A native Colombian, Tata Harper grew up in a natural environment that emphasized beauty and the way that women care for themselves. As a little girl, Harper made bath salts, face masks and hair concoctions with her grandmother.
“We wanted a truly rural landscape,” said Harper. “My husband and I love land and animals, and Vermont met of all of our needs; it is fresh and natural, like Colombia.”
A self-described beauty junkie, Harper has used a variety of skin-care products throughout her life. About six years ago, Harper’s friends informed her about the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and its partnership with the Environmental Working Group. The campaign produces a skin care database that details the concentration and toxicity levels of personal care products currently being sold on the market. The database is an effective resource for consumers and environmental researchers alike, but many don’t take advantage of the available information, unaware of how their skincare regime might take its toll.
“No one ever believes their $400 bottle of skin lotion is toxic,” said Harper. “People need to take personal responsibility and break down the labels on their products, so they can understand the harmful effects of the active ingredients.”
Harper was shocked when she saw what she was actually putting on her face.
“I asked myself, ‘What are we supposed to do?’” she said. “I decided that I would begin an all-natural skin-care line as my contribution to the cause.”
After years of research and travel, Harper’s vision is now beginning to take form. She launched her idea on an international scale, visiting Italy, Spain, England and France, to speak with chemists about the possibility of an all-natural skin-care line. Critics repeatedly advised Harper that it was impossible to make a synthetic-free product that was both healthy and effective. Furthermore, she struggled to develop a product that women would enjoy using on a daily basis.
“I wanted something with a luxurious feel and smell, as well [as natural],” she said.
Finally, Harper struck gold. With help from European chemists, botanists and aroma therapists, she developed 12 skin-care products. The line, which can be purchased online or through Tata’s individual sellers, called ambassadors, is 100 percent natural.
This is thanks to the collaboration between Harper and the chemists, who tested different combinations of ingredients for their desired outcome. The resulting group of creams and lotions promise a safer substitute for traditional beauty products.
“Women need safe alternatives that won’t make them sick,” said Harper. “There are no long- term repercussions with my products; they simply spread healthy energy.”
Harper’s mission to promote a natural alternative has been further inspired by the reality of food and drug laws in the United States. Her travels in Europe have made her question the effectiveness of the American system, as compared to European administration.
The European Union relies on two separate bodies to monitor organic activity, one for food and one specifically designated to personal care. In contrast, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the sole overseeing body for both categories. Personal care falls under USDA domain because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require companies to report the contents of their products prior to market release. Harper argues that this difference has a resounding affect on consumer health, citing disparities in toxin regulation. About 1,100 toxins have been outlawed in European skin products due to health concerns, while just nine of these ingredients are currently banned in the United States. The Environmental Working Group claims that the FDA has not tested 89 percent of the ingredients in our personal products.
“The FDA is reactive, not proactive,” said Blake Perlman, an associate of Harper’s. “People don’t realize that their skin absorbs these skin-care products; we aren’t protected and many toxins contained in personal care products may freely enter the bloodstream and negatively affect our health, especially subsequent to prolonged use.”
Perlman points to the toxins in these products as a primary reason why many Americans get sick. While companies claim to be environmentally friendly, Perlman questions the validity of such claims.
“And we wonder why so many women are getting cancer?” mused Harper.
Harper and her company are not the only individuals concerned about toxin regulation. Recent trade shows for natural products have mobilized to raise awareness and people in the entertainment industry are getting involved as well. In 1976, Congress passed an act for personal toxin use, and Harper’s company, with others, is pushing for the enactment of a revised law.
Harper is leading by example. Sixty different active ingredients are found in Harper’s products, and 12 of these are grown on her farm in Whiting. Other actives are extracted from plants in places including Israel, Japan, the Amazon and the Czech Republic, and then are shipped to the farm’s lab.
Harper makes all of her products in her lab in Shoreham. Her lab, which was formerly the milk house on the original farm property, has the necessary equipment and technology, including a refrigeration unit, to produce her line. With new actives shipped to Harper each month, all of her products are made fresh and as they are needed.
Harper promotes her product and her mission through education.
“It is important to educate women,” she said. “We must learn how to distinguish between the harmful and the all-natural products.”
In an effort to raise awareness, Harper is traveling throughout the U.S., from Miami to Los Angeles to the Hamptons, giving lectures and hosting events. She wants her customers to experience her products and to gain valuable knowledge about alternative ways to lead a natural life.
Harper hopes to make this lifestyle as convenient as possible, pursuing the development of a wellness line in addition to her skincare products. Working with clinical aroma therapists, she has explored products aimed to curb mood disorders, including stress, anxiety, irritability and insomnia.
Harper hopes to open stores in Madrid and Colombia, as well as building up an expanded U.S. base. She is considering distribution in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City, and in Los Angeles.
The skin-care products are sold in glass bottles, as Harper uses only green packaging for her line. The paper labels and printed ink are also all natural. Harper regrets that she has yet to find a “green” pump for her skin creams, but knows that other companies have one in the works.
“My favorite product is the replenishing nutrient complex; it has a great smell,” said Perlman. For herself, Harper favors the rejuvenating serum. This may change as the company continues to innovate.
“Eventually I want to expand and create products for babies, teens and pregnant women,” said Harper. “For now, my mission is to spread wellness and beauty through all-natural means.”
Local company promotes natural beauty
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