Interview with clean beauty maestro: Tata Harper

Hello Tata, first of all, what made you want to create your brand?

My stepfather was diagnosed with cancer, and through helping him change his lifestyle I started to examine everything I was putting in and on my body. For the longest time, natural beauty was thought to be simple and low quality – a lot of the textures and experiences weren’t designed for a serious skincare client like me. Typically you would find natural beauty in food stores and apothecaries where you don’t find high quality products with the technology you expect. At the same time, when I went to department stores they have a few natural ingredients that are mixed with synthetics and chemicals. I wanted to fuse both worlds and create products that were 100% natural but made with high quality, potent ingredients. There wasn’t an option for people like me that were looking for that. Since I couldn’t find any natural skincare products that gave me the results and the luxury experience I was looking for, I decided to create my own.

How does your environment influence your life and your way of developing the brand?

We create products that are better for people and the planet and it’s always been extremely important to us to educate the public on how they can live happy, healthier lives. This mission is not only paramount in my business, but it stems from my lifestyle. I believe that health should always come first and I try to use non-toxic and chemical free products whenever I can. Skincare is only a piece of the puzzle and it’s important to take a holistic approach to wellness with exercise, a consistent sleep schedule, and a healthy diet. I am always trying to find new ways to live a healthier and more sustainable life and I am constantly learning from my customers, my team, or friends. 

What drives you to create a new product?

We are always on the hunt for groundbreaking technology and we want to make sure our customers have access to them. Once we discover something new that we want to create or incorporate into our product line, I work with our in-house team on every step of the process to see the idea come to fruition. We start from scratch from conceptualization to formulation with the most high-tech ingredients to packaging. Everything we do is in-house on our farm in Vermont and allows us the freedom to innovate and create products that aren’t yet out there. 

What is your favorite product?

This is such a hard question! Elixir Vitae is my desert island product. It’s our most powerful anti-aging solution, with 72 ingredients that target deep wrinkles and loss of volume to restore youth and plumpness to the skin. Regenerating Cleanser is the first product I use every morning – it’s a gentle exfoliator and I like to use it every day to get rid of the dead skin cells that accumulate overnight. Resurfacing Mask is my go-to after a long flight, before an event, or whenever my skin needs a pick-me-up. It’s a BHA and fruit enzyme mask that gets rid of buildup and basically gives you instantly fresh, glowy skin. Crème Riche is another must-have for me, it’s our richest moisturizer that feels like a velvety cream. I use it every night as the last step of my routine. It’s packed with antioxidants and hydrators to intensely moisturize the skin and support the skin barrier.

A last word?

Always take care of yourself  and find ways to help the planet