Tata Harper Interview - Natural Skin Care and Beauty Products

Tata Harper has always been one of our absolute favorite natural skin care lines, especially now that it seems every beauty product out there has been stamped with some version of an “all-natural” or “organic” buzzword. And, with Tata’s Summer Essentials Skin Care Kit available on Reserve for a super-exclusive price, inquiring minds want to know exactly what makes this natural beauty maven the real deal. So, we sat down with the (quite stunning) woman herself and found out. Simple as that.

Your background is in engineering — what inspired you to break into natural skin care?
"I didn't plan on becoming a beauty entrepreneur, and I certainly didn't feel the need to develop just another skin care line (we all know there are tons available), but when I started looking for natural, non-toxic replacements for synthetic creams that I had been using for years, I noticed a huge gap in the market. No one seemed to be offering totally natural skin products that didn't compromise when it came to results, feel, texture, and smell. So, I assembled a group of experts from around the world to develop Tata Harper using the latest science and natural technology for real anti-aging results."

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All of your products are handmade and many of the ingredients are grown on your farm in Vermont. How has this hands-on approach shaped your skincare line?
"All of the research, production, packaging, and distribution of our line happens in our laboratory and facilities on our organic farm in the Champlain Valley, which allows me to keep a close watch over every step of the process. I spent years searching the globe, visiting amazing places for the finest, purest natural ingredients that yield the best results, and we even grow a percentage of them on our farm. Then, we make all the products from scratch. I want to be 100% sure that everything is of the highest quality."

Does your all-natural approach to beauty translate to the food and fashion as well?
"Definitely! I am very conscious of the food I feed my family and make every effort to eat organically. As with my products, I appreciate freshness and understand that the body craves living enzymes and nutrients, so I love to make fresh juices and smoothies. For clothing, I do my best to support designers and brands that focus on sustainability, when I can. I also absolutely love vintage. I have some pieces that will be with me forever and I will pass them down to my daughters. As for my home, almost everything is an antique! I love upcycled furniture — I think it brings so much personality and warmth to a space."

It seems that everywhere we look, we see a new all-natural skincare line arriving on the market –– what differentiates your skin care regimen? "There is a lot of greenwashing out there, and since no one legally governs what the word "natural" means on a label, it's hard to know what is trustworthy. What differentiates my line is that we are 100% natural and non-toxic for real, with not even the smallest percentage of a synthetic ingredient included. Also, the formulas for the products are entirely our own, complete with our own non-toxic bases — something that's very rare in the industry."

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Why did you choose these four products for the Summer Essentials Skin Care Kit? "These products are my personal essentials for summer, perfectly sized for travel. First, you need a cleanser that doubles as a makeup remover and leaves skin feeling soft and fresh and a moisturizer that has a nice matte finish, ideal for humid weather (it also contains beta hydroxy, so it decongests the skin at the same time). The eye cream is essential to looking fresh after long days in the sun or long nights out — it brightens and tones the eye area and really firms and de-puffs. And the Floral Toner Spray — definitely one of my favorites — is literally the perfect product for maintaining a fresh, dewy look throughout the day. It's just the right size for your purse, too!"

Which of your products (if you had to choose) do you consider a must-have in every girl's beauty arsenal?

"My Restorative Eye Creme is essential because it is absolutely loaded with natural active ingredients — 26 in all! We all hate it when we wake up with heavy bags or dark circles under our eyes, and this cream has ingredients like Carrot Seed Oil, Eyebright Flower, and Buck Wheat Wax Arnica to visibly reduce puffiness, brighten the eyes, and leave you looking fresh and awake. It can be applied late at night for deep treatment or first thing in the morning to start your day. It's powerfully effective stuff!"

How do you see your line expanding in the future?

"Lots of exciting things coming down the pipeline: nontoxic SPF, lip treatments, boosted serums, and more!"