AS A woman working for a magazine, you are offered an endless array of skincare products to review. And, to be honest, I rarely come across a brand that blows me away. But when I read the press release for Subtle Energies I was instantly intrigued. I’m a huge believer in the metaphysical and holistic approaches to health – I never leave the house without elite shungite crystals and try to follow an Ayurvedic diet.
The brand has cornered a market which people are starting to turn their attention to – beauty and wellbeing products that improve your health through the energetic and vibrational qualities of the ingredients. I tried out the Aura protection spray, yoga massage oil, rose hydrasol and face mask and was so impressed by the truly organic compositions with no synthetic chemicals and the intriguing blends of herbs, botanicals and essential oils that I simply had to interview the woman behind this brand, mother, Ayurvedic aromatherapist, pioneer and entrepreneur Farida Irani.
Subtle Energies founder Farida Irani
What prompted you to create your own wellbeing and skincare brand?
Before the skincare brand was my clinic, and before that I began my career as an accountant, but natural therapies always fascinated me. My father was a great believer in massage, hypnotherapy and natural therapies. He studied these sciences as a hobby and to help people. Though I was a qualified and practicing accountant, I realised that natural therapies was my calling so I pursued it as soon as I landed in Australia. (Irani was born in India but is of Zoroastrian/Iranian descent.
Her family returned to Iran to live but then fled to Dubai due to the revolution and later emigrated to Australia). I firmly believe my father’s spirit has inspired me to do the work he was unable to pursue. I believe in the power of spiritual healing and studied all these modalities in order to make it tangible.
The skincare brand was created much later, after working with the Taj group of hotels creating blends for their brand, we realised that through the spa and wellness world we can actually touch and access more people, but in order to do that we had to become a brand. We developed skincare and body care using essential oils as the active ingredients within the range, partnering with natural skincare chemists in Australia.
Subtle Energies Soothe Range
What is it about Ayurveda that made you want to base your products around it?
I realised through my clinic, study and practice that the sciences of Ayurveda and Aromatherapy were so phenomenal, however I was able to identify that there were gaps, so I decided to bridge these gaps and combine the best of both disciplines. The ancient time-tested principles, philosophy and techniques of Ayurveda, together with the finesse and expertise of aromatherapy, and its modern techniques, is a powerful combination.
The blends and formulas work on the principles of Ayurveda, which is based on different body types and the conditions prevailing in the body. The synergy of the active ingredients is created depending on the potency of the therapeutics involved, such as warming or cooling, using the opposite attributes on a presenting condition. For example, for a Pitta-oriented problem, which is a fire and water element, we would use ingredients that are cooling and nurturing such as essential oils of mogra, Indian rose, kewda and cooling base oils of brahmi and amla.
The base oils are cold pressed vegetable oils full of nutrients and vital essential fatty acids that penetrate the body as well. We also apply the Ayurvedic principles of taste, potency and post-digestive effect of the active ingredients when blending. The consumer can also learn various Dinacharyas or daily routines which are quite basic but very effective in maintaining a healthy balance and lifestyle.
Subtle Energies SE Cream
Are you seeing more of a market and understanding now for energetic products that wasn’t there before? Such as for products like your Aura protection spray?
It has been interesting to see, while we do come from an esoteric space and have been following spiritual practices since early life, we are very careful to focus on the physical and emotional aspects, within the energetics being embedded within all aspects of the products, keeping in mind that essential oils themselves are the prana, the life force of the plant, they are vibrational.
But we market ourselves in a way that even the left-brained, those who do not understand the esoteric side of this science, notice the active difference a product makes to them.
Aura Protection Mist is a great example of this – it is a product designed for protection against negative energy, and great for meditation, we find it being used extensively in board rooms and workplaces for the productivity attributes the product brings, it defogs their minds and brings about clarity and focus while also it protects the auric field.
Subtle Energies Recovering Traveller
Having said that, the pandemic did bring about a huge shift within this space, people were looking towards energetic work and are more receptive to it than ever before, and this has been predicted by the great yogi, Swami Sri Yukteshwar who said over 100 years ago, that we are coming out of the gross iron age (physical age), and into the electrical age where we will be treated more by rays and vibration, where gross matter cannot penetrate the atoms. And these days we can see that already happening in the medical world – performing laser surgery for example. A lot of our holistic modalities are based on vibrational work.
by Nicola Kavanagh
Products are used in leading spas worldwide and are available here