The founder of Mukti Organics: expert skincare tips for glowing skin.
The founder of Mukti Organics, we caught up with Mukti, the woman behind the successful beauty brand Mukti Organics to talk about how to keep your skin fresh and hydrated and why natural skincare is the way to go.
Q.
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and why you launched Mukti?
Way back before the turn of the century, other than a couple of well respected European brands (Hauschker & Weleda), there really wasn’t a lot on offer in the realm of natural beauty products. In fact, there wasn’t even an organic standard for skincare. Armed with a background in natural medicine and beauty therapy, I set out to create a range that I could use and recommend to my clients. The brand has evolved to certified organic status made with the finest plant-based ingredients sourced from around the globe. We have an abundance of native flora in Australia with amazing antioxidants vitamins and phytonutrients that have learnt to withstand very harsh climatic conditions. Our unique cellular extraction method, that works on the principle of biomimicry, allows for us to disperse these precious extracts into our formulas in their pristine state so that they remain bioactive. We have incorporated these unique synergies into each product as it relates to a particular skin type or concern maximising results and efficaciousness. The majority of our ingredients are certified organic with some products attaining 100% organic status with COSMOS Australian certified organic.
Q.
Tell us about your brand and your products?
My intention was to create a functional and efficacious skincare regime that was as clean as possible whilst maintaining an eco-luxe status. Almost 20 years from inception and in keeping with the meaning behind the name Mukti – (rebirth in Hindu), the brand has been through quite a few iterations with the ultimate goal of creating a sustainable portfolio of luxurious beauty products that are suitable for a variety of skin concerns and includes face, body and hair care. There are now over 30 SKU’s and there’s more to come.
Our Age Defiance Collection is one of our most popular and fastest selling ranges as it delivers results. It contains key actives, peptides and vitamins in a uniquely formulated delivery system.
Our latest release includes the Vitamin elixirs A, B &C to feed and nurture all skin types and really amp up the results of your basic skincare regime.
Q.
Travelling can be stressful for your skin, what are your tips for keeping fresh on a long-haul flight?
Ideally, it’s best not to wear makeup and go with clean skin. I always carry three key products that are suitable for all skin types: Rose blossom hydrating Mist, Antioxidant facial oil and Antioxidant facial serum. I use these throughout the flight, almost hourly to keep up hydration levels and replace moisture loss plus your body is dealing with an onslaught of cosmic radiation so my advice in addition to hydrating your skin is to stay hydrated internally. Avoid alcohol, drink a barrel of water (still is preferable). Take healthy snacks like macadamia nuts and mulberries and avoid sugar. I use a slip eye masque and noise-blocking headphones to get adequate sleep with lots of relaxation music, podcasts and meditations. I also take a couple of activated charcoal tablets every eight hours and wear blue blocker glasses if looking at screens.
Q.
How important is it to have a skincare routine and how can we manage to keep the routine whilst on the road?
As we age it’s more important to have a solid routine. It doesn’t need to be convoluted and time-consuming. Start with the basics: Cleansing, toning and moisturising then add in a few treatment products – serums and elixirs as your skin require. I recommend exfoliation a couple of times a week and a good masque. Cleansing is paramount and the first step towards good skin. If you’re frequently on the road look for smaller travel-size versions of your products that will suffice for travel. We offer 15ml Mukti Mini kits for example which suffice for a week or more in most cases.
Q.
Which products are you recommending for frequent travellers?
It’s important to research the climate and weather at your destination as your skincare needs may differ. The warmer/humid the climate, the lighter the products can be. If you’re travelling near the equator then you may need just a few lighter serums to tide you over.
A cooler/drier climate calls for thicker and heavier creams and moisturisers that are going to protect and hydrate i.e. Marigold Hydrating Creme
Generally, I recommend the following: Cleanser – dependent on skin type choose a gel (normal-oily) or cream (normal-dry). Daily SPF is essential for environmental protection. Vital C and Antioxidant Facial Oil are great for all skin types. Carry a 15ml Rose Blossom Mist to freshen and hydrate throughout the day.
Q.
Are there any simple and quick tricks for glowing skin?
It starts with your diet of course. What you eat will reflect on your skin. A lot of people are suffering from inflammation which is dietary related and causes puffiness and bloating.
Choose quality, organic food that is unprocessed and as close to their natural state as possible. Avoid anything in a packet. I also recommend a collagen supplement or powder (watch this space). Vitamin C and zinc as well as good fats from avocados, coconut, olives and macadamias. Don’t fear good fats, they are the best thing for your skin and hormones.
Keep hydrated drink 2 litres plus of water a day with a squeeze of lemon or lime.
Exfoliation helps to remove dead skin cells and of course cleansing daily to remove makeup, dirt and pollutants. Avoid using soap of any kind on your face. It’s highly alkaline and very drying.
Q.
You travel a lot yourself, what are your tips when it comes to skincare for travelling to a warm/cold destination?
As above, a simple rule of thumb – The colder drier the climate, the heavier and denser the product choice should be. The more humidity as in warmth and tropics closer to the equator, the lighter the products can be such as serums and elixirs.
Changes in temperature are tough on the skin especially if you are in and out of air conditioning. For cold climates, I recommend the Marigold Hydrating Creme and body lotion. If skiing or out in the sun, always use an SPF with zinc oxide as the active.
For warmer climates Rose Blossom Mist and any of the Age Defiance serums and Vitamin elixirs as well as sunscreen.
Q.
You also have a haircare range, what’s important when it comes to good hair care?
Your scalp is highly penetrable due to the number of hair shafts that act as a direct delivery system of toxicants into your bloodstream. Wash your hair less frequently. Choose plant-based surfactants preferably glucosides as opposed to SLS and SLES, PEG’s and avoid dodgy preservatives like parabens, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate and phenoxyethanol. (Avoid anything with an “eth” which means it has been ethoxylated it won’t appear on the label but the product is likely to be contaminated with 1, 4 Dioxane – a known carcinogen).
Shampoo was invented just over 100 years ago and is a prime example of successful marketing. The history of hair care is fascinating. I wrote more in-depth about this in my book – Truth in Beauty. Use conditioner only on the mid-lengths through to the ends and avoid the scalp. Avoid silicones. They are damaging to the environment and build up and coat the hair. We have a great Luxe Hair Serum that is silicone-free. It’s almost impossible to find fragrance free shampoos and conditioners so look for ones fragranced with essential oils and avoid shampoos and conditioners that contain fragrance and perfume.
Q.
Lastly, which is your absolute favourite skincare product that you can’t live without?
An all-time favourite, if I had to choose, is the Antioxidant Facial Oil. It has a plethora of the best supercritically extracted essential fatty acids (EFA’s) like Sea Buckthorn, Chia Seed, Tamanu and Pomegranate that are literally skin food. Oil can be used to cleanse and hydrate and it’s suitable for all skin types so this is my stranded on a desert island go-to product.
For more information visit www.muktiorganics.com
