Tatcha Founder Vicki Tsai Creates Effective Skin Care and Funds Education for Girls

If you've ever browsed through your local Sephora store or let the skin care enthusiast speak in your ear, then Thatcha has probably caught your eye once or twice. Popular for its effective, elegant products (we endlessly sing about the iconic Dewy Skin Mist spray), Tatcha continues to win hearts and routines of beauty lovers everywhere. What's more, it's a brand with a mission: every Tatcha skincare purchase contributes to Room to Read, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating girls and raising children's literacy in Asia and Africa. The brand was pioneered by Vicki Tsai, who founded Tatcha to combine traditional Japanese skin care with modern technology. We recently caught up with the founder to find out how she takes care of her skin, how a day goes by in her life, and what beauty means to her.

Tell us about your current self-care.

SKIN CARE

My skincare routine changes frequently because I usually travel or try new formulas. At a minimum, I follow the four steps of the classic Japanese ritual: cleanse with Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil, polish with Tatcha The Rice Polish, plump skin Thatcha Essence, apply Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum to soften, smooth and brighten my skin, and seal it all in with a moisturizer. I recently finished with Tatcha The Dewy Skin Creamrich formula that nourishes the skin without weighing it down.

COMPOSE

Like many other mothers, I like to quickly leave the house in the morning, while looking collected. I use Silk Canvas Tatcha for smoothing pores and redness, smoothing Thatcha Pearl under the eyes and finish Tatcha Kyoto Red Silk Lipstick.

HAIR

I like Press for tress from Drybar - It's light enough that I can use it in a hurry but makes my hair look fresh from the salon. In conjunction with Drybar Triple Sec 3-in-1 и Dry Shampoo Drybar Detox, that's all I need for night activities, meetings, or daytime errands.

Biggest pinch me moment in your career so far?

We have a partnership with an incredible organization called Reading room, and every purchase from Tatcha helps fund the education of girls around the world. I recently visited one of the schools they work with and learned that thanks to our amazing clients and friends like you, we have funded over 2.5 million school days. It was an incredible moment.

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A post published by Room to Read (@roomtoread) on October 12, 2018 at 12:34pm PDT

If you had to do a full face using only pharmacy products, what would you use?

I always use Ardell Lashes in #110 - if you put on an eyelash, you can look like makeup, skipping everything else!

What's in your makeup bag for work?

Pearls to tint under my eyes as needed, our Kyoto Red Silk Lipstick in case I have to go to a meeting or event, and Tatcha Petal Fresh Original Aburatorigami Beauty Paper, which remove excess shine without disturbing makeup.

How did you start your career?

When I was little, my mother had a high-end skincare shop. I liked helping in the store, but I never thought it would become my profession. After college, I worked on Wall Street before returning to the beauty industry. At the first major cosmetics company I worked for, I tried too many formulas on my face and caused myself acute dermatitis - blisters, bleeding, cracks and peeling all over my face, lips and eyelids. It took three years of oral and topical steroids to get my skin back under control, and even then the doctors said it would never be the same again. I was discouraged and began to travel in search of a different approach to beauty - eventually I ended up in Kyoto, where Tatcha was born.

Which campaign are you most proud of?

Our Beautiful Faces, Beautiful Futures partnership with Room to Read. Knowing that every purchase helps fund education for girls around the world makes the work we do here every day even more meaningful.

What is your best advice for women who want to start their own beauty companies?

Think about your values, then hire a team and build the company around your value system. Decision making becomes much easier when you can prioritize based on what aligns with your values.

What beauty trend are you most excited about in 2019?

We started to explore the world between skin care and makeup - there is a boundary space between them. We're excited to see what comes of it.

How is a day in your life?

No two days are the same. When I'm not on a plane visiting our skincare scientists at the Thatch Institute in Japan, I get up at 5am to work out and then cook breakfast with my husband Eric and daughter Alea. We all commute to work together and it's a great time to find out what's going on in each other's lives. I spend most of my day meeting with our teams - working on packaging or design with our creative team, getting updates from our customer success team, or video conferences with our R&D team in Japan to see their latest work. We pick up Alea on the way home, my husband cooks dinner and I'm fast asleep by 8:30.

What inspires you?

People are endlessly inspiring; their capacity for generosity and kindness and their talents amaze me every day.

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A post posted by Vicky Tsai (@vickytsai) on Mar 8, 2019 at 2:56pm PST

Makeup _____________?

Self-expression.

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