Beauty Boss: Margaret de Heinrich, Co-Founder of Omorovicza
Margaret de Heinrich.
Our latest Beauty Boss is Margaret de Heinrich, Founder of Omorovicza—an award-winning luxury skincare brand that captures the healing powers of Budapest’s mineral-rich thermal waters to transform skin. The brand is carried in major spas and hotels around the world, and its mission is to deliver clients’ best skin with a philosophy driven by centuries of Hungarian beauty wisdom, providing unique insight into the needs of any skin type or concern and how to treat them.
In the 1800s, the Omorovicza family built a thermal bath (the Rácz Fürdo) on the site where an Ottoman bath had been built on top of a medieval healing spring in the 1560s and began harnessing the healing powers of the thermal waters. In the early 2000s, Stephen de Heinrich de Omorovicza took his future wife Margaret to see the baths that his family had built in Budapest, and when the couple witnessed the healing powers on their skin, they were ultimately inspired to launch Omorovicza in 2006.
Spa Profile: Omorovicza London Institute
The couple learned from the head of a Hungarian Laboratory of dermatology that skin can only benefit from the minerals of the thermal waters while submerged, so they set out to discover a way to deliver these minerals into the skin’s deeper layers. Working with the Nobel prize-winning laboratory of dermatology, they developed and patented a Healing Concentrate™, which transforms the thermal waters’ beneficial minerals into bio-available compounds that can be absorbed by skin.
Aside from its extensive skincare range that treats a variety of skin issues and helps it appear younger and healthier, Omorovicza also offers innovative skincare treatments at its Institutes in Budapest and London. Clients enjoy an immersive experience that combines centuries-old wellness traditions with the latest skincare science to deliver transformative results through targeted skincare treatments and personalized product recommendations.
Spa Profile: The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest
We chatted with de Heinrich who shared her favorite beauty and wellness tips, secrets for success, best advice, and much more.
When was Omorovicza founded and how did you choose the name for your brand?
Omorovicza was founded in 2006 and is my husband’s family name. It is actually a town that was given to my husband’s family many moons ago by the Austro-Hungarian Emperor for their contribution to the country.
What inspired the creation of the brand?
The curative culture of Budapest inspired us to create Omorovicza. This is a celebration of the healing waters in these gorgeous spas and the treatments that one has after soaking in the mineral-rich waters. Spa actually means “health through water” in Latin (sanitas per aqua).
Omorovicza’s Midnight Renewal ($200) is a night-time serum that stimulates optimal repair during sleep with retinal, micro-algae, oat lipid and Healing Concentrate™.
Does Omorovicza have a hero product?
We have a handful of products that are consistently top sellers no matter what part of the world. These are the Queen of Hungary Mist, Daily Vitamin C, Rejuvenating Night Cream, Cleansing Foam, and Thermal Cleansing Balm.
What are your favorite products from your brand?
So difficult to name just one as it tends to change given time of year and condition of my skin. However, a few of my favorites are the Queen Cream and Queen Cleanser.
Where are your products sold?
Luckily, we are sold at most luxury department stores across the globe, as well as many of the most gorgeous 5-star hotels including the Viva Meyr, a selection of the Four Seasons and St. Regis hotels, and Ritz-Carlton spas, among many others.
Future plans for the brand?
We previously launched a gorgeous new institute in Budapest, which is where we train our facialists and partners. It was inspired by the Racz Furdo, Budapest’s most gorgeous thermal bath, which was built by Stephen’s ancestors and later donated to the country. Everything in the Institute was recreated by local artisans. In January 2024 we debuted our London Institute in the heart of London’s Mayfair district, which draws inspiration from our iconic institute in Budapest.
Omorovicza’s debut London Institute is located in the heart of the city’s Mayfair district.
Who inspires you?
Anyone who is true to themselves and appreciates that we are all works in progress.
Secret to success?
Discipline, tenacity, and humility.
Beauty secrets?
I had a “Eureka!” moment visiting a Hungarian facialist for the first time and she said that a big reason my skin was breaking out because I was not cleansing properly—that was the first time I learned about double cleansing. The other tip she shared, and which has made a big difference, is to change your skincare with the seasons.
The Omorovicza London Institute offers an immersive experience that combines centuries-old wellness traditions with the latest skincare science advancements.
Wellness tips?
Small changes, done regularly, can make a huge difference. For instance, if the idea of heading to a gym is overwhelming, do a 7-minute workout each morning. Or if the idea of going cold turkey on sweets is not appealing (I can relate), try having your coffee or tea without sugar.
Best advice?
Your chances of luck increase the harder you work.
Favorite way to relax?
My relaxing time is very (very) early in the morning before everyone is awake when I have my first cup of coffee and think through the day or any big issues needed to be tackled or late in the evening, just before bed when I take a hot bath, light a candle, and either listen to a podcast or just think.
For more information about Omorovicza, visit their website and follow on Instagram: @omorovicza
[Images courtesy of Omorovicza]
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