25 years of redefining wellness
To mark Karmameju’s 25th anniversary and Mette Skjærbæk’s 50th birthday, we’re bringing you this in-depth interview with our founder.
Find out more about the person who started it all 25 years ago and who shares her reflections here on everything from passion and product development to the future and the past.
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Mette, to mark your anniversary, you’ve been touring the country with your latest talk, ‘Can the mind do cartwheels?’ – can you tell us a bit about the title?
My most important work is to create balance in and improve people’s skin. If I can also inspire people to make the most of everyday life, even on a grey, rainy Monday, then that’s something that makes me proud. I love it when people inspire one another, and “Can the Mind Spin Its Wheels?” is all about that. It’s an honest account of my very imperfect life and of how life’s ups and downs can be transformed into drive and a love of life, if we choose to put the right words to our thoughts.
Could you tell us a bit more about ‘putting the right words to our thoughts’?
I’m fascinated by the dialogue we have with ourselves, and I often refer to ‘the girl in the mirror’ or ‘the boy in the mirror’… What sort of dialogue do we have with ourselves, and about ourselves? Do we speak kindly to ourselves, or are we rather harsh in our thoughts? In a podcast, I heard a doctor say: “I prescribe words to my patients”, and I just love that, because we become the words we hold within us. So let’s make those words loving, warm, forgiving and understanding.
I’ve lost many loved ones at far too young an age, including my father and my brother, so my desire to make the most of life whilst I still have it is a very strong driving force within me. I believe that most of the life we live is shaped by the words we hold in our thoughts. For example, this morning, when I was in a bit of a rush and knocked a cup of coffee over my bed, the walls, the power socket and my slippers. Do I get worked up about it in my mind? Or do I think: phew, I’m glad the cup didn’t break, because my daughter bought it for me in Japan, and I’m so happy with it!
Life happens in our minds, and we must take responsibility for training our thoughts if we want a positive everyday life – just as we train, for example, our muscles or our knowledge.
Why is it important to you to improve people’s skin condition?
Skin care is important; it’s not vanity – on the contrary, it’s self-care and an important part of looking after yourself. Research shows that weather-beaten or unhealthy skin is a risk factor for almost every age-related disease, from Parkinson’s to type 2 diabetes. Mao-Qiang Man, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, states: “The latest research suggests that wrinkled, diseased or damaged skin becomes part of an inflammatory system and releases a chemical cocktail that leads to further damage and inflammation.” He continues: “Chronologically aged skin exhibits higher expression levels of a whole range of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and the same is true of photoaged skin.”
In other words: as your skin ages, it begins to show more signs of inflammation. This applies both to normal age-related skin and to skin that has been exposed to a lot of sunlight (The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Ageing).
So that is one reason why I want to improve people’s skin condition: it is part of holistic health, which means looking after the whole person, including keeping the skin in good condition.
The other reason is that people often feel better mentally if they look in the mirror and see themselves ‘in balance’ and are happy with their reflection. I really want people to feel as good as possible. Many of my closest friends and family are nurses, and I think the ‘caring gene’ is a big part of who I am. When we combine skincare with aromatherapy, it’s once again about both the skin and the mind. So, for me, it’s all about skin, mind and health.
How does it feel to be celebrating your company’s 25th anniversary?
It’s very moving, and I’m actually a bit surprised at how emotional I am. Because 24 is a big milestone too, but I think perhaps it’s because I’m turning 50 at the same time. Two very significant numbers, in a way, that bear witness to a life well lived – and, fortunately, a life that I feel has been well lived.
I feel more at peace and in balance than ever before, and that’s why I think I’m better able to take it all in. I’m feeling very grateful these days, most of all to everyone who’s been part of the journey: consumers, retailers, the social media community, the press, colleagues, family and friends. I have a sense that there’s so much ‘care in the air’ at the moment.
I also think we’re better able to feel the joy of life when we’re at peace and in balance. Yes, it’s just such a wonderful time, which I’m trying to ‘bottle up’ in my memories, so that I can open them up in the years to come and take a little whiff of this very special time every now and then.”
Can you tell us a bit about your product development?
One of our very first products was the MOUNT EVEREST bathrobe, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary alongside me. My product development almost always stems from a need or a gap I’ve spotted, something I miss, or something I feel could be improved. Hence our tagline: REDEFINING WELLNESS. The bathrobe was one of our first products, and it’s still a firm favourite of mine. Creating ‘evergreens’ is so satisfying.
A product like HERO pH solution didn’t exist on the market when we invented it, and I think innovation is so important in our industry. HERO’s primary function is to ensure that the skin’s pH balance is maintained, which is essential for the skin’s microbiome. HERO helps so many people. That makes me really happy.
