Miranda Kerr Believes Crystals Give Skincare "That Energy"

Miranda Kerr has been a prominent model through countless style cycles, from the gaudy spirited glam of the Y2K era to the athleisure-Tumblr-fusion of the 2010s. The Aussie native has graced numerous magazine covers, strutted the runway for fashion houses like Prada and Dior, and was a Victoria’s Secret angel during the brand’s heyday.

But these days, Kerr has been settling into a new chapter of her life, scaling new mountains as a mother to three children — ages 11, four, and three — and helming Kora Organics, the certified organic skincare line she launched in 2009 in Australia, and 2017 in the U.S. While different from her modeling days, the roles of mother and businesswoman are fulfilling to Kerr, but also require a great deal of energy to be present and move with intention. It’s made crafting a solid self-care practice and tapping into her knowledge as a certified health coach all the more essential.

We checked in with Kerr after her keynote speech at Create & Cultivate’s 2022 Wellness Means Business summit, an online platform and offline conference for women entrepreneurs building their dream careers. Here, Kerr shares the importance of refilling her cup while wearing multiple hats, how she uses crystals to give her skincare line a personal touch, and the mom hack that gives her rejuvenating alone time.

InStyle: It was such a fun fact to learn you have a special connection to crystals. How did that start?

Miranda Kerr: When I was a little girl I spent a lot of time on my grandparents’ farm. My grandpa was actually a house mover in Australia and when he was moving these houses from one place to another, they had to dig a lot of them from the roots and all. So he came across these geode  crystals that were naturally in the ground and he would bring them home for my grandma. 

I was fascinated with them, even though I didn’t really understand their significance until I was a teenager and came across a crystal store while on holiday with my family. I was like, wow, this is incredible, all these different crystals that I’ve been playing with have different purposes and can be used to support your energy, your body. I was immediately drawn to rose quartz crystals and ever since it’s had a really special place in my heart. That's why from day one, Kora has had this unique infusion process.

Back when I launched in 2009 in Australia, all of our skincare during the manufacturing process, we filter the ingredients, they touch upon rose quartz crystals so that they have that energy. In addition to rose quartz crystals, Kora uses other crystals on products. For instance, our Turmeric Glow Moisturizer is filtered through not only rose quartz but citrine crystals. That specific moisturizer is about bringing brightness into your life and your skin, and then the citrine brings the brightness and joy into your life energetically. 

I like that there’s that personal touch where people get to step into your journey and explore a bit of your history, even if they don’t don’t realize it.

Yeah, people don’t even realize and they’re like, Oh. (Laughs) It’s me putting my heart into it. It's not anything that's going to improve the efficacy of the products whatsoever. In addition to the products being certified organic and clinically active, it's just a little personal touch and extension of my passion. My intention is to create a really uplifting, nurturing experience when people are using our skincare products. It doesn’t need to be a monotonous skincare routine.

Let’s talk practicing self-care as a model in a notoriously tough industry. When you think about helpful ways you’ve cared for your mind and body over the years, what comes to mind?

Crystals, aromatherapy, and positive affirmations have helped me so much. I rely on essential oils a lot. I don’t like to use fragrance, so none of Kora’s products contain any artificial fragrance, they only use essential oils for their therapeutic benefits on your skin and your senses. 

For instance, the peppermint, which we use in the turmeric brightening and exfoliating mask and the foaming cleanser, is so uplifting and invigorating. When you’re in the shower and you're using these products, you feel that energetic burst, but it’s also good for your sebum production.

Oh my gosh, I love using minty essential oils in the shower. I don't know if you're familiar with adding a couple drops of a minty essential oil in the shower and then letting the hot water run to fill the bathroom with steam…

I do that in the shower too!

It smells so good. It’s such a nice way to unwind and connect to the senses. So let’s go back to the three wellness tools you lean on — how have you used positive affirmations?

Positive affirmations are something I’ve very much been into since I was child. When you can train your mind to choose a more positive thought, it can help transform your whole day. Every Kora product has a positive word on the back of the package, whether that be reenergize, revitalize, clarity, forgiveness. The Milky Mushroom has forgiveness on the back so you’re cleansing your skin and cleansing your spirit. 

