Known for pushing boundaries and innovating the next generation of beauty, Tata Harper Skincare has, without a doubt, become the most prominent pioneers when it comes to luxury skincare brands. By creating high-performing products that are non-toxic and 100% natural, the brand prides itself in being completely transparent when it comes to its social and environmentally responsible steps in all aspects of the company.
Grazia spoke exclusively with Tata Harper on her top tips for achieving a sustainable beauty routine, the future of sustainability, and why it’s essential for those considering switching.
What is the Tata Harper definition of sustainable beauty?
Sustainability has always been a top priority for me, and even though we’ve always been eco-friendly, there’s always opportunity to do more. I also believe that natural beauty needs to go beyond the ingredients used in the products, it must be about putting those natural formulas in packaging that doesn’t pose a risk to the environment. For us, sustainability isn’t about marketing. It’s just the way we’ve always done business. You can’t be a green company without a green product, and that means everything from ingredients to manufacturing to packaging needs to take the planet into account.
Almost all our products come in glass, which is infinitely recyclable. Our cartons are made with certified paper from sustainably managed forests, and we use biodegradable soy ink to reduce the toxicity of our cartons. What little plastic we do use is necessary for the function of the packaging and is as eco-friendly as possible. Our products, packaging, and factory are all Ecocert-certified.
How do your refillable pods work? Which products are refillable?
When designing the packaging for Waterlock Moisturizer, we had to conceptualize everything from the refill pod to the components needed to keep the formula air-tight for freshness. Each step of the process came with unique challenges, but we are so proud to have finally created our first reusable packaging system. I believe the future is reusing your packaging, which is even better than recycling.
Packaging Breakdown:
- It’s made up of 4 parts. There’s three that you reuse, which are the jar, pump, and cap.
- This refillable jar technology only comes in acrylic right now.
- The fourth part of the product is the refillable pod, which is the part that you keep refilling. It’s 100% recyclable since the POD is made of Polyethylene and the Foil is aluminium.
The future of sustainability for us is to end single-use products. We’ve been working on refills behind the scenes for a while now and will be expanding soon.
Why and how do they minimize waste?
This isn’t throwaway beauty; it’s reusable beauty. The reality is that beauty packaging can be used longer. Think about all of your pumps, caps, and jars — it’s not like these are disintegrating after a month or two of using it! The pod is 100% recyclable and provides 30 days of hydration. So, by using the refill system, you end up saving 11 jars from the landfill every year.
Buying refillable products is a great way to be more sustainable, but what are some other things that consumers can be doing right now to go green?
Consumers should look at cleaner formulations because a high percentage of what you apply to your skin can make its way to your bloodstream. We are always thinking about how we can be even more sustainable, so we want to make sure we offer our clients the opportunity to choose a product that is great for the health of their skin and the planet without having to choose one or the other.
How do you see the beauty industry changing in the next 5 years to be more sustainable?
It takes both consumers and brands will take action to protect people and the planet. The beauty industry is responding to consumers by making eco-friendly products and packaging a reality for those who love their beauty products but also love the earth. In recent years, beauty brands have started to make more of an effect to minimize their environmental impact, mostly by committing to switch to more eco-friendly packaging at some point in the future. It’s a small change in the right direction, but most of the industry needs to think bigger when it comes to environmental responsibility.
Do you have any more sustainability missions that you will be implementing at Tata Harper?
I am an ambassador for Trees for the future, an amazing organization that is improving the lives of impoverished farmers by revitalizing degraded lands. The Forest Garden Program trains farmers over a four-year period to plant trees that protect and bring nutrients back to the soil. We always plan a lot of initiatives to raise awareness about their amazing job. This year, we wanted to find an easy incentive for customers to shop for good and give back. We created a custom sweatshirt in partnership with Trees for the Future, sustainably made with 100% organic cotton. For every one sweatshirt purchased, Trees for the Future will plant 100 trees.
