This post has been a long time coming, but many of you know that a few weeks back I had the opportunity to visit the farm where ALL Tata Harper skincare products are produced, batched and formulated. Skincare has an incredibly special place in my lipstick-filled heart and what makes this company special to me is the TRULY 100% natural formulations and the artisanal story and science behind each product. The words “natural” and “organic” are used very loosely now with regards to food and beauty products so what I love about Tata Harper products are that they have gone above and beyond to set themselves apart and add transparency to what “natural” truly means. Having each product certified by Eco Cert, the American Vegan and Vegetarian Associations as well as being made without a single drop of synthetics is already HUGE when it comes to skincare.
Wondering where this magical farm is? It’s in Vermont. Canadians, do not be ashamed to whip out your Google Maps because that’s what I had to do! Located in the east, in the Maritimes of the United States and home to apparently some of the best maple syrup and skiing out there (although my Montreal-born hubby disagrees with the maple syrup point)! The flight to Vermont was far from direct and while I failed to mention the people at Tata Harper that I was afraid of flying, seeing the farm was well-worth the week of apprehension.
The farm was beautiful and just as picturesque as you would imagine it to be. This was the scene outside my bedroom window with the cows in the far distance. Seeing as how this is an organically certified farm, the methane gas they produce is recycled in addition to water and wind. Don’t ask me how cold it was because I didn’t even bother looking at the temperature. I’m pretty certain is was around –20 degrees Celsius which is fairly standard for weather out East.
GOING INSIDE THE LAB!
Seeing the farm was amazing, but seeing the actual lab and where the products are formulated? That’s not something a lot of people can say they’ve been able to witness unless you’re making it yourself in your own kitchen! The lab is situated in a farmhouse along with the corporate offices and is decorated with an eclectic country-style. You would never guess that the chemists are just down the hall!
I mentioned that everything is hand-batched as part of maintaining as much control over the entire process as possible so even the samples that are included with orders or sent to stores are hand-glued to the little cards! I know, because I saw the room filled with them and the three lovely ladies that do it! And those boxes up there? The cardboard is recycled and the ink made of soy! I know there are a few other companies that do their packaging like this so I always appreciate the extra effort!
Did you know that Tata Harper has some out of this world aromatherapy treatments as well? They are pretty pricey, but I’ve never smelled blends this potent before! Here they are being hand-poured into glass bottles.
These bottles of Moisturizing Mask are about to be filled with 24 hour moisturizing goodness!
This is where all the Lip Treatments are hand-filled into their bright green metal tubes! I believe each of those white trays holds 250 and check out how many more tubes are underneath! I’d also like to add that even these seemingly minor lip balms have all the same certifications as the skincare!
For this part, I had to wear a hair net and booties to cover my shoes because we were headed into the formulation area where clinical grade essential oils and live mixtures were being made! Seen here is batch #1000 of my my favourite Tata Harper product – the Resurfacing Mask. It smelled just so GOOD FOR YOU. After what feels like a lifetime of smelling added fragrance, smelling something all natural is quite refreshing.
Above is another amazing behind the scenes look at what is referred to as the Estate Grown Beauty Complex which is a blend of five plants that are grown right on the farm and infused into each and every single Tata Harper product. You can see there is meadowsweet (natural source of salicylic acid encouraging cell turnover), alfafa (oxygenation), calendula (anti-inflammatory), borage (multivitamin) and arnica (microcirculation).
You can see that I made some bonus friends while at the farm. These kitties were burly, feral outdoor cats and even when I petted them I could feel how tough they were! Look at the size of them!
All I can say is, what an incredible experience. Vermont is beautiful and I am completely enamoured with Tata Harper skincare as I noticed many of you are as well based on your comments on IG! The products are well…pricey, but I am reminded of that time that I spend $6 on an organic cabbage. There is a premium on truly natural ingredients and the processes involved to make sure every step stays sustainable. I will be slowly reviewing Tata Harper products over the next couple of months, but the things about this company that have really stood out to me are the certifications (Eco Cert is EXPENSIVE and usually companies only have 1-2 products Eco Certified), the Open Lab Program (find out who batched your product and when!) and the science behind the ingredients that are used (You know I don’t like bullshit). We often think that just because something is natural that it can’t be “anti-aging” or do anything beyond moisturize, but all of these products seek to challenge that and I will be putting them to the test! Another cool fact? Tata and her family live on the farm too and I got to see her almost every day! She is totally down to earth and doesn’t look “plastic” like some skincare company creators can look…you guys know what/who I mean! She is an engineer by trade which was brownie points in my book and is still heavily involved in every aspect of the company. All in all, I am excited to start my Tata Harper journey!
I am going to have a ton of reviews coming your way so stay tuned!
Disclaimer: I love this company so much that I decided to work for them! This post is kind of sponsored I guess, but I feel like it’s such a unique look into how a company works and YOU all should get to see it!
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