Design Thinking: Tata Harper

(Image courtesy of Tata Harper.)

In Graduate School, one of the buzzwords professors love to discuss is “Design Thinking.” Design Thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems to identify alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with our initial level of understanding (Dam and Siang). Design Thinking enables companies to understand consumer needs to serve their audience better. For this project, I contacted different companies to learn how organizations apply Design Thinking and spoke to Tori Los, Tata Harper's Brand Manager, to learn more about the company.

(Image courtesy of Onada Beauty 2022.)

1. What makes Tata Harper different from other skincare companies?

Our formulas! Many brands focus on one or two “hero” ingredients, but we source all over the globe for the most potent, cutting-edge bioactive botanicals to make our formulas multi-benefit. At Tata Harper, we are skincare maximalists and believe that your skincare should multitask as much as you do, so our products provide a library of benefits rather than just one.

(Gif courtesy of Tata Harper.)

2. How does Tata Harper define clean beauty?

We are entirely synthetic-free. Every single one of our ingredients comes from the Earth, and our products are certified by Ecocert.

(Gif courtesy of Tata Harper.)

3. How does Tata Harper incorporate its mission and vision into its products?

Every step in getting one of our green bottles or jars into your hands is done by a Tata Harper employee here on our Vermont farm. We are completely vertically integrated, so we formulate, batch, fill, and ship all of our products from our farm in Vermont. We don’t outsource to companies or take shortcuts. We do it all ourselves - without compromising.

(Image credit to Vaniety Fair. Alexi Lubomirski took this image for Vanity Fair in 2017)

4. What is the future of the company?

Sustainability!! We’re always looking for the cutting edge in sustainability. We’re interested in the concept of refills right now. You can expect to see a lot more from us in the future! Even though we’ve always been a sustainable company, we’re always looking for ways to improve!

(Video courtesy of Tata Harper.)