Kauri Cliffs Spa in New Zealand.  Inside Retail spoke to the founder, known mononymously as Mukti, about the brand’s remarkable journey from market stall to global stage. With a quarter-century of experience under her belt, Mukti shared insights on navigating the beauty industry’s shifting landscape, lessons she’s learnt along the way and her unwavering commitment to in-house formulation and sustainability. Inside Retail: You started out selling products at the Eumundi Markets, now Mukti Organics is a globally recognised brand. How has your approach to e-commerce changed over the years, and what’s helped you connect with customers online? Mukti: Back when we first started, we were one of the first organic skincare brands in Australia, so we quickly built a loyal following of customers who were searching for exactly what we offered.  Nowadays though there is so much noise and unfortunately a lot of greenwashing, which means we do rely on our e-comm site, but more so to give consumers access to information and education around what they’re putting on their skin.  Customer service is a priority for us, it’s incredibly important that customers get the same level of service online as they would when we see them in person: We have Mukti Beauty Rooms in the Northern Rivers near Byron Bay where we offer luxury facial treatments exclusively using Mukti Organics Skincare. IR: You were formulating clean, organic skincare long before it was trendy. How do you feel the space has changed since you started, and how do you keep Mukti Organics ahead of the curve in such a busy market? Mukti: When we first started, we were really entering uncharted waters in the sense that no one was really creating products that were truly clean but backed by science. Yet today, the beauty industry is filled with brands spruiking confusing claims, marketing buzzwords and a lack of clear scientific support.  What began as a positive shift toward safer, more transparent products has become increasingly difficult for consumers to navigate. That’s why we’ve chosen to move beyond labels and focus on mindful beauty, helping customers make informed choices by ensuring they know exactly what’s in their products and what they’re putting on their skin.  The way we stay ahead of the curve in such a busy market comes down to our authenticity. We’ve simply remained true to roots from the start to ensure that we’re always walking the talk. We were the first to see the benefits of including native Australian extracts in our formulations and one of the first to add peptides and vitamins (cosmeceuticals) to a 100 per cent certified organic base. The proof is in the product with customer loyalty spanning over two and a half decades. IR: Sustainability is clearly something you care deeply about, from your packaging to how you formulate products in-house. What are some of the sustainability traps you see in the industry, and how is Mukti Organics doing things differently? Mukti: For us, sustainability is at the core of everything we do, so we have always maintained manufacturing in house rather than outsourcing. This ensures we have complete control over quality, potency, performance and sustainability. From GMP and ACO COSMOS Organic certification, to ethically sourced raw ingredients to utilising eco-friendly packaging (98 per cent of our packaging is recyclable). This commitment to eco-friendly practices is something that resonates deeply with consumers’ environmental responsibility is woven into the very fabric of our brand.  One of the key ways we are doing things differently is our stance towards refillable packaging. Furthermore, we’ve moved away from single-use plastics, introducing glass sample pots even though they come at a higher cost. IR: Looking back on 25 years of building a brand from the ground up, what are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned as a founder and what advice would you give your younger self starting out at the markets? Mukti: The biggest lesson I’ve learnt is to trust your intuition. I have too many examples of times when I knew in my gut something wasn’t quite right, but I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt. While I do believe in seeing the good in people, I now know that my instincts will always reveal the truth.  Listen to that little voice deep inside because it is your subconscious mind trying to tell you something that your conscious mind might not be able to articulate.  I firmly believe that trusting your intuition from the outset can lead to better decision-making and will guide you towards choices that resonate with your authentic self. The other advice I would give to younger self is to not let challenges or ‘failures’ stop you in your mission! It’s important to refer to a mistake as a learning experience. When I first started my brand, I was a single Mum that had to visit the library to learn about ingredients and formulating.  Our first Mukti Organics product was a lip balm, and the original iteration was a complete disaster! However, I didn’t let that stop me. I perfected the formula and kept creating more products.  We once had to withdraw all our products from reaching the market because the preservative system failed. Despite this, I’d have to say these challenges only fuelled my determination to create a skincare brand that echoed my values – kind to the skin and sustainable. I am very proud that I didn’t let any setback stop me. At the end of the day my primary objective is to make products work and are beautiful to make people feel beautiful. It’s really that simple.