of dire stress. And it is LOADED with Rose oil, which can never hurt right?!
Q
First Job?
Software Engineer with Dell.
Q
What’s particularly sacred to you?
That’s a great question – I’m pretty OCD about the detail and quality of the work that we do.. but I think my relationship with my family would probably be the most sacred thing to me.
Q
Go-to night recipe?
A really dry gin-martini with a twist.
Q
Favourite vacation mood?
Italy. Always Italy.
Q
Favourite Indian Restaurant?
I’m going to put my Australian hat on – and say Tonka in Melbourne!
Q
Favourite smell?
Night Jasmine in bloom.
