Exclusive Interview With Tanja Gruber Of Max&Me

Tanja Gruber, one of the founders of Max&Me shares her insights about a natural beauty brand–the “love-child”  that she created together with his husband.

EXPERT PROFILE:

Tanja Gruber and her husband Max created a brand that makes use of the finest high vibrational ingredients which they believe can communicate to the skin on a cellular level.

Taking inspiration from the scientific knowledge that everything has its own individual vibration, the couple made way for an award-winning skincare brand to be launched. Max&Me offers a collection that allows people to find inner healing. With a beautiful, vibrant flow of energy, it brings out the wholeness that is naturally within you.

In support of its new vision of skincare, Tanja and Max have created a collection that pioneers the mastery of energy work in skincare and continues to develop products that help in healing, growing and transforming the skin.

Learn more about Tanja and their “love-child” through this interview.

Q & A with Tanja Gruber

THE PRODUCTS YOU CREATE, AND I QUOTE HERE, “TAKE SKINCARE AND AROMATHERAPY TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH HIGHLY VIBRANT INGREDIENTS”. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US IN MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE “VIBRATION” CONCEPT AND WHY IT WORKS?

“[at the quantum level], matter and energy become interchangeable . . . [vibrations are] the underlying basis for everything we are: thoughts, emotions, proteins, cells, organs—any visible or invisible part of ourselves.” —Deepak Chopra

Pioneering the fusion of energy work and luxury skincare we see our company, Max & Me – our “love-child” – founded to introduce the world to a stunning new dimension of self-care. We feel that high vibes are the next wave in beauty when it comes to a holistic body experience and ingredient performance. It is also an opportunity for lightening up, for refinement, elevation, and reconnection – a homecoming to the skin, to the soul and to the spirit.

Our ability to offer this starts with our intention and of course with our ingredients! We render homage to the highest frequencies of the plant world and bring them to you in our beautiful bottles and jars to delight skin, soul, and spirit. In the knowing that high vibrations bring out the genius in ingredients, amplify their talents and carve out a potency unknown before. We personally travel the world to source directly botanicals with an exceptionally high and rare vibrancy. These prove to be ingredients that your body recognizes, resonates with and attunes to, deep down to the cellular level. One beautiful application can literally elevate the frequency of your body and align it with its innate perfectly harmonious rhythm. Bringing about shifts that equally benefit skin, soul, and spirit. This nurtures self-healing and regulation, instilling balance while having a pronounced effect on all cellular and biochemical processes, improving overall tone, texture, and appearance of the skin. The benefits can also be strongly felt emotionally and mentally, releasing anxiety and tension, along with inspiring expressions of creativity and reinvigorating joy. It’s almost as if skincare was only meant to be this way.

Speaking to the vibrancy of our treats also means sharing the ethical methodology behind the sourcing. This goes way beyond just organic or biodynamic cultivation. Ensuring passion, preservation, and holistic values throughout the life-cycle, the vibrancy of an ingredient is nurtured by the power spot it grows and by those who care for it from seed, to plant, to bottle. Whether it’s our Murumuru butter from the Wai-Wai Indio Tribe of Brazil or working with a family-run Helichrysum distillery on Corsica, we pull from a very select handful of trusted people that we personally know and care for.

Ultimately, what we hope for that when you open a fresh jar of Mask & Wash – connecting with the energy that instantly ripples through every cell of your being –  is that you feel elevated, refined and light up by the beauty of high-vibes; from the quality of the ingredients, the handmade, intentional and loving ritual in which they were formulated and crafted to the reconnection to the self when the mousse-like mask touches your skin. Letting you shine in all your beauty.

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME THE HIGH VIBE FORMULATOR?

I think it was chosen before I came to this place that I should become a formulator, healing with plants. It was a knowing born before time and understanding. And all my life was a preparation for this mastery. My endless childhood days spent in the woods between wildflowery meadows, rivers, woods, and forests, developing a deep connection to the beauty that nature has to offer and how it can work synergistically with the human body, soul and spirit. My learning about roses and plants from teenage years on, my training at the Austrian Academy of Kinesiology in anatomy, aromatherapy, energetic healing, and the human physical and subtle body. My life with Max who weaves and breathes wonders into me, every day. My circle of friends deeply invested in the fields of integrative medicine, energy healing, and wellness – all healers, leaders, and inspirations in their own right. All of this nurtures me and allows me to pour my joy, love, and passion in the formulation, in the creation of our skin care collection.

WE OFTEN ASK THE BRAND FOUNDERS WHAT CHALLENGES THEY HAVE BEEN FACED WITH IN THE EARLY DAYS OF INTRODUCING THEIR IDEAS AND PRODUCTS TO THE PUBLIC. CAN YOU SHARE YOUR CHALLENGES WITH US?

