With all those beauty resolutions for 2014, take some tips from a natural beauty maven to kick off the New Year…
After seeing one of her products, you will forever be able to accurately identify one of Tata Harper’s cosmetics, due to their green label with a cheery yellow detail. For a brand that is totally, 100 percent natural, Harper promises that there are no chemicals or harmful ingredients in her skincare range; hence the natural hues on her labels. As the line is produced in entirety on Harper’s farm, she is able to create small batches of luxurious skincare while maintaining a strong hold on her vision, which (more or less) started out in a doctor’s office… BY DENA SILVER
Where did you come up with the idea for the Tata Harper brand?
We started in 2005, after my stepfather was diagnosed with cancer. I went with him to all of his cancer treatments and lot of doctors would bring up the issue of environmental toxins. They recommended that he use only natural products, which was an eye opener in the sense that no one told us to avoid chemicals every single day! I decided that I had to find replacements for my skincare products that delivered results and was made with high quality ingredients, but didn’t have a single drop of synthetic materials. Not being able to find that really motivated me to start the line. I couldn’t believe I was the only woman out there looking for something that was totally pure and non-toxic.
What was it like starting up your own cosmetics company?
The development of the line took over five years and a total of eight different chemists. Everyone thought I was crazy when I started and told me that nobody cared about that kind of stuff, but I cared! With a group of European chemists, we created my dream line, full of active ingredients plus aromatherapy, homeopathy, botany, herbalism, ayurvedic medicine and really concentrated formulas.
What was the first product you made?
We made a whole regimen of 14 different products: cleansers, toners, moisturizers, serums and face cream. Since the ingredients we use are so fresh and natural, we decided to make the products in Vermont at our farm.
How much of the line is produced on your farm?
For quality purposes, we decided to produce everything on our farm and import exotic ingredients from all over the globe. Our hyaluronic acid comes from the Czech Republic, we bring narcissus bulb extract from Israel and all sorts of antioxidants from the Amazon, but everything comes to the farm and is made here. All of our formulas are absolutely made from scratch, not started from bases and they are 100 percent natural, so I don’t have to store inventory. We make products every single day, so when an order is placed, the customer is getting an item that was created in the past month.
Did you buy the farm just for your beauty brand?
No, I bought the farm with my husband like 10 years ago. While we were making a lifestyle move to Vermont, the brand was taking off. First we bought this farm, then we bought another farm, and another one; we’ve just been accumulating farms.
What is your best selling product?
Our rejuvenating serum, because it does a little bit of everything. It tackles all signs of aging and it repairs collagen with a lot of hyaluronic acid in the formula for moisturizing as 29 active ingredients to help repair the skin. It also includes an extract called Spanish Lavender that we import from Barcelona and is a topical muscle relaxant, so it mimics the effect of Botox, but in 2 hours.
Would you ever open a Tata Harper store?
We’ve been toying around with the idea, it’s definitely not in the near future, but it is something I would love to do. I wouldn’t just have a store though, I would have a treatment center too, where people can get facials, aromatherapy treatments and other treatments that relax the body and heal the soul.
Do you do anything special to prepare your skin for the winter?
Not really, I keep the same care. I don’t know why there are these misconceptions that you have to switch your regimen around with the seasons. Maybe you need more moisturizer, but other than that, it’s pretty much the same thing. To get results in skincare it’s really about the discipline of sticking with one regimen and doing it every day twice a day. That’s how skincare is tested clinically.