Getting round to dry brushing sexy and cool again is something I think is brilliant. It’s one of the most effective skincare practices and the most self-loving ritual we can do for our body and mind. Every product in Karmameju’s history has had a big and important ‘WHY’ behind it, and that’s crucial for me in my product development.
Why celebrate an anniversary with a perfume, of all things?
To me, perfume is a decadent, accessible luxury that adds a touch of that ‘extra sensuality’ to everyday life. And perfume is the very pinnacle of aromatherapy; it’s where we pull out all the stops with the finest, natural scents, honouring the original art of perfumery. My aim was to create a simple, light and loving fragrance. A fragrance that evokes both calm and positivity. We live in a complicated world, and the more we can cultivate simple feelings within ourselves, the better.
STORYTELLER is the first fragrance across the entire Karmameju range that I haven’t yet met a single person who doesn’t like. On the contrary, everyone’s eyes light up in a very special way when they smell STORYTELLER. I wanted to tell the story of nature, my story, Karmameju’s story, and in a way, I feel I’ve succeeded. I’m very grateful to feel that we’ve really hit the mark with our anniversary product. It could have been anyone’s guess whether we’d hit the mark, because product development is an unpredictable business – you never know what others will love.
Our unique collaboration with master perfumer Richard in England, who has a deep and rare passion for aromatherapy and the use of 100 per cent natural fragrances, is what enables me to bring my dreams of scents to life and to give people what I want to give them. Usually, fragrances are a matter of personal taste, but STORYTELLER seems to strike a chord with everyone.
We call it A LOVE LETTER IN A BOTTLE, because it gives everyone that very special look in their eyes when they smell it.
In my view, our three existing Eau de Parfums are: POWDERBLOOM, NECTARFLAME and URBAN OUDare fantasticfragrances. I particularly love URBAN OUD with every fibre of my being, but with these three perfumes, we’re finding that people’s preferences are much more divided.
You’ve just celebrated your 25th anniversary with a major fragrance exhibition – a fragrance journey through a gallery. Why did you choose to do it in this particular way?
I wanted to highlight the art of perfumery in the same way that other art forms are held in high esteem, and I wanted to be able to invite EVERYONE, not just a select few. Being able to invite everyone – consumers, the social media community, retailers, the press, influencers, friends and family – was a great joy for me. I myself can feel insecure and left out, like a child on a sports pitch, when I see events where I feel I could have been invited but wasn’t, and I really didn’t want anyone else to feel that way. I owe a huge thank you to so many people and simply wanted to invite everyone.
Our FRAGRANCE ART INSTALLATION is probably the finest event I’ve experienced in my 25 years with Karmameju. We combined scent stimulation with the nine fragrance notes* in our anniversary perfume STORYTELLER, alongside sound vibration therapy, which effectively stimulates the vagus nerve, activating the parasympathetic nervous system. We also added stimulation of the sense of taste, visual stimulation and plenty of hugs. It meant so much to me to see just how much it affected people, and how powerful it is when we stimulate the senses. We are, after all, such sensory beings, and I’d really like us to remember, in the midst of our busy everyday lives, that there are simple ways to make our bodies feel good.
*The fragrance notes in STORYTELLER: angelica root, orange, clementine (top notes), lime blossom, neroli, chamomile, violet (heart notes), cedarwood and hinoki (base notes).
What about the next 25 years at Karmameju?
I’m very proud of what we do, because it’s genuine, honest and of the very highest quality. Consumers use our skincare on their skin, our largest organ, so the products must be exceptional. For everyone who uses the products – both myself and my children – they become part of everyday life. Seeing them apply the products from head to toe is a good visual reminder of just how important the ingredients we choose for skincare are. I can only approach skincare with deep sincerity, and I feel that consumers place a great deal of trust in me by using Karmameju.
So much more of the same over the next 25 years – bottling nature, innovation, biotechnology, aromatherapy, biohacking, rituals, self-improvement and balance. I still love my job – what a privilege!
And the next 50 years of Mette’s life?
It’ll be much the same, as I’m lucky enough to work in a field that I’m genuinely interested in. More knowledge about natural health, biohacking, and continuing to meet fascinating people – I love building relationships. Time for creativity, reflection and love. And I’d like to go sailing more; my nervous system thrives at sea, and that’s where I feel my father’s presence most strongly. I want to enjoy life as much as possible, and that’s what the next 50 years are all about.
Why ‘25 years of redefining wellness’?
Karmameju has always been about giving people an even greater sense of well-being, the joy of functionality and the stimulation of the senses… that’s just the way I am. That’s how I live at home, too. Karmameju is, at its core, the products I myself want to have around me – the products that I think make everyday life better. The products that, during the product development process, I find myself using again and again, and which, after a while, I wouldn’t want to be without.
One last word?
Just THANK YOU.
Although it’s just one little word, I mean it from the very depths of my heart.
