VIOLET GREY profiles female beauty entrepreneurs who are considered industry game changers for their individual approach to business. Each one entered the conversation in her own manner and maintained a steady, if not unparalleled, trajectory with her indomitable spirit. Here, we talk to Tata Harper about her eponymous skin care line.

Sometimes a beauty wake-up call can be more drastic than just a patch of dryness. Colombian native Tata Harper first started wondering about what she was putting on her skin when her stepfather was diagnosed with cancer. Knowing she needed to make changes and healthier choices in her own life, she began eating organic. Soon, however, she realized her skincare products were filled with dubious-sounding ingredients (antifreeze, aka propylene glycol, anyone?). From this seed of clarity, Tata Harper the brand was born.

Of course, it didn’t simply sprout overnight into the full beauty range it is now. Harper started with ingredients from her farm in Vermont, then worked with a team of eight scientists in London and France for five years. This meeting of worlds is what makes her products so loved and so unique: rural American ingredients meet Euro science know-how in a glorious mélange. It is even reflected in the packaging: the green and gold symbolize the dandelion-filled fields of Vermont in spring.

This singular story, combined with brilliant products, catapulted Harper into the stratosphere. After she began introducing her products at spa parties in Miami and Brentwood, Vogue did a four-page story on her. She quickly became the go-to green-beauty expert as women around the world realized that their beloved products were full of nasties.

Harper believes products penetrate skin best after a thorough exfoliation, and one of her (many) hero products, the Regenerating Cleanser, works as both an exfoliant and a cleanser. Her fans also swear by her Purifying Mask and Purifying Cleanser which are great for draining the lymphatic system and ridding the body of accumulated toxins. Harper’s line is privately certified by Ecocert, the European agency that regulates cosmetics worldwide. She is also a great proponent of beauty from the inside out, and believes unequivocally that consuming algae and oils can truly make your skin glow.

Somehow, Harper finds the time to run a 1,200-acre farm (where many of the ingredients for her products are grown), care for her three children and eleven dogs, and work alongside her husband and business partner, Henry. Wondering how she does it? Here’s her before 10 a.m.

TATA BEFORE 10AM