It’s never too late……I feel that to be the most appropriate reason for this story of a very momentous meeting I had several weeks back here in Houston with a remarkable woman. It was a transformative experience that made for a lasting memory. However, since that meeting, life happened and many distractions fell my way but never dimming my recall of this personal time of learning for me.
I must say, her own gentle but strong approach to changing her life through beauty has left an amazing impression on me and effected how I approach my own “beauty” both exterior and interior. You see I met Vicky Tsai through my friend, Janet Gurwitch, who had raved about this beauty line and this woman for quite awhile. However, I finally got to visit with her when she was in town for a Sephora Master Class and then later on a more personal level and feel that I learned so much! We met and chatted on both personal and professional topics and after feeling that I had known her for decades we later did a phone interview from her San Francisco base and that is what I would like to share with you. I also must say that having this extended time I have been able to try and continue to use many of her products, and that I can honestly say I am a believer and have truly seen a difference in my skin.
About Vicky Tsai, founder…
Born in Missouri of Tawaianese parents she moved to Houston, Texas at a young age. Vicky is a Wellesley graduate with a Harvard MBA. Tsai who had battled dermatitis from working with beauty brands where she had tried various products causing this skin disorder so severe that only vaseline could be used on her face. She began a journey to discover and develop a more evolved approach to skincare. In 2009, on a business trip to Kyoto, Japan she was introduced to Geishas and to an ancient book (Capital Beauty and Style Manual) that was 200 years old, a three volume manual dedicated to the details of skincare and beauty trends of that time that was followed by the Geisha. She began working with scientists to develop the Hadasei-3 Bioactive Complex, a trio of anti-aging superfoods born from the traditional Japanese diet of green tea, rice bran and Okinawa algae that became the foundation of her luxury brand.
Tsai launched her skincare collection with one product, her now infamous blotting papers. This item, the Petal Fresh Original Aburatorigami Beauty Papers immediately became a must-have accessory for make-up artists, red-carpet celebrities, on-air personalities and just about anyone (including yours truly, I never leave home without it!) looking to blot away a shiny T-zone. These gold-flecked papers which are a flawless pick-up that does not mess with your make-up, made Tatcha an overnight success.
In 2012, Tsai launched her skincare collection. So many of her products became an immediate success to the cult following she had established. Her many items such as her RICE POLISH exfoliant (my personal favorite), her PURE camelia cleansing oil (takes off your makeup as the Geishas did!), her ESSENCE, a plumping skin softener that took Vicky and her team seven years to develop, her two skin creams, DEWY and SILK creames and her newest product her divine SILK PEONY eye cream……I could go on, but these are just a sampling of the many products that she produces and that I have personally tried. All of these plus more have contributed to her phenomenal success and very quick rise to stardom!
It should be noted that no recognition of amazing Geisha beauty can be properly stated without a call out to their exquisite red lips! As a longtime believer of how a beautiful shade of red lipstick can enhance a woman’s beauty, I did ask to try Tatcha’s own special RED! I tried it, love it and it has become my go-to, make-up bag staple…….KYOTO RED silk lipstick!
The Products….
Just a small but very important selection of Tatcha products……to view more visit their website at www.tatcha.com
My Regime.......Pure Camelia Cleansing oil, Essence, Rice Polish, The Silk Creame/alternates w/The Dewy Skin Creame
Let’s Chat…..
Some highlights resulting from various discussions with this powerhouse of a lady, Vicky Tsai, founder of Tatcha…….whose “golden rule” of skincare stems from a belief that it all starts with clean skin and that the secret to beautiful skin comes from within….the heart and the mind, specifically. I love that!
Your Company History & Background
MRG: Let’s start with a little background? Is it true that you are from my home town…..Houston?! and how and where did your interest in beauty begin?
VT: I was actually born in Missouri. My parents are Taiwanese but I did spend my teenage years in Houston. As a 13 year old teenager I spent all of my weekends and summers working in the beauty boutique that my mother owned in Houston (lived in the Woodlands) and it was there that I was first introduced to the world of beauty!
MRG: I know that it was an encounter with a skin condition, Dermatitis, that spurred your interest in skincare. How did it become a Japanese influence for you?
VT: My business travels led me to Japan, and it was there that I discovered the traditional blotting papers called Aburatorigami. I was hooked! While visiting Kyoto I was introduced to a book written in 1813 that captured Japanese beauty rituals. To this day it serves as a touchstone of our skincare collection, and the inspiration and active ingredients are the same as those traditional Japanese skincare, married with modern technology for advanced efficacy.
MRG: What fascinated you about Kyoto and the Geisha and what have you learned?
