NEW YORK — The skin care brand Juara may be inspired by ancient Indonesian beauty rituals, but its range of products — from Candlenut Body Crème to Rice Facial Cleanser — is hardly old-fashioned.
The line of products, which was started by four friends, recently launched in several boutiques, including Clyde’s Chemist and New London Pharmacy in New York, as well as the Fortnum & Mason department store in London. In October, Juara will be available in L.A.’s Studio at Fred Segal. It features Indonesian ingredients, including fermented black tea and candlenut butter, and inner and outer packaging reminiscent of batik patterns. And, while the overall feel of the brand is indeed rooted in tradition, its founders maintain that its formulas are as much about the future as the past.
“What I wanted to do was bring this tradition of herbal medicine and beauty rituals, which are actually paired together in Indonesia, into the U.S.,” said Metta Murdaya, the 30-year-old president of the brand. “I wanted something that was efficacious but that also had a luxury component.”
The result is a line of five products ranging from $25 for the Rice Facial Cleanser to $40 for the Sweet Tea and Rice Facial Moisturizer, all featuring Indonesian ingredients. The Candlenut Body Polish, for instance, features candlenut butter, which is said to replenish the skin’s protective barrier, and natural walnut shell grains. The Milk and Red Sandalwood Facial Mask contains red sandalwood, which is said to have cooling and anti-inflammatory properties, and rice starch, a skin-softening ingredient that contains amino acids. Industry sources estimate the line could bring in up to $1 million in first-year retail sales.
Murdaya grew up in both the U.S. and Indonesia, where she was exposed to various beauty methods and ingredients. As a child, she observed her mother and grandmother using techniques from jamu, an ancient Indonesian herbal tradition for maintaining health. “Hundreds of years ago, they had these secret recipes for medicinal use if you had a cold or if your skin was itchy. They used herbs that were commonly found in the villages,” said Murdaya. “[These methods] were picked up several hundred years later by kings and queens who turned them into beauty rituals.” So when Murdaya had an idea to start a beauty line, it seemed natural to borrow from the techniques her family members had been depending on for years.
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The brand name Juara, an Indonesian word, translates to “winner/champion,” and represents “how we followed our dreams and passions and also how, if you’re healthy, if you can maintain your skin; if you’re beautiful, it’s physically empowering” said Murdaya. In addition to Murdaya, Juara’s team consists of Yoshiko K. Roth, vice president of sales and marketing; Jillwen Sung, vice president of operations, and Tami Chuang, vice president of finance. All were friends of Murdaya before coming together to create the brand. “I was the only person who knew all three other team members — I introduced them to each other and we all got along so well,” she said. All hail from various international backgrounds: Chuang is originally from Taiwan, Sung is Chinese and Roth is half Japanese.
Looking to the future, Roth said that they are “working on expanding the selection for body but more so for face.” She also added that they are in the process of looking for other “larger” retailers to carry the line.