I do these little forgiveness prayers like, Please forgive me if I’ve hurt anyone intentionally or unintentionally. And help me forgive anyone who’s hurt me intentionally or unintentionally. Thank you god, amen. It’s very simple but it’s a little reminder to have that little peaceful moment to create that in your life. So that’s kinda my thing that I don’t necessarily talk about, because sometimes it can be too much for people.

Once I understood the power of the mind, like we have a choice, [there was a shift]. We can choose to look outside and say, wow, what a glorious day or, ugh, I can’t believe it’s raining or so hot today. That’s in our power. One thing that’s helped me a lot is remembering with every positive, there’s a negative, and maintaining that attitude of understanding that life has a way of balancing it out. So even when you’re in a challenging moment, there is something positive coming from that. 

I think for so many it’s about finding that balance, like giving yourself space to feel what you feel while trying to not be consumed by the gloomy things that are inevitable in life.

Exactly. It’s like a daily practice of allowing yourself to feel certain things that you feel, but letting that pass like the waves in the ocean, letting it move through you. Sometimes you might feel frustrated, sometimes you might feel angry, and allowing those feelings to be. Not ignoring those things, but at the same time, once you have felt and accepted those feelings, let’s see what we could've learned from that. Let’s now embrace a more positive way of understanding.

You’re in what feels like your "boss era," overseeing the ins and outs of a growing business and you just gave the keynote speech at Create & Cultivate’s Wellness Means Business summit. What has creating Kora Organics and leading a team taught you about yourself?

It has taught me so much and been such an incredible journey. I feel like every day is an opportunity to grow and to learn, and become a better version of myself. Because the company is mine, I own 95% and it was my concept, I’ve had to learn the different aspects of the business, from working with some of the best chemists in the world to get the science behind my concepts to working on the designs for the packaging, which I absolutely love — I love the creative process. 

What I’ve found is that really finding the right people who are in their passion allows me to be in my passion and to focus on creating these products that help people in a healthy way.

Between three little ones and work, do you have a go-to treatment or something you like to do when you need to unwind?

My husband wakes up at 5 a.m. every single morning. Once I’m woken up it’s really hard for me to go back to sleep, so eventually I decided to get up and use that time to really do what I need to do.

I start my morning with a 20-minute yoga meditation first thing to stretch it out and do a little centering. Then, I love to do my 40-minute workout and I mix it up with Tracy Anderson and Sculpt Society. And then from there I do my shower. I have this little Sleeper Hero, it doesn’t always work, but my four-year-old has it. When the light goes green that means he can come in. He shares the room with his brother who’s three, and he’s very good at saying, “The green light isn't on yet, we can’t go in yet.”

I have that time in the morning from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. when they’re sleeping and I feel less mother guilt when I get that time for myself. After I’ve done my workout, I dry body brush my body all over. I get to do my skincare routine which I really love. Then I’m ready for the day before they’ve even woken up. It’s definitely been something that helps me fill my cup before I go downstairs, make them breakfast, get them ready and do school drop off.

That quality solo time can be everything.

Right. I’m also really conscious about starting our wind down routine. We start winding down at 4 p.m., in bed at 6:30 p.m. and asleep by 7 p.m. That’s everything from having a bath, having an early dinner together, reading three to four short books each to them. Having that nighttime and morning time with the boys, and that little routine, is something that we really all enjoy. And on the weekends we have so much quality time together. 

To me my family comes first and I’ve always felt that. I have an 11 year old, and a three and four year old. As much as it can be exhausting having three boys, and sometimes you feel pulled in so many directions, spending time with them is really fulfilling. I absolutely love it, even the challenging times when maybe they’re not being their best selves. I’m very aware of how quickly the time goes. 

I’m also very aware because my mom was a working mom and she didn’t really have that much time for me. It taught me the importance of work ethic but also the importance of being with my children. Because my mom comes from a long line of hard working women and I wanted to break the pattern of not fully being present with my children. She had me at 17 and obviously did the best she could. We have a great relationship and now my mom is an incredible grandma.

Last question, what’s a piece of self-care advice you’d give to your younger self?

I would say it’s really important to take care of yourself in a 360 approach — mentally, spiritually, physically. Don’t feel like you have to spread yourself too thin. Make sure you have enough time for yourself and give back to yourself. For so long, I’ve been quite a people pleaser. My whole life I’ve wanted to give to so many people in so many different ways. It’s important to make sure that you don’t deplete yourself and that you’re doing things that make your heart happy.