VT: When I first met the Geisha I learned that they are the living embodiment of centuries worth of beauty traditions and heritage that are still being used today. My time studying in Kyoto taught me that beauty begins in the heart and mind – if you have a kind heart it will show through.
The Brand
MRG: Please give us a brief overview of your brand, beginning with the origin of the name?
VT: First, Tatcha is short for ‘tatchibana’, a traditional Japanese art of flower arranging using only a single bloom, beautiful in its simplicity. To me this represents the pure and simple formulas in our skincare. When creating Tatcha, it was important that the brand be built on a set of values: we believe that beauty begins within and that informs everything that we do. From our skincare as self-care approach to our Customer Love Team. It was also one of the reasons that we built giving into our philanthropic partnership with Room to Read.
MRG: Can you tell us about building a brand? What was your approach?
VT: One of the things that I attribute to our success has been having the opportunity to work with like-minded values-driven team that has helped bring Tatcha to life. While I wear many hats in Tatcha-land (including Chief Product Developer) and there are many parts of my work, favorite being speaking to my clients and helping them to feel more beautiful every day.
MRG: Please tell us about your Charity, I know that is very important to you. How did this happen? Also, isn’t there a total number of children that you have been able to effect?
VT: From the beginning we have always wanted to have a giving model built into Tatcha, but it was important to find the right partner. Room To Read, with whom we have partnered since 2014, has a reputation for being one of the most successful organizations creating change through education.Girls education is close to my heart not only because of the many incredible opportunities I have been given, but also because it’s one of the single most significant ways to affect change. Through our ‘Beautiful Faces, Beautiful Futures’ partnership, every Tatcha purchase funds schooling for girls around the world, and the day of school goes far beyond textbooks and in-classroom education. Measured by the ‘number of days’ of school funded, this July we just crossed the 3 million day threshold, which we are humbled by.
The Product
MRG: Describe briefly your process here. I am assuming that it all started literally ‘through your fingers’?
VT: I work closely with our scientists at the Tatcha Institute to develop new products. We introduce new products as they are ready……in essence, our products have been umder development for over 200 years!
MRG: Is there a core ingredient/s that is the heart of all of your products?
VT: At the heart of all Tatcha products is our signature Hadasei-e, a trio of superfoods born from the traditional Japanese diet: Uji green tea, Akita rice and Okinawa algee. The traditional Japanese diet is often credited for the longevity and health of Japanese people, and because the skin is the body’s largest organ, anything healthy for the body is also wonderful for skincare.
MRG: What is your favorite or most signature product. If I were to buy one thing what should it be?
VT: I love all of the treasure of our collection, but if I had to choose one it would have to be Essence. It’s took 7 yrs to develop and it is a double-fermeneted concentrate of our Hadasei-3 and it can increase your skin’s hydration by 148% in just seven seconds.
MRG: Any new products that you are excited about?
VT: We are excited to have launched our newest eye cream, The Silk Peony! The balm-to-liquid formula melts upon application, which releases a double shield of hydration from Japanese White Peony and uses a complete silk protein to blur the look of fine lines and wrinkles insantly & over time.
MRG: How do you feel about beauty devices/tools….do you agree with them and/or think they enhance your products or not?
VT: We developed our Akari Gold Massager, whch can be used to both awaken skin in the morning and for lymphatic drainage at night. It can also be used cool or warm and on its own or to help maximize the benefits from your face mask.
MRG: So where or how can I purchase your awesome products?
VT: Our collection is sold at Tatcha.com, which ships globally, as well as at Sephora and QVC here in the U.S., Sephora in Canada and Singapore, Joyce Beauty in Hong Kong, and at the Four Seasons Spa in Kyoto.
Going Forward…
MRG: Any words of wisdom from what you have learned thus far and experienced as a Woman in business……tips or pointers would be great?!
VT: One of the most important pieces of advise I have ever received was ‘you either stand for something or you stand for nothing,’ and it stuck with me since. It’s important to have values and a point of view and to commit to them. It’s also important to surround yourself with amazing mentors……I’m still learning every day so I try to find peers to learn from.
Lastly….
MRG: Anything about you that we wouldn’t know that you would like to share about YOU!!?
VT: I am not Japanese……born in U.S. of Tawainese parents. I am a great wingwoman….I love matchmaking! I am also very good at parallel parking!!! (there you go, that alone could be a secret to success, I have never been able to do that well!!)
That’s it…….THE END…….treat yourself to a few of her very special items and you will see for yourself what I have experienced……that BEAUTY can really come from within and it so helps to have great products to enhance it!