Founded in 2010 by none other than Tata Harper herself, Tata Harper Skincare is considered a “pioneer of natural skincare.” The brand, having originated in Vermont, holds itself accountable for only launching products that exclusively promote clean beauty.
This luxury skincare brand promises to encourage the importance of self-care without risking women’s health. At 46 years old, this female entrepreneur’s beauty line has captured the attention of many. Our Editor-in-Chief, Lance Chung, sat down with Harper to understand how she’s fostered her brand and what the future might hold for clean skincare.
Below are five beauty lessons discussed by Harper in our latest podcast episode. Throughout, she explains how she built up a reputation among other leading skincare brands.
Beauty is more than just skin deep
Having grown up in Colombia, Harper explains that her family was filled with beauty ‘maximists’. “We want to layer everything on top of our skin; it’s the opposite of ‘less is more’,” Harper explained. From there, her love of beauty was fostered in many different ways. Harper says the beauty dynamic has since shifted — she has learned that beauty runs deeper than the products that mask your face.
“If you want to maximize your beauty, you need to reevaluate your lifestyle choices in many ways,” says Harper. “It’s not just about creams, but how well you eat or sleep, how you manage stress. […] It’s kind of like a pizza that has a lot of slices and skincare is only one of the slices.”
Loving your job is your key to success
Piggybacking on the idea that she loves the practice and principles of clean beauty, Harper notes that ‘if she didn’t love beauty so much, Tata Harper wouldn’t exist.’ Harper enjoys nothing more than the process of getting ready and being beautiful. “I was taught that beauty is not a chore — it’s something you enjoy doing to feel and look good. It’s a win-win situation,” she says.
From there, she was able to launch her successful skincare brand with the hopes of bringing people together through their love for self-care.
A company is only as good as its product
Harper notes that there was a goal in mind when launching Tata Harper Skincare. “What I wanted to create was not only something extremely different but also extremely unique,” she says. In the podcast episode, Harper explained that she didn’t want to share or take ideas from other brands, but she wanted “people like her to have options.”
According to Harper, it’s important to become familiar with the products you intend on using on your skin. While major brands have claimed to be clean for years, many skincare products are still toxic. That’s why, when crafting products for her skincare line, Harper made sure to stay clear of industrial chemicals. “I see [the products] that are mixed with dozens of industrial chemicals; antifreeze, petroleum, things that belong in a car. This is what I’m trying to get away from.”
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Sustainable has become a necessity
Harper explains that her skincare line is composed of dozens of multi-benefit skincare products that are constantly advancing. For example, Harper’s packaging contains soy-based ink that makes the products easier to be recycled. When asked how difficult it was to achieve sustainability, Harper mentioned that it was never done for marketing purposes, rather because of beliefs.
“We believe this will be the way to do business in the future — in my opinion, in order to call yourself a sustainable company, you have to make sustainable products,” she says. “For us, [sustainability] was never a question. A luxury product like this that also gives clients the ability to be sustainable is important.”
Harper hopes that upon pushing for sustainability, every customer will feel good about buying into clean skincare. “Sustainability is a work in progress— we’re never really done, is what I’ve realized. Every time we can do more, we’re doing more.”
You can’t have trust without transparency
Harper acknowledges the importance of using science to fuel beauty. “Science is at the core of our innovation and all of our products. […] We are in charge of their creation from beginning to end,” she says. While overseeing a product from start to finish is a rare occurrence in the beauty industry, Harper feels as though customers shouldn’t expect any less.
According to Harper, one thing the beauty industry lacks is transparency. “Having a product where you’re able to stand behind the freshness, quality— where we’re responsible for everything is important,” she says. “I feel like it’s a level of respect we owe to our clients.”
Listen to Harper’s full conversation with our Editor-in-Chief, Lance Chung, here.
