As the calendar turned to a brand-new year, many of us took a moment to reflect on what we want to improve in the months ahead. For Serene Seah-Ma, a mother of two and beauty entrepreneur, 2024 is about balance, intention, and taking care of both her family and herself. Featured recently in The Straits Times SG, Serene opened up about her resolutions and shared a refreshing perspective on self-care and mindful living.
Serene is the co-founder of the Freia group of brands, which includes Freia Medical, Freia Aesthetics, and Freia Malaysia. Together with her husband, Dr. Harold Ma, an aesthetics doctor and medical director of Freia Medical, they have built a reputation for combining medical expertise with a thoughtful approach to beauty. While Harold focuses on medical aesthetics, Freia Aesthetics has grown into a trusted medi-spa offering facial, hair, and body treatments designed to complement the clinic’s services. Managing these businesses while raising two children means Serene has her hands full, but she remains committed to setting meaningful resolutions for herself.
For 2024, Serene’s personal goals highlight simplicity and consistency. When it comes to skincare, she plans to be more disciplined with her cleansing routine, starting with a milk or oil-based cleanser to remove sunscreen, makeup, and daily impurities, followed by a gentle gel or foam cleanser to ensure her skin is thoroughly clean. She emphasizes spending at least a full minute on this process, turning it into a small ritual of self-care.
She also intends to incorporate daily exfoliation into her routine. Having avoided exfoliants in the past due to skin sensitivity, she realized that neglecting this step led to more harm than good. Without proper exfoliation, dead skin cells built up, leaving her skin looking dull and compromising its natural barrier. Now, she believes gentle, consistent exfoliation is key to maintaining healthy, glowing skin.
Finally, Serene is making a firm commitment to wear sunscreen every single day. She acknowledges that this habit not only protects her skin from premature aging but also ensures long-term skin health.
Outside of beauty, Serene’s resolutions extend to her lifestyle. She hopes to declutter her wardrobe, opting for gown rentals instead of frequent purchases, and plans to clear out older bags before buying new ones. By streamlining her life in small ways, she wants to make more room for what truly matters.
For Serene, 2024 is less about dramatic changes and more about intentional choices. Her approach is a reminder that resolutions do not have to be overwhelming, they can be as simple as creating healthier routines and making mindful decisions that bring more clarity and joy into daily life.
"The mother of two has her hands full as a beauty entrepreneur managing the Freia group of brands: Freia Medical, Freia Aesthetics and Freia Malaysia. Her husband, Harold Ma is an aesthetics doctor and medical director of Freia Medical. Freia Aesthetics is the group's medi-spa arm - specialising in facial, hair and body treatments that complement services offered at Freia Medical."