Stella Ungphongphan, the Thai-Australian founder of two groundbreaking wellness brands, Rice Remedy and Oat Remedy, is reshaping the landscape of modern wellness by blending ancestral wisdom with scientific precision. Rooted in both tradition and innovation, her story is one of transformation, healing, and redefining the wellness industry.
Born in Buriram, Thailand, and raised in Sydney, Stella’s upbringing was deeply influenced by her Chinese-Thai and Japanese heritage. Her family’s connection to natural remedies runs deep. Her Japanese grandfather owned a rice mill, and her Thai grandmother passed down generational recipes and wellness rituals that form the foundation of her products today. The juxtaposition of science and spirit, tradition and innovation, is the cornerstone of Stella’s work.
Her journey, however, was not always aimed at wellness. Prior to founding her brands, Stella worked as a radiographer, bringing a clinical eye to her work. But her time in the medical field, combined with the demands of modern life, led her to experience burnout. Faced with chronic stress and its toll on her health, Stella sought a return to the earth and ceremony. She began by experimenting with biofermented rice, which she transformed into what would become the signature ingredient of Rice Remedy, a line of skincare designed to not just hydrate, but to texturise, offering a luxurious sensory experience inspired by Okinawan ritual and Japanese beauty.
Rice Remedy’s patented Ricesilk biocellulose, derived from fermented rice, serves as the central innovation of the brand. This skincare product is unique, focusing on creating a “textural” experience that softens both the skin and the spirit. Unlike conventional moisturisers that simply hydrate, Rice Remedy embraces a deeper, more restorative approach to skincare. Stella’s formulations are designed to restore the skin’s natural texture and radiance, reminiscent of the slow, ceremonial nature of ancient beauty rituals.
Parallel to this, Stella co-founded Oat Remedy, a wellness brand born out of a shared experience of burnout with her partner, G. This brand offers nervous system nourishment through soothing rituals and oat-based products, which aim to create what Stella calls an “Oatasis”, a sanctuary for the nervous system amidst the chaos of modern life. Oat Remedy moves beyond the trends of wellness lattes, offering an ecosystem of nervine botanicals and bio-rhythm regulation designed to restore balance and rhythm to the body and mind.
Stella’s innovation is not only in the products themselves but in the philosophy behind them. She is crafting immersive, ritualistic experiences that invite people to slow down, reconnect, and reset. Both Rice Remedy and Oat Remedy offer more than just products, they offer a way of life. In a world saturated with instant fixes and superficial wellness trends, Stella’s brands invite stillness, softness, and ritual.
“I don’t sell skincare or supplements, I sell sanctuary. Ritual is the real remedy,” says Stella. Her brands are designed to create moments of pause, something so rare in today’s fast-paced world.
Stella’s work has garnered significant recognition, including her selection as one of NY Weekly’s Top 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2025. She has also earned a National Innovation Award for her design work and has been a former Director of SoGal Sydney, where she helped mentor other women in business. As a result, Stella is not just seen as a business leader, but as a visionary whose brands have quietly begun to shape the wellness movement.
What sets Stella apart from others in the industry is her ability to blend ancestral wisdom with modern scientific knowledge. Her clinical background as a radiographer and her deep connection to her cultural heritage enable her to offer a unique perspective on wellness. Unlike many wellness brands that focus on surface-level aesthetics or quick fixes, Stella’s brands are about long-term restoration, both for the skin and the soul.
The success of Rice Remedy and Oat Remedy also lies in the immersive ecosystems Stella has created around them. These brands are not just about products; they’re about experiencing a lifestyle, one that encourages people to reconnect with themselves, their bodies, and their heritage. With rituals like warm mugs, weighted pillows, and soft candles, Oat Remedy offers an escape from overstimulation and a chance to reset. Rice Remedy, meanwhile, offers a more tactile experience, its rice-derived biocellulose wraps the skin in a silky veil, transforming not just the skin but the entire self-care ritual into something sacred.
“I don’t want people to just consume wellness, I want them to live it,” says Stella. “I’m not building brands to sell products, I’m building ecosystems to help people return to their rhythm.”
The rise of Rice Remedy and Oat Remedy is part of a larger movement Stella is quietly spearheading: a return to rituals that honour both ancestry and modern science. With upcoming retreats in Thailand and Southeast Asia, as well as a broader vision for global community-led growth, Stella’s impact is only just beginning. She aims to create a wellness movement that emphasizes ritual over performance, sensory experiences over quick results.
Stella’s brands have already begun to shape a movement in the wellness industry. Her approach is thoughtful, quiet, and deeply rooted in the belief that true wellness comes from within. The next wave of wellness, according to Stella, won’t be loud or fleeting, it will be lived through rhythm, softness, and the return to self.
As she continues to expand her vision, Stella is also crafting new initiatives, including brand residencies, retail activations, and global collaborations. She believes the key to long-term wellness is not in trends, but in rituals that restore the rhythm of the body and mind. And with the growing success of her brands, it’s clear that people are ready to embrace this new way of living.
With her patented Ricesilk biocellulose, her Oatasis concept, and a profound wellness philosophy that merges ancestry, science, and ritual, Stella Ungphongphan is leading a quiet revolution in the wellness space. Her brands offer not just a product, but a journey, one that promises to reconnect people with their rhythm, their roots, and their own sense of self.
For more information, visit the websites of Rice Remedy here and Oat Remedy here.
Instagram – Rice Remedy | Instagram – Oat Remedy | Instagram – Stella Ungphongphan
