Featured Posts

What Can We Take From 2020?
As we eagerly embraced a new decade almost a year ago, full of positivity and aspirations for the year ahead, we were blissfully unaware of what lay ahead. No one was prepared for 2020...
View Post
The Ultimate Goal Setting Guide for 2021
Setting goals and working towards something specific is the key to success. Here’s how to set goals in 2021...
View Post
A Productive Start To The Year
Life should be about finding a balance that's right for you. There will be times when the pressure is on, and you need to put the hours in. Just don't make a habit of it.
View Post
What will happen to the fashion industry post covid-19?
Fashion is an industry which thrives on people being together- from huge worldwide showcases in Paris, Milan and New York to the most exclusive backstage parties attended by fashions elite.
View Post
To top

HRH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah chats Royal and Work Duties and how she Achieves Balance

This month, in honour of International Womens Day, Cohorted are championing leading #FemaleFounders in the industry. Throughout the month of March, we are bringing you exclusive content from the leading ladies themselves.

 

Our female founders series will discuss how brands were founded, the personal journeys of these inspirational women and sharing advice that will empower younger woman on their career paths.

Next in our #FemaleFounders series is Her Royal Highness Sheikha Intisar AlSabah, founder of Prismologie, the skincare brand based around colour theory. 

Don’t worry, we wouldn’t just tease you because featured in our March FemaleFounders Beauty Box is the Prismologie White Beginning Body Cream to soothe, protect and deeply moisturise the skin. 

1. What initially inspired you to start the brand Prismologie? 

It all started with a colour therapy workshop that my daughter had organised some years back. We were surprised to see three times as many people attend this workshop than any other workshop she had been involved with and to see everyone there so highly engaged. We then noticed that those that had attended the workshop started wearing different colours and using colour to enhance their daily life and make it better. One of them was my sister who wears black on black the whole time. She came to see me shortly after and was so proud to show me a lavender scarf she was wearing. The fact that she was willing to embrace colour even though she only wears black made my daughter and myself realise how powerful colour can be because of its ability to enhance people’s daily lives. We wanted people to be able to benefit from colour without wearing it and that led us to create a beauty brand that can be used every day to bring on the positive effects of colour. 

We wanted people to be able to benefit from colour without wearing it and that led us to create a beauty brand that can be used every day to bring on the positive effects of colour.

2. Why is colour theory such an important aspect of the brand? 

Because the brand’s ethos is based on using colour to enhance your life through beauty and wellbeing rituals. Colours have a profound effect on our psyche, on our wellbeing, on our emotions and our day and so if we are not able to wear colour for any reason, using Prismologie can bring on these mood-enhancing properties. 

 

3. Does sustainability play a big part in the brand and how do you think your position within the UN has influenced Prismologie? 

Sustainability for sure is a big part of not only the Prismologie brand but all the brands I have created as well as my day-to-day life and the causes served by my NGO’s. If something is sustainable, it has a minimal impact on our planet and Prismologie for sure falls in this category. Our packaging is sustainable or completely recyclable. We use only certified cardboard for our packaging. We use ingredients that are sustainable or that do not harm the environment that’s why we always use either natural or nature-derived and this forms part of our sustainability promise. 

 

4. Where do you get inspiration from in order to develop new products? 

I get inspired by everything around me. Sometimes it could be a new ingredient that has just been discovered, sometimes it’s a feeling that I become aware of and I want to bring on by using colours. Sometimes I may see a new beauty product and that inspires me, but also what motivates me I think more than anything else is what I find missing and which I feel others could benefit from. A perfect example is our Meridian Balms range. My first inspiration for the Red Meridian Balm was Deep Heat. Deep Heat is an excellent and highly effective product except it smells really bad. So I asked the formulators to create a product for us that would be like Deep Heat but that women could use. We then added all the beautiful ingredients like the Arnica Flower, Winter Green and Balloon Vine extracts and combined them with a sensual fragrance that would be appealing to women. So, my inspiration comes from just living life, looking around me and seeing what’s lacking and what is amazing. 

Never fall asleep with your makeup on and wear sunscreen at ALL times.

