To mark the launch of her new Resurfacing Serum, our Brand and Communications Director Fleur met Tata Harper to learn more about the philosophy behind her eponymous brand and hear about her routine and beauty secrets. 

F : "Hello Tata, I’m so pleased to be here with you today! Thank you for coming to visit us in Paris. I have a few questions for you. Could you introduce yourself and your brand?

T: My pleasure! It’s lovely; I love coming to Paris. I’m Tata Harper (hello!). I’m originally from Colombia, although I live in Vermont. That’s where I make all our products and where Tata Harper is based… I’m Latina! And I’m actually 25% French. My grandfather’s family came from Pau! I speak a little French, but my vocabulary is limited. It comes back to me each time I come here to Paris, though.

F: Oh, you speak it very well! So you launched the Tata Harper brand…

T: We launched the brand in 2010, so it’s already been seven years. Tata Harper represents a new generation of beauty products: products that are 100% derived from nature – they contain no synthetic chemicals and are entirely free from artificial ingredients – while also representing the pinnacle of anti-ageing technology.
Because, you know, the two aren’t incompatible. People tend to think that going natural means sacrificing results and technology, even though results are the main reason we buy skincare products. What we do is deliver maximum results, not with a single ingredient but with multiple ingredients in one formula.
These days, there are lots of minimalist beauty brands; minimalism is a trend in skincare creams. Well, we’re the opposite! We don’t believe in minimalism at all. Quite the contrary: our formulas are extremely complex, with many ingredients rather than just one. The Rejuvenating Serum , for example, has 29 active ingredients.

F: And what about the Resurfacing Serum? 

T: The Resurfacing Serum will have 22 active ingredients in total. You know, the idea of formulas with just one active ingredient is so outdated: they only give you one or two results. But if you expect a lot from your skincare, that’s when you buy Tata Harper. For example, if you want the best natural moisturiser with not just hyaluronic acid, but hyaluronic acid plus 27 humectants.

F: Could you tell us about your beauty routine?

T: This is another area where I take a maximalist approach, and I think that comes from my Latin roots… For us, “more is more” when it comes to skincare, because it’s your daily habits that improve your skin!
Lots of people buy products and say, “I use this eye cream now and then, this one only at night, and this serum before I go out.” How are you going to get results that way?
To see real results, you need consistency and daily application. Even when we test formulas or raw materials, the clinical results come from testers who use them every twelve hours: morning and evening! So what results can you really expect if you use something once or twice a week, or only intermittently?
I feel the most important thing about a beauty routine is consistency. I change mine a little between morning and evening, mainly the cleansing part, but I’m very consistent.
I recommend cleansing your skin with a good cleanser. Cleansers are a rather underrated category, and I think one reason people aren’t consistent about cleansing is that they feel they can use anything: “OK, I’ll use this soap, or this cleanser from the pharmacy.” They think they’re all the same.
The reality is that cleansers containing chemicals such as SLS disrupt the skin’s barrier. Your skin feels tight after every use! You’ve compromised its barrier, all the moisture from the day before is gone, and your skin is left feeling tight and dry...

F: What’s the difference between a serum and an essence?

T: A serum is a true anti-ageing product with lots of ingredients to reduce wrinkles, improve firmness or deliver whatever other effect it was formulated for. Essences extend the benefits of serums: they help ensure the serum penetrates properly. Many people don’t realise that if you don’t exfoliate regularly and have a layer of dead skin cells, most of the products you apply won’t even penetrate your skin! That’s why I’m such a believer in daily exfoliation. And that’s why we formulated the Regenerating Cleanser as a daily exfoliant. We produce dead skin cells not occasionally, not once a month or once a week, but every day – that’s what our skin does! It follows a renewal cycle, and dead skin cells build up on its surface. If you let them accumulate, not only will your skin lose its glow, but your products won’t penetrate properly.

F: We recently introduced new skincare treatments at Oh My Cream. We’re delighted with them, and so are our customers. Could you tell us more about these new treatments?

T: It’s a skincare concept we’ve been offering in the United States for three years at the request of our retailers. They wanted “Tata Harper spa room concepts” in their shops, offering only our treatments. I love it because you get the full Tata Harper experience – it’s very rare for someone to buy every product in a range – and you can see the wonderful results you can get from using all the products together. I think these concepts are very powerful, especially in terms of the customer experience. I’m delighted you’re offering these treatments too, because they work very well in the United States.

F: What are your beauty secrets?

T: I use Sundays for my “spa days”. People think that because I’m always in spas and we have so many partners in the industry, I must have treatments all the time, as well as a dermatologist and a facialist… I don’t have any of that, not even a dermatologist!
So I use Sundays to take care of my face at home. It’s something I do with my children, who love masks and exfoliating, so it’s a really enjoyable thing to do together.
I do a triple cleanse and add a mask. It’s the day when I use all my masks… a proper beauty day, for about an hour. Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially motivated and inspired, I boil some herbs (chamomile, calendula...), and while I have a mask on, I drape a towel over my head and let the steam reach my face. It feels wonderful!
Another thing I like to do, especially on my spa days, is put used tea bags over my eyes while they’re still warm. It’s so easy, and it works! Especially when you have dark circles or you’re jet-lagged – which I am right now, though I hope it doesn’t show!

F: You look so fresh!

T: Oh, one more thing: nutrition – I can’t believe I nearly forgot it. Nutrition is so important!
There are also food supplements – not because I think they replace food, but because they help you go further. Blue-green algae, for example, is an excellent supplement. Magnesium is great for managing stress and anxiety, and it also draws fluid into the intestines, helping digestion. Then there’s turmeric, which is a powerful antioxidant, and glutathione, one of the best-known antioxidants in the world.
I think this new movement we’re part of – and embrace as a brand – encourages health, wellbeing and happiness, so that we can live to 100. Because that’s the goal: these days we live to 100, but we want to reach 100 in good health, doing the things we love. The only way to do that is to lead a healthy lifestyle: eat well, sleep, manage stress and minimise the toxins we ingest, whether from pesticides or elsewhere, by including organic food in our diets or taking supplements to go further... And drink plenty of water, too: it’s the ultimate detoxifier! There you have it – all my secrets laid out for you!

F: Do you have any other beauty obsessions, perhaps when it comes to hair?

T: Yes. Make-up isn’t really my thing, but I’m genuinely obsessed with hair, because mine is not in good shape at all...
I love Rahua, especially their Voluminous Shampoo and conditioners. I also love the entire Christophe Robin range, and I adore him personally, too. My favourites from his range are the Regenerating Mask – which I apply to wet hair after conditioner, leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse out – and the Purifying Cleansing Scrub with Sea Salt. Exfoliating your scalp is really important, especially if you’re losing hair, because sebum can sometimes hinder hair growth. Exfoliating your scalp every week helps hair grow stronger.

F: Why did you choose Oh My Cream to stock your products in France?

T: Because I adore you! I love what you’ve done in the beauty world. You’ve taken the neighbourhood pharmacy approach and elevated it. I love that, for the first time, French women have access to the best, genuinely natural skincare products from around the world. I also hear so many people say how good the advice and guidance they receive in your shops is. The depth of knowledge about every brand, including ours, is on another level.
Those are real strengths, and I adore you. Everyone in your shops is so chic and so cool!

F: Wonderful! Thank you so much for your time. We hope to see you again soon! Enjoy your stay in Paris."