EXCLUSIVE: Miranda Kerr Shares The Ingredient Behind Her Glowy Supermodel Skin

Supermodel Miranda Kerr believes in the importance of both internal and external beauty. This guiding star, she told me, is how she conceived her skincare brand, KORA Organics. Her most recent product launch is no outlier to this concept.

This summer, KORA Organics released Turmeric Glow Drops, a dewy serum part of her Turmeric Glow line, which also includes a Turmeric Brightening & Exfoliating Mask, a Turmeric Glow Foaming Cleanser, and a Turmeric Glow Moisturizer. Her brand is not only certified organic, non-GMO, vegan, cruelty-free, and climate-neutral certified, but it’s also known to be fertility and pregnancy-friendly. This, in particular, piqued my interest. I’m nothing if not a skeptic, knowing full well just how oversaturated the “clean” skincare market is, not to mention the celebrity and influencer brand market. 

So, when I had the chance to meet Miranda for the launch of her new product, I wanted to pick her brain about the intersection of motherhood and entrepreneurship, and see for myself if turmeric skincare was really worth the hype. Here's how it went.

From Supermodel to Skincare Mogul

Miranda Kerr became the first Australian Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2007, and she continues to snag high-profile fashion and beauty brand gigs even in her early 40s. She’s also a mom of four, and she’s the proud owner of her skincare line KORA Organics. After making a name for herself with commercial and swimwear work, she had the honor of walking exclusively for Balenciaga in 2010 (pre-scandal), has walked for Prada, and is no stranger to the pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and the like.

Just two months after giving birth to her son Flynn in January 2011, she was Paris Fashion Week-ready, walking for Balenciaga’s Fall/Winter 2011 ready-to-wear collection. This move came after she had already graced the runway with a five-month baby bump the previous year. That Balenciaga walk likely opened the eyes of many women to the power of the female body, and what’s possible when you take care of yours.

Miranda had practiced yoga throughout that whole pregnancy, as well as walked, did light resistance training, and followed a balanced diet. Her comeback wasn’t effortless, but it was purposeful and disciplined. That devotion to yoga and mindfulness practices is actually what inspired KORA, she told me.

“Back in 2006, when I started the concept of the company, I was thinking of names that were about embracing your core self, like mind, body, spirit, and core,” she explained. “KORA just came as part of that exploration, and it’s also a type of meditation, so it’s a little fitting.”

Now a boy-mom to four, with her eldest in his teenage years and her youngest less than two years old, she said she balances her identity as a mother, model, and entrepreneur by taking every day as it comes, trying to enjoy living in the moment, but not skipping out on a routine with structure as much as she can.

“For me, my boys know their bedtime routine,” she said. They eat dinner around 4:30 PM, next is bath time, then she puts the baby to bed, reads books to the other younger children, and then puts them to bed, too. For her oldest three children, she breastfed them until they were 18 months, but for her youngest, she stopped at one year.

“I was just kind and gentle with myself, and I was like, ‘You know what? He’s one, he’s healthy, we’re all good. He’s eating, he gets what he needs,'” she said. While she personally enjoyed the breastfeeding process, Miranda emphasized that it doesn’t happen for every woman, and it’s truly a personal decision.

Recalling how she once told Lauryn Bosstick on The Skinny Confidential Podcast that “true beauty starts from within; glowing skin comes from clean food, good hydration, sunshine, and sleep. Not just potions,” I asked Miranda why turmeric, of all ingredients, served as a dedicated “glow” line for KORA Organics.

Miranda’s explanation was pretty simple: she’s been using turmeric for many years while cooking, and there’s real evidence to show its effectiveness in skincare. This pattern is evident across many other KORA Organics products. Her vitamin C serum, she explained, uses one of the highest forms of naturally occurring vitamin C called Kakadu Plum, for example.

“My mom would give me Kakadu Plum powder as a vitamin C supplement, so then I included it in our skincare line, and same with Noni juice,” she said. “I’ve been drinking that since I was 13, and it’s basically, I feel, like the secret to my health and longevity, and I just felt like it was so key to include it in my skincare range.”

Across all her product lines, Miranda said, “It’s all about ingredients that really work, and that are superfoods that help you internally and externally.” So what’s the deal with turmeric?

What The Science Says About Turmeric

Miranda explained that the recently released Turmeric Glow Drops serve as a natural alternative to Niacinamide. Niacinamide, which is a form of vitamin B3, is beloved by skincare enthusiasts as packing an effective punch for brightening, calming redness, and skin barrier repair. But, an active ingredient like Niacinamide does have its downsides. Some people experience redness, stinging, and flushing because of how Niacinamide converts into Niacin, which can dilate blood vessels and cause flushing. If you already have sensitive skin or a condition like rosacea, you may notice this effect if you use a product with this active ingredient. And to make matters worse, if you layer Niacinamide with other acidic skincare products like AHAs or vitamin C in a low PH form, the active can destabilize and worsen irritation.

