Written by Liliana J. VanMiddlesworth. Graphic by Micaela Alomia.
The beloved and viral Japanese skincare brand, Tatcha, announced its impending arrival at Ulta Beauty early in December of 2024, and by January 1st 2025, skincare and wellness devotees like myself were sprinting to the shelves to see if this long-desired dream was really a reality.
And precious reality it was.
Tatcha’s iconic Dewy line and crystalline jars of The Essence gazed down at me from their aisle beside brands like e.l.f. and Clinique, signifying a major cultural shift of Gen Z consumers from cheap commodity-believers to ritual-seekers. And while influencers have long touted—and heavily debated—the price of Tatcha’s luxurious, quality products, the move to a mainstream retailer like Ulta signifies a broader acceptance of the underlying principles that make Japanese skincare so compelling.
What then makes Tatcha so different from other brands, and why does a big corporate move that could be perceived as a mere marketing ploy praying on TikTok trends signify something as drastic as a revolutionary regenerative cultural shift?
The answer? Preventative care, holistic well-being, and mindful consumption.
Like many women, Vicky Tsai (founder of Tatcha) found herself disillusioned with big beauty and the corporate world, and had severe eczema to show for it. After interning at a major beauty company, Tsai traveled to Japan, where she found inspiration not only with the ingredients and beauty rituals of the country, but also the mindfulness of the people there.”Creating Tatcha was my attempt to share what healed me with the rest of the world,” she says.
Tatcha’s formulations are derived from a proprietary blend of superfoods, amino acids, and AHAs called Hadasei-3™, a uniquely efficacious complex of twice-fermented rice, green tea, and algae rooted in the nutrient-dense Japanese diet, largely considered the healthiest in the world by research-backed sources and TikTok clips alike. Aligned with Ulta’s vision of “making beauty a force of good for all,” Tatcha’s authentic approach is what distinguishes it from other brands and why wider recognition in the US is so important.
Social media, while a powerful tool for promoting products, has long presented a challenge for brands to remain authentic in marketing. Celebrities everywhere seem to be starting their own skincare lines, while Skintok flaunts fleeting trends and unverified “hacks” with beautiful influencers promising to help us achieve healthy, glowing skin just like theirs. Young consumers, such as college students like me, are particularly vulnerable to the influence of these fast-paced marketing techniques, and the allure of instant results can all too easily overshadow the importance of informed decision-making. This consumerism perpetuates unsustainable market trends and ignores the long-term impact of our choices, whereas brands like Tatcha vouch for the long-held belief that skincare should be about prevention and sustainability, not just reactive treatment. This philosophy starkly contrasts with Western skincare’s often aggressive approach, which targets existing problems with potent, sometimes harsh, ingredients and well-formulated advertising techniques.
“Oh, Tatcha? They’re just so expensive,” claims Kaitlyn Bishop, a close friend and fellow SCAD student. But is it worth spending more on one product committed to clean formulas and backed by an authentic story than four products supported by a beautiful stranger who’s paid to promote products she may not even use herself for half the price? Real fixes take more time and effort and, often, more money than the quick-fix corner-cutters.
The arrival of Tatcha at Ulta is a step forward for the West, encouraging a much-needed shift toward regenerative thinking. With this new chapter of wide-market availability, Tatcha is truly living up to their promise—to change what beauty means to the world, one purchase at a time.
