As we continue to stay home as much as possible to help curb the spread of the pandemic, The Beauty Gazette asks Vicky Tsai what keeps her going. The founder of skincare label Tatcha started her brand because she was so inspired by the classical Japanese beauties of ancient Kyoto, also known as the queens of self-care. Tatcha’s product range features skincare ingredients such as Japanese rice powder, algae and Uji green tea; and revives classical beauty rituals with a modern spin.

What’s the latest beauty trend you adore?

The renewed importance of self-care. Since the pandemic began last year, we’ve been dealing with so many things emotionally and it’s taking its toll on us physically, including our skin. When you’re stressed or sad your skin shows it, so giving yourself time to decompress and care for your skin and mind is a wonderful reprieve. When you feel good about yourself, your confidence comes through – to me that’s true beauty.

How do you think COVID-19 has changed our beauty routines?

It’s allowed many to realise that taking care of their skin doesn’t need to be a chore. As a result of the time we’ve spent at home, our beauty routines have become intentional moments of self-care and self-love.​ It’s also given us the chance to experiment with products and find what really works for our skin by taking the time to see results.

What is your own self-care routine like these days?

I live in New York City, and right now it’s winter, so the weather is cold and dry. I’m currently using The Rice Wash, followed by The Essence, The Dewy Serum, and The Silk Cream and our SPF. Because I have sensitive and reactive skin that gets irritated easily, the formulas in my ritual right now are all extremely gentle, nourishing and calming – I need all the hydration I can get.

Any tips for looking great on video conferences, now that many of us are social distancing and working from home.

If you don’t want to wear a full face of makeup but want to appear polished, cheat by wearing a blurring and skin balancing primer. I love pairing our Water Cream with The Liquid Silk Canvas for a poreless, almost ‘airbrushed’ look. You can then balance out any blemishes or dark spots with concealer.

What is that one new product that you’re really excited about?

I’m currently obsessed with our new Silk Powder. It’s a talc-free setting powder that protects skin from blue light and UV damage. We wanted to create a powder that also nourished the skin, so our team of scientists in Japan based the formula on a complete silk protein, which keeps skin hydrated to prevent caking; while also blurring pores and giving skin a radiant finish on its own or over makeup.

What’s next for Tatcha?

We’re so excited and grateful to our clients for helping us continue supporting global education through our Beautiful Faces, Beautiful Futures partnership with Room to Read, a non-profit that aims to improve the lives of children in low-income countries. To date we’ve funded over 5 million days of school for children and are hoping to achieve our goal of 10 million days by 2025.

Tatcha is available at Sephora.