It’s worth noting that not everyone experiences severe reactions, or even slight ones, for that matter, and that Niacinamide receives high praises for a good, scientific reason. It can brighten your skin and it can help calm redness. But nothing kills the glow faster than splurging on a product your face immediately rejects. Furthermore, if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to conceive, or simply looking to adopt a more natural approach to your beauty routine without compromising your self-care, ingredient alternatives like turmeric (or crowberry and birch bark, which are also part of her product) could be a highly attractive option.

Turmeric, also known as curcumin extract, has been well-known for centuries as a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Curcumin brightens and evens skin tone by inhibiting tyrosinase: a copper-containing enzyme that sparks melanin production and hyperpigmentation. A 2016 review in Phytotherapy Research backs this up, showing that topical turmeric can significantly reduce symptoms for things like eczema, psoriasis, and even acne, all without the vasodilation that comes with high-dose Niacinamide. Additionally, a 2018 systematic review in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology found that turmeric extract significantly lightened hyperpigmentation and fine lines from UV rays after just four weeks, as well as reducing sun spots and acne marks. A 2025 paper in Frontiers in Pharmacology backs these claims up too, deeming curcumin “a potential anti-photoaging agent.”

A 2019 paper in Nutrients backed up turmeric’s role as an antioxidant and skin barrier support, as it neutralizes free radicals to protect skin lipids and proteins. The paper showed that curcumin enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in skin, meaning that the skin treated with turmeric was better able to boost its own defense system. The antibacterial effects of turmeric have been touted, too, in a 2025 quasi-experimental study from Drugs in Context that found curcumin could reduce acne lesions like benzoyl peroxide does, and with fewer side effects. What’s more, that antibacterial effect can also reduce sebum oxidation and therefore aid in oil regulation.

My Honest Review After Using The Turmeric Glow Line

All those benefits greatly appealed to me. I’ve long been on a journey of finding an effective skincare routine that doesn’t require 10+ steps and hours of my precious time. I’m a busy girl, and while I recently settled on a routine that includes products like vitamin C serum in the morning, and peptide serum and bakuchiol moisturizer in the evening, I’m a fundamentally curious person who hears a claim and wants to understand its authenticity.

Since the launch event for the Turmeric Glow Drops, I’ve incorporated the full KORA Organics Turmeric Glow line into my morning and night routines, and have honestly enjoyed them all. While I haven’t had enough trial time to prove any of the scientific claims previously discussed for my own case, I can confidently say that I love the consistency of each product, the subtle and high-end scent, the sensation on my skin, and how my skin feels after using them.

Here’s what I’ve been doing: In the morning, I’ll use the Turmeric Glow Foaming Cleanser in the shower, then post-shower, I use my vitamin C serum from my standard routine, immediately followed by the Turmeric Glow Drops and the Turmeric Glow Moisturizer. At night, I’ll use the cleanser again (after removing makeup with an oil cleanser, if I was wearing makeup), and then my peptide serum and bakuchiol moisturizer from my standard routine. A couple of nights, I’ll use the Turmeric Brightening & Exfoliating Scrub + Mask as a scrub, but it’s definitely not a daily-use sort of thing.

One of the biggest takeaways I had wasn’t the turmeric itself, but the deliberate, mild tingling sensation from the cleanser and scrub. The lineup features some non-turmeric ingredients that create a tingling sensation, like Papaya Fruit Extract, Salicylic Acid (BHA), Lactic Acid (AHA), Rosehip Seed Powder, Quartz, Bambusa (Bamboo Powder), Peppermint Oil, and more. It had been a while since I used a real, physical exfoliant, but between the scrub’s exfoliation potential and the tingling feeling, my skin really did feel refreshed and invigorated. 

Same deal with the cleanser, as someone with oily skin, cleansers usually leave my skin feeling stripped and dry, therefore increasing sebum production, or they feel ineffective. This one has kept my skin feeling soft, hydrated, and not gunked up.

The Glow Drops serum is thin, silky, and feels like a perfect next-step for me after vitamin C. Whereas my skin can feel a bit irritated by Niacinamide-based products, this one was totally noncontroversial. Then, I took a real chance by using the moisturizer during the daytime, because as mentioned, I lean oily rather than dry, and well… it’s still extremely hot outside. I usually skip morning moisturizer entirely during the summer because I’m a very active person and my skin hates the heat. 

But despite how plump even a small amount of the moisturizer felt to the touch, it didn’t leave my skin feeling slick or heavy. It felt spa-quality, and even if I sweat it out shortly after applying the cream, my skin really hasn’t been looking as oily as it usually would. Apparently, this moisturizer is a favorite of pop singer Katy Perry, too. And it’s worth reiterating that, whether you’re applying products day or night, always, always, always massage them down your neck and toward your collarbones.