5. How has being a member of the Royal Family impacted your work in general and building your brand? 

I am blessed to be who I am in many aspects and this means that whatever I introduce has to be something really worthy of who I am and my standing in society. I guess this is the biggest thing that has impacted Prismologie and all my other brands as a whole, in that they have to stand up to the scrutiny of people. I always have to do something extraordinary, otherwise I’ll be scrutinized for it. 

 

6. What’s one of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face with Prismologie? 

The fact that no one understood in the beginning what we wanted, including the formulators, so, we had to literally guide them through that. How can we deliver the effect of a colour through beauty and wellbeing? That was the biggest challenge and that challenge we faced beautifully. The life-changing effects of colour are felt not only through the product packaging or the scent, where we used a very simple form of synesthesia to create scents that represent that particular colour, but also through the gems used in each collection and their key ingredients that affect the body on a cellular level. 

 

7. How does Prismologie fit around everything else you do, such as charity work and Lulua Publishing? 

The various colours of our collections help me in different ways, energising me in the morning, warming me up in winter, de-stressing my shoulders when I am tense. I use our Indigo foot cream, the Indigo Meridian balm and the Indigo candle to relax. I love the Green to restore balance and just sit in that space I’m in, the Yellow shower gel and body lotion are a Godsend in our long hot summers in Kuwait when I really need a picker upper. All in all, my life evolves around Prismologie as it allows me to balance or change my emotions when I need to. It improves my overall wellbeing and that helps me cope with the daily challenges in life. 

8. We imagine you’re often in work mode but what do you do to unwind and do you have any self-care rituals? 

Prismologie is my self-care ritual; all the time, every time, every day. Even when I have a body massage, I use either the oils or the Meridian Balms. I have got to thank my daughter for encouraging me to create Prismologie because it really makes my life so much better. 

  

9. If you could only use 3 of your products what would they be and why? 

For sure the Meridian Balms, and particularly the Red balm. I think the Red balm is my favourite whenever I’m exercising, post or pre-exercise, whenever I have stiff muscles. Even when I’m cold in winter, I actually use the Meridian Balm to warm myself up and often I also use it as a body cream. The second thing I would say would be the Indigo foot cream, by far my favourite night ritual together with the Pink hand cream, and not to forget, the Indigo candle that smells wonderful and makes me feel divine. 

 

10. What is on the horizon for Prismologie? 

We have partnered with Pantone and we will be introducing a new range of products in 2021. We have so much coming… just stay tuned, keep watching Prismologie and get ready to be WOWed!!! 

 

11. Having started a successful skincare company yourself, what advice would you give young women who are trying to find their passion and start their career? 

The biggest advice I would say is start small and grow it. Don’t imitate. Start something that you find lacking. Look for something that you think would really improve people’s daily life, but is not available. Do that. Have passion, have perseverance, have belief in yourself, and the sky is the limit. 

  

12. Who is your ultimate female inspiration and why? 

I get inspired by each and every female I encounter, both physically or virtually through the media because every female has so much to give. One woman might inspire me because of her wisdom, or her courage; one might inspire me because she’s so kind. One would inspire me because she’s so amazingly smart and can connect the dots so easily, or because she’s so loving. I get inspired by every single female I meet! 

Join us in paying tribute to our female trailblazers and head over to the Cohorted Instagram, where you can delve deep into exclusive content and conversation from our founder community.

WRITTEN BY

Cohorted Cult

Cohorted Cult
CohortedCult is a new online fashion and lifestyle publisher. Think of us as a Sassier, in-the-know friend, informing you with news, views, edits and opinions on all things relevant for the modern woman. From beauty and fashion to sustainability and travel we’ve got you.

Share This Story

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Share on pinterest

DISCLAIMER: We always aim to credit the original source of every image we include in our content. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please get in touch at marketing@cohorted.co.uk.

–
Subscribe to Cohorted Cult

JOIN THE CULT

Strong on empowerment and sustainability, we want to push more conversations surrounding career and wellbeing.

Subscribe with us and stay in the know on everything lifestyle!