FROM GRANDPA’S HERBAL REMEDIES TO LUXURY SPAS: How One Thai Family Turned Ancient Beauty Wisdom Into a Global Brand
Manusanun “Mew” Leelahongjudha grew up with a beauty routine she didn’t always appreciate. When she and her siblings suffered insect bites or skin irritation after playing outdoors, their mother would turn to herbal remedies passed down from their late grandfather, a village herbalist.
Among the ingredients was yanang, turmeric and other Thai botanicals prepared from the family garden.
As a child, Mew questioned the unusual smell and texture. Years later, after studying at MIT Sloan School of Management in the United States, she began seeing those childhood rituals differently.
She realised that while consumers around the world were increasingly interested in traditional wellness, Southeast Asian herbal traditions were still relatively underrepresented in the global beauty conversation.
That realisation eventually became SUDTANA, a Thai beauty and self-care company founded in 2019 with her two brothers.
From ancestral remedies to modern beauty
Rather than simply reproducing traditional recipes, Mew says SUDTANA combines family knowledge with modern research and product development.
The company's approach involves examining scientific literature around the herbs used in traditional remedies before adapting formulations for modern consumers, with attention to consistency, safety and usability.
One example is the brand's Bergamot Mint & Turmeric Scalp Revival Treatment, which draws inspiration from a childhood scalp remedy.
The original family preparation was made fresh and could vary from one batch to another. Turning it into a commercial product required work on ingredient ratios, oils, absorption and the overall consumer experience, according to Mew.
SUDTANA's current range spans hair, scalp, skin and body care, with products featuring ingredients such as turmeric, coconut, ginger, bergamot, sesame and other botanicals.
The farmers behind the beauty products
For SUDTANA, the story doesn't stop with the finished bottle.
The company says it works directly with farmers and growers in Thailand, including long-term agricultural partners who supply ingredients such as organic turmeric, lemongrass, jasmine rice and sesame.
The brand says these relationships are intended not only to secure ingredients but also to support local farming knowledge and more sustainable agricultural practices.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, SUDTANA continued purchasing organic jasmine rice from farming partners and donated supplies to 500 lower-income families in Bangkok, according to CNA's interview with Mew.
From a difficult pandemic to luxury hospitality
One of the biggest turning points came during the pandemic.
While the young company was dealing with lockdowns and disrupted international shipping, luxury hospitality company Soneva discovered SUDTANA independently, purchased and tested its products for several months, and eventually approached the brand.
That was followed by relationships with prestigious hospitality names including Four Seasons and Six Senses, according to CNA and SUDTANA's own company materials.
SUDTANA says its products are currently used or offered at properties including Four Seasons Bangkok and Six Senses Samui, while the brand's broader hospitality presence has helped bring Thai-inspired beauty rituals to international travelers.
Thailand's beauty industry is having a bigger moment
SUDTANA's rise comes as Thailand's wider beauty sector gains international attention.
CNA Lifestyle recently described the emergence of “T-beauty” as Thai skincare and cosmetics increasingly move beyond the country's borders through tourism, social media, e-commerce and regional expansion.
Unlike K-beauty, which became strongly associated with elaborate skincare routines, Thailand's beauty industry is developing a more diverse identity, with brands drawing on local ingredients, tropical-climate expertise, heritage and contemporary formulations.
SUDTANA represents one particularly distinctive side of that movement: traditional Thai herbal knowledge packaged for the modern global wellness consumer.
The rise of “slow beauty”
But Mew's philosophy goes beyond selling natural beauty products.
She describes her approach as “slow beauty” — the idea that meaningful skincare and self-care do not necessarily have to promise overnight transformation.
Her philosophy emphasises patience, consistency and treating skin, scalp and hair as systems that require time and care rather than constantly chasing the newest trend.
That message comes at a time when social media can create pressure for instant beauty transformations and ever-changing skincare routines.
SUDTANA's own philosophy similarly positions beauty around balance, authenticity and respect for nature rather than simply masking perceived imperfections.
A grandfather's legacy goes global
Perhaps the most powerful part of SUDTANA's story is also its simplest.
What began as a child's reluctance to use a homemade herbal remedy became the foundation for an international beauty business.
Mew says she wishes her late grandfather could see how far his knowledge has travelled.
And that may be the bigger story behind SUDTANA: Thai herbal wisdom once confined to a family garden is now finding a place in the global luxury beauty and wellness market — without completely abandoning the traditions that inspired it.
WWC ONE MEDIA MJE