Behind the Brand: Tata Harper

behind the brand tata harper

Green queen Tata Harper revolutionised luxury skincare with the launch of her eponymous brand in 2010. Long before clean skincare became a trend Tata had her own epiphany, “growing up in Colombia I was surrounded by women who instilled a love of beauty and self-care within me from a very young age. Years later, when my stepfather was diagnosed with cancer I realised the products we use daily play such a major role in our health and I started to research everything I was putting in and on my body.”

In The Beginning

Following her stepfather’s doctor’s advice to look out for toxic additives, Harper’s regular beauty products suddenly felt like a health hazard, but at that time the only place to find organic products was the supermarket. “I couldn’t find any natural products that gave me the results and the luxury experience I was looking for.” Rather than giving up and compromising on experience and results, Tata decided “to embark on a journey and create my own… the best skincare in the world without a single drop of artificial chemicals. You shouldn’t have to choose between natural and high performance or sacrifice your health for your beauty.”

The Eureka Moment

Tata’s eureka moment didn’t stop there; she was stunned to discover not only industrial ingredients like anti-freeze in some skincare, but also the excesses and difficulties of outsourcing manufacturing to skincare laboratories. Instead of squeezing her vision, she brought together a team of scientists at her Vermont farm and began mixing, testing and creating on site. It took five years to create a synthetic-free beauty line, and now, Tata is proud to say, “we are completely vertically integrated, which means we formulate, batch, fill, and ship all of our products from our 1,200 acre farm in Vermont. We make everything ourselves — being vertically integrated is non-negotiable for us and is rare in the beauty industry.”

An Ingredients Upgrade

One of Tata Harper’s founding principles “more ingredients equal more results” means that no product focuses on a single ingredient to achieve a single outcome. Every Tata Harper product is packed with over 40 natural ingredients for multiple benefits and each bottle even has an HPI (high performance ingredients) number printed on it so you can see the benefits you’ll reap. Most synthetic ingredients are based on natural sources that have shown great results, for example hyaluronic acid can be created in a lab or taken from fermented plants, but it’s always the natural sources, not the synthetic alternatives that are found in Tata Harper products.

The Time is Now

Hugely successful, Tata Harper employs over 200 people, is sold all over the world and adored by high-profile celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Emma Watson and Anne Hathaway. Tata’s luxurious formulas and great results mean there’s no need to compromise on clean beauty any longer. If you’re looking to add some green or natural formulas to your routine then, as Tata explains, “you can start small and incorporate more natural products into your regime over time.”

We recommend the Resurfacing Serum which boosts glow and clarity from the off with sugar cane, tomato and willow bark. Its partner, the Resurfacing Mask works for all skin types, as Tata explains “it’s a mask that anybody needs at any age just for complexion perfecting. I am a huge fan of having fresh, glowing skin — and really almost no makeup. I just felt like with this mask, it’s achievable.”

Into The Future

As a brand who has already achieved so much, what are the challenges still facing Tata Harper? “I find the biggest hurdle for both the industry at large and our brand is packaging. Clean cosmetic packaging has a long way to go in terms of sustainability. Things that are sustainable are not luxurious, yet things that are ‘considered luxury’ are non-recyclable plastic and acrylics that end up in landfills. It’s been a challenge that we have been overcoming one step at a time. We are always re-evaluating new bottles, pumps, and making things customised.” Watch this space for fully biodegradable, beautiful packaging that will once again revolutionise the beauty industry.