Beauty Boss: Eha Urbsalu, Founder of Viking Beauty Secrets

Eha Urbsalu. [Photo by Stanislav Moshkov]

Our latest Beauty Boss is Eha Urbsalu, Founder of Viking Beauty Secrets—a line of certified organic skincare products made with the purest ingredients from Northern Europe. Their natural, toxin-free formulations are vegan, cruelty-free, and non-GMO, opting for essential oils over artificial fragrances. The brand’s products feature Nordic superberries among its main ingredients and their skincare solutions are gentle on skin as well as the earth.

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Also at the forefront of eco-conscious beauty, Viking Beauty Secrets utilizes renewable energy in its production processes with fully recyclable, FSC-certified packaging materials including glass containers and post-consumer recycled tubes. The company also donates a portion of its proceeds to ocean clean-up efforts championed by co—owner Merle Liivand, who is also a well-known environmental advocate.

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We chatted with Urbsalu who shared her favorite beauty and wellness tips, secrets for success, best advice, and much more.

When was Viking Beauty Secrets founded and what does the name mean?

After many years of preparation, I officially started the brand in 2019, right before Covid. Many people name skincare brands after their own name, however, I wanted to find a name that reflects what it is, but is also easy to understand. The Nordic berries which we use in our products, cloudberries, sea buckthorn, are also the berries that were used for health and beauty in Viking times. And the word “Viking” is the same in most world languages. Also, I admire that the Viking women were strong and had more rights in the 9th century than many western places did in the 1960s. So Viking Beauty Secrets seemed like the right name.

Viking Beauty Secrets Peptide Serum is infused with the essence of blueberries, strawberries, gingko biloba, and vitamin C to promote a rejuvenated and vibrant complexion.

What inspired the creation of the brand?

I started working in the beauty industry as a model at age 14 and by age 17 I was one of the first winners of Miss Estonia and placed fourth at the Ford Supermodel of the World Competition. That started my travels and modeling around the world. Ultimately I moved to NYC to finishing college summa cum laude and I was also working as a body double for major tall blonde actresses like Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman, Tilda Swinton, Connie Nielsen, Elle Macpherson, and others, requiring me to wear heavy make-up for 14+ hours a day. This took quite a toll on my skin, and health and I learned about the many harmful chemicals that are in the skincare products sold in America—even today! I did not know that while the European Union has banned about 1,300 harmful chemicals from skincare, America has only banned about 30.

So I started to look back into the ingredients that I grew up with in Northern Europe to fix my own skin. I created Viking Beauty Secrets with the Nordic superberries that I grew up with as the main ingredients. And with so much confusion about “green” and “clean,” I opted to have all of the Viking Beauty Secrets products Greenlife Ecocert COSMOS organic or natural certified.

Does Viking Beauty Secrets have a hero product?

Our Exfoliating Facial Scrub has won six Clean Beauty awards, both in Europe and North America. While many scrubs sold in America still use plastic microbeads, Viking Beauty Secrets Exfoliating Face Scrub is made with Icelandic volcanic black sand, which also detoxifies and Nordic Raspberry seed oil. This scrub is loved by men and women and is a total unisex product.

Viking Beauty Secrets Eye Cream replenishes delicate skin around eyes and neutralizes damaged caused by the environment with hyaluronic acid, cloudberries, and other Nordic super antioxidant berries.

What are your favorite products from your brand?

I personally use our Eye Cream every day and night. When I take a break to try some other ones, I always return to ours as soon as possible. Somehow it works the best for me—it is lightweight and absorbs quickly yet refreshes and I know how nutritious it is. It’s like a salad bar for your face! It is made with an aloe base, chamomile, the Nordic berries, cucumber, hyaluronic acid, and has a very light, natural lavender essential oil for scent. It is, of course, Certified Organic and has no harmful ingredients.

Where are your products sold?

Viking Beauty Secrets products are available online. We also offer a personal shopping experience in select retail locations, Asili Beauty & Wellness, and Scandinavian House on Park Avenue in New York City.

Future plans for the brand?

We hope to grow and let more people discover our amazing products. We are actively in development of new great products and I’m really looking forward to introducing these in the market

Who inspires you?

My mother. Regardless of having lived through WWII as a young girl, she maintains an optimistic view of life. She believes in good in people yet she is no pushover. She has a very level mind and I have never seen her lose herself, scream or whine about herself. She always looks at how to fix the situation, how to go on. I guess she learned that from the war time.

I am also inspired by my business partner, Merle the Mermaid. She is an incredible athlete and an advocate for the oceans. She fights against the overwhelming plastic and trash everywhere, especially in the oceans and seas. Merle did five Guinness World Records, the last one by swimming 26 miles in the ocean with the mermaid tail while cleaning up trash to bring awareness to the plastic microbeads and trash in the oceans.

Viking Beauty Secrets Restorative Night Cream repairs skin overnight and helps neutralize daily environmental damage with hyaluronic acid, cloudberries, and other Nordic super antioxidants.

Secret to success?

Not giving up and creating a strong supportive team.

I am very lucky that I have a supportive husband who also keeps an eye on our finances being in order. Also, my business partner is an athlete, so sometimes it feels like she is hard on me, but she is also the one who pushes me to not give up and work through whatever problem I have in front of me.

Beauty secrets?

Number one is sleep.In my modeling days and even later I used to travel a lot, and it was difficult to get a full night’s sleep with different time zones. As years went on I noticed that I looked older when I didn’t get the full 7+ hours of sleep. So, I created and by now have mastered my so called “going to sleep ritual.”

No matter where I am—at home or in a hotel somewhere—I first turn off the phone or put on the alarm and then turn it to sleep mode. Then I bring a half a glass of water to my night table. Even if I don’t drink it, I know it is there in case I need it. Then I proceed with the “turn down service,” meaning I turn down the blanket from my pillow or adjust it if it is done in a hotel. This lets my brain see the pillow and subconsciously know that the “countdown to sleep” has begun.

Now I go brush my teeth and wash my face. I use our Foaming Face Wash, which is made with chamomile, calendula, and rose water so it is so soothing and the light scent is also soothing. I follow with Viking Beauty Night Cream, which is made with aloe base and has a very light natural lavender scent, so again, I soothe and calm my senses. By the time I lay my head down on the pillow, I’m asleep in 30 seconds.

Wellness tips?

I would say balance. Try your best to do some exercise, but don’t beat yourself up if sometimes you don’t get to it. Stress is the worst so try not to create it yourself.

Balance also your food intake. Again, try your best to stay away from the bad stuff (sugar, preservatives, harmful chemicals), but if you eat a piece of a cake at a birthday, enjoy it and look at it as a reward and try to be better the next day.

Best advice?

Again, don’t beat yourself up over some things going wrong or making a wrong decision. Life happens. At least we keep on living. And sometimes whatever seems wrong at first, turns out to be the right thing in the long run.

Favorite way to relax?

I used to be a singer-songwriter so music has a lot of effect on me. Even though I don’t have time these days to write music any more, I love listening to chill music and pretty melodies. I also like to watch movies. They are like bedtime stories for adults. It takes your brain away for an hour and a half and disconnects you from your daily business tasks.

For more information about Viking Beauty Secrets, visit their website and follow on Instagram: @vikingbeautysecrets

[Images courtesy of Von Wesen and Stanislav Moshkov, Product Photography by Von Wesen]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk