Fifteen years ago, Metta Murdaya was working in New York City. She had just finished her MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. Her busy schedule had taken a toll on her skincare regimen, and a near-fatal car accident urged her to take a moment to pause.

In this moment of reflection, Murdaya re-evaluated her approach to wellness. Tinkering with concoctions with her friends in their kitchen, they developed Juara, a natural skincare line inspired by the Indonesian tradition of jamu. In 2006, they launched their products.

Jamu is an age-old tradition that creates tonics and formulas for beauty rituals, taken from natural ingredients such as herbs, flora and fauna native to the land. The main ingredients in Murdaya’s beauty products include turmeric, candlenut, rice and ginger.

Recently, Murdaya published the book Jamu Lifestyle: The Indonesian Herbal Wellness Tradition. She is the daughter of Murdaya Poo and Siti Hartati Murdaya, the CCM/Berca Group founder. Murdaya graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, USA, in Cognitive Science and Architecture.