As pioneers of introducing the transformative power of high vibrational healing to luxury skincare, we had a lot of passionate, educational work to do –  on energy, vibrancy, the subtle body and their beneficial effects on all the biochemical, cellular, emotional and mental processes in the body.

I think the beauty of it all was and still is making the transformative power of High Vibes tangible for people, opening them up to their importance and entwinement with health and beauty.  

Education and training, along with being as hands-on and caring as possible, is very important to us – we feel that the more people we can get to experience the stunning benefits and results of high vibes, the more we can brighten people’s lives and ultimately the world.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE, WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE FACTORS THAT CAUSE AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON THE HEALTH OF OUR SKIN AS AN ORGAN (E.G. UNHEALTHY DIET, ALCOHOL, CIGARETTES, POLLUTION FACTOR, ABSENCE OF SLEEP, NO EXERCISE, ETC.)?

All of the above mentioned. Whilst in my experience you can’t generalize on these, everyone is different and has a unique reaction to external and internal stressors. Some bodies can perfectly regulate pollution while they cannot cope with too little sleep and vice versa. One would have to look at the individual constituency, life circumstances, skincare regimen, spiritual practice and so much more.

AND WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE “TOOLS” HELPING TO PRESERVE HEALTHY SKIN AND YOUNG LOOKS – WE DO NOT TOUCH UPON ABOUT GENETICS AND SURGERY?

Positive outlook on life! The way you think hugely influences how your cells behave. Psychoneuroimmunology, a new scientific branch of medicine, is the study of the interaction between mental processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body – this in dedication to the incredible results when you think positively in reference to healing.

Movement and exercise together, coupled with drinking enough water, is so important to keep the Qi, the blood, lymph, and all the fluids in your body flowing all of which have a huge influence on skin’s appearance, health, tone and glow. This also means good support with nutrients to the tiniest capillaries, good detoxification, and good hydration. Even more so you feel free and vibrant and alive and outwardly joyful  – an energy that is contagious, very attractive, dynamic and moving.

Also, your spiritual practice is so important to the beauty of your skin. Think of chakras and how they influence skin (skin is aligned to the heart chakra), think of meridians and their impact on the skin (heart meridian, lung meridian, large intestine meridian and many more). Letting your inner light radiate outside, this is spiritual beauty to me, which will also show on your skin as THAT glow.

I have to add a fourth: organic skincare! And at best high-vibe, organic skincare 😉

WHAT IS YOUR USUAL DAILY BEAUTY RITUAL – YOUR SKINCARE AND MAKE-UP MUST HAVES?

Every day I start into my days with The Intuitive for building a sacred space and installing a deep spirit of harmony and centeredness. Purity & Grace for cleansing and clearing my face, boosting microcirculation, preparing for exposure to the sun, while moisturizing, face oil I am the light for additional radiance. Then I just dab on a tiny bit of rescue balm on my lips to smooth theses fine lines and get a lovely hydration boost. I prefer to wear my skin naked like this, no foundation just a bit of my favourite lip2cheek color ‘spell’ from my friend Rose Marie from RMS on my cheeks, followed by living luminizer also from RMS. A little purple mascara and eye color from Dr. Hauschka and the lipstick ‘brain teaser’ mixed with the ‘smile’ lip2cheek both from RMS are my finishing touches.

IF YOU WERE TO TAKE JUST ONE MAX&ME PRODUCT ON A DESERT ISLAND WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO TAKE ALONG?

Definitely Mask & Wash, the heart of our Collection. It’s such a multitasked, you can wash your face with it, use it as the most beautiful, brightening, deeply hydrating and calming mask ever, exfoliate with it. If wanted and when not swiped off with The Cloth, but just splashed off, Mask&Wash leaves a thin layer of nourishment, calm and hydration on the skin which would come in quite handy when on a desert island where sun and windburn are not far away.

HOW DO YOU RELAX IF SHORT ON TIME?

It’s always, always, always a walk in our manufactory’s garden. It is lush, abundant, pristine and bursting with life everywhere you look. To me, this is my own patch of paradise where I can connect with the energies of the plants, taking in the fresh air, playing with the wind, soaking up the sun, dancing with the rain, feeling alive, vibrant and relaxed all at the same time. A five minute walk is enough to make me feel refreshed, clear and centered again.

YOUR BELOVED HOLIDAY DESTINATION?

I love the country and city I live in; for me, there is no better place to be than in Austria’s pure, stunning nature with its laidback charm but also to head into Vienna for its sophisticated cultural offerings. What’s more, I feel I’ve arrived exactly at the place I was meant to be: our garden studio and manufactory. I’m head over heels, heart wide open, in love with this place that we have created together as a team and a family. That said, if I do venture from our home other than for ingredient sourcing, I would put Maui and Bali, two islands with beautiful vibrations, at the top of my holiday list.

Curious about the vibrant flow of energy that Max&Me skincare products can offer? Check out our shelves!