All in all, I’ll need a bit more trial time to see if the line truly leaves a lasting glow, but at least for now, I’m happy with the interim results.

Why KORA Organics Feels More Real Than Hype

Miranda explained to me that, having been in the modeling industry since she was 13, she has tried all different textures of skincare products on her skin.

“All of the experience in the industry helped me work directly with the chemists to say what I wanted,” she said. “They’re obviously the geniuses when it comes to formulations and I’ve told them some of my key ingredients that I love to use and that I know have worked for me.”

And KORA Organics’s Turmeric Glow Drops in particular aren’t just effective for her; there are real results. While consumer perception studies aren’t scientifically sound compared to a full clinical trial from a medical or academic journal (and some can be biased, too), KORA Organics boasts the claim that after 4 weeks of using the Glow Drops twice daily, a group of 51 subjects (ages 25 to 55) gave glowing reviews. 92% said their skin texture improved, 90% reported their skin tone improved, 80% claimed their pores were minimized, and 90% thought their skin looked smoother and healthier.

To be fair, there’s a marketing halo that comes with “natural” products. Sometimes, people assume products with a cleaner label mean they’re more effective, but a good deal of natural ingredients are either poorly studied or just outright weak compared to synthetic skincare actives. It’s harder to control when natural extracts oxidize and how long they’ll be potent for, too. Clinical dermatology trials are also expensive and lengthy, so many brands will opt for consumer perception studies to give some amount of anecdotal evidence to back up a brand.

But in my eyes, KORA Organics feels a bit different. It’s been around since long before the current wave of influencer and celebrity brands; many of which rely on parasocial trust, glossy interviews, and a premium illusion that lead to higher price tags, even when the formulations are similar to cheaper products.

Miranda’s brand has survived over 15 years in a crowded market, which suggests real consumer repeat use and not just momentary launch buzz and a TikTok trend.

Miranda’s brand has survived over 15 years in a crowded market, which suggests real consumer repeat use and not just momentary launch buzz and a TikTok trend. Sure, her products are a bit pricier, but lately I’ve been trying to prioritize quality over quantity and doing things right the first time. Sometimes, cheaper “dupes” you cycle through just waste your time and money. And while not every claim is backed up by peer-reviewed dermatological studies, her brand is consistent in the core natural philosophy and the use of traditional botanicals tied to her Australian upbringing, which have long been loved in ancestral practices.

“I am so excited about the results it’s [Glow Drops] getting for people because they don’t have to compromise their health to get the results they need,” Miranda told me. “They say when you’re pregnant, that you should be aware of that. But hey, we should be aware of that all the time, not just when we’re pregnant.”

The launch event for the Glow Drops was full of just as many delights as sampling the entire lineup itself. Miranda partnered with Pressed Juicery for a limited-edition collaboration. There, Pressed offered us the limited-edition of their Turmeric Glow Shot, which is a quick sip of turmeric, coconut water, lemon, and black pepper. It was refreshing, and in hindsight felt like a 1:1 inside experience of that invigorating feeling I felt on the outside while using the scrub and cleanser. 

Getting the chance to sit down and talk with Miranda was also quite the treat. She’s just as real and down to earth as you’d imagine, equal parts cool and collected from years in front of the camera and somewhat of an old soul from years of investing in holistic health practices. She has long said she follows an 80/20 rule, meaning she sticks to a healthy routine around 80% of the time but allows herself some wiggle room for 20% (or so) of indulgence. This principle shines through her product line, because you’re not just slathering your face with raw turmeric, you’re getting a formulation where the extract is stabilized and, thank goodness, won’t stain your skin.

Closing Thoughts

Whereas plenty of celeb brands can lean too heavily on the story around them, rather than a genuine “wow” factor from effective ingredients, KORA Organics hasn’t disappointed me, and I frankly doubt it will with continued use. It’s true, I’m pretty bought-in to the supermodel-mom-balancing-wellness-and-entrepreneurship narrative, but it’s no tall tale. 

Miranda is the real deal, remaining deeply involved in the formulation process for her brand and not just being another pretty face for a label. She’s always been open about weaving her role as a mother into her wellness philosophy. Her lived experience gives me extra reassurance when so many “clean” brands rely on hype from people without much skin in the game.

If you’re pregnant, postpartum, or even just planning for the future, what you put on your body matters almost as much as what you put in it. I don’t subscribe to an all-natural routine, but I love a healthy ebb and flow between being “crunchy” and “silky.”

I admire how Miranda’s persona emulates that same kind of balance that women who value fertility, wellness, and womanhood crave. She’s a mother who chooses ingredients she trusts for herself and her children, and I love that she shares them with women across the world who want to feel radiant and beautiful without compromising their health or values.