Tatcha began with a pack of paper. In 2009 Vicky Tsai launched the brand from San Francisco with Japanese gold-leaf blotting papers as her first product, and she sold her engagement ring and other belongings to buy the first shipment of 10,000 sheets. The reason was personal: she had developed severe skin irritation during her corporate career, and she traveled to Kyoto, where Japanese beauty rituals healed her skin. The brand draws on geisha rituals and on an 1813 Japanese beauty handbook, Miyakofuzoku kewaiden. The signature complex is Hadasei-3, made from double-fermented Akita rice, Uji green tea and Okinawa algae, and developed at the Tatcha Institute, founded in Tokyo in 2010. The philosophy phrase is hinou-dokon, skin and mind, same root, which Zen monk Toryo Ito introduced to Tsai. The skin care here covers the whole ritual. For cleansing there is The Rice Wash, The Camellia Oil 2-in-1 Makeup Remover & Cleanser, the Indigo Cleansing Balm, The Matcha Foam gel cleanser and the Clarifying Cleanse + Hydrate. Then come The Water Cream, The Dewy Skin Cream, The Dewy Milk, The Silk Cream and The Longevity Memory Cream, with The Brightening Eye Cream, The Longevity Serum, The Serum Stick and the Milky Sunscreen SPF 50. For cleanser basics, this guide to face washes is a good companion, and this fall skincare routine shows how to layer richer creams.

The sets here are named for what they do together. The Dewy Cleanse + Hydrate Duo Set and the AM/PM Moisture Duo Gift Set follow the cleanse and moisturize rhythm of a day, while the Always Dewy Set and the Dewy & Bright Favorites Set gather what the brand is known for. The Clear Pores, Smooth Skin Set is aimed at pores, the Glossy & Golden Lips Set is a lip story, and The Longevity Energizing & Strengthening Gift Set is for the longevity line. The Most Loved Little Luxuries Set is a small collection of favorites. What I would skip is buying a duo set for someone who already has a firm cleanser they like; a moisturizer on its own, from the dewy range, is the better fit. For a basic three-step approach, this guide to dry skin products is easy to follow.

Lip care is a Tatcha specialty, and the Kissu line shows it: The Kissu Hydrating & Plumping Lip Mask, the Camellia Goldspun lip balm and The Melting Lip Balm sit in this group, with the Kissu Lip Scrub and Lip Treatment in the first. The Indigo Body Butter carries the Indigo line, which the brand counts among its heroes, from face to body. The Silk Canvas Primer and The Liquid Silk Canvas Primer are for under makeup, and the Glow & Go Essentials and Dewy Skin & Glossy Lips are small sets for travel. For lip balm ideas, this lip balm guide covers the dry-lip side, and this primer guide helps match a primer to skin.

I would build a Tatcha ritual from The Rice Wash, The