The founder of UMA Oils is trying to change the perception of Ayurveda, one bottle at a time

Shrankhla Holecek has created a brand that stands for all the things she cares about–self-care, sustainability and ingredients that really work

Shrankhla Holecek—the founder of UMA Oils—could be considered an oil heiress, when it comes to essential oils, specifically. For more than 800 years, her ancestors have been purveyors of Ayurvedic herbs and plants, and now produce raw materials for the essential oils that are in some of your favourite luxury perfume and skincare brands. When Holecek moved to the United States to study and work, she was surrounded by people misappropriating the Indian rituals and practices she had grown up with, so she decided to take what she knew best and spin it into a brand that stood for all the things she cared about—self-care, sustainability and ingredients that really work.

Did you find that you had to modernise Ayurveda and bottle it into a more palatable version for today’s millennial and Gen Z audiences?

The beauty and power of Ayurveda comes from its unique approach to treating each individual constitution as different, as well as its approach towards moderation, which can fly in the face of the Western “one-size-fits-all” or “buzzy” ingredients apparently good for everybody, or even the intense fervour people take on diets or exercise rituals with.

I believe that as a society, we are becoming more conscious of not only giving due credit to practices that originate in a certain culture, but also appreciating and respecting the nuances that go alongside borrowing or using (respectfully) certain cultural practices. For instance, Ayurveda is not just a science of medicine, but also a way of life and a spiritual practice (most Indians know this but it may be a more nuanced and yet unknown interpretation of Ayurveda in the West). Understanding this and practising it as a whole, rather than simply applying piecemeal “tactics” or “hacks” can profoundly impact how wholesome and lasting your results are. For example, finding out that turmeric is anti-inflammatory and simply throwing it into your smoothie is very different from a richer Ayurvedic understanding of this incredible spice where you understand how to ingest it optimally (how best to cook with it, or with which other spices—such as black pepper—that can enhance its efficacy in your body), and even when to use it in moderation or avoid it.

What I have found is that Ayurveda naturally relies on principles that today’s millennial and Gen Z audiences care about; for instance, hyper-awareness about clean ingredients and the demand for transparency in personal care, as well as the idea of sustainability. This demographic also cares deeply about mental health and emotional balance, both of which Ayurveda so beautifully illustrates. So what I found is that we never had to change anything about Ayurveda, but simply draw out the core tenets that appeal to the modern audience.

What did you want to do differently with UMA as compared to other Ayurveda-based beauty brands on the market?

When I moved to the United States nearly 15 years ago for school, I found that the perception of Ayurvedic brands 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 a solid base of education around the science behind our products, so that curious consumers can understand how and why it is having such a great impact on their skin, mind and body.

I also witnessed, first-hand, the plethora of low quality or diluted natural products and ingredients that inundated the market, and customers were paying ridiculously high premiums for. There are few standards, and even fewer honest distributors, and many skincare companies were/are buying unreliable “natural” or “faux Ayurvedic ingredients” from unreliable sources. I came to believe that our 100 per cent organic, straight-from-the-source oils would be an excellent fit for our consumers.

What does creating a luxury brand look like to you?

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. More importantly, the UMA regimen was created around giving yourself the ultimate luxury—time. We want the ritual of actually applying the products to be the most important part.

Clean beauty is an interesting space because the audience really looks for it, but the term doesn't always mean much. Where do you stand on it?

Personally, the term "clean beauty" means very little to me as it has come to have such a subjective definition. There is a delicate balance between how much customers are willing to research, understand and be stringent about–what brands are willing to share and selectively withhold (e.g., not all brands share 100 per cent of their ingredient lists)–alongside what the government is willing to regulate. In my mind, it comes down to individual choices.

As a customer, it is about what your personal choices in how you define the term "clean" are, and how much research you'd like a brand or product to do for you to exercise the choice (there simply is no way around it I'm afraid). As a brand–or brand owner–I think it is about what you believe (hopefully, with integrity) that represents a marriage of performance and health as well as safety. In a bit of a ridiculous sounding example, from a brand's perspective, it's a bit like one's approach to child-rearing–you'll find people across the spectrum. Luckily for us, as customers, we have more choices and more research capabilities than a baby usually does. My perspective is that in the current environment, we need to take greater control of those choices, via personal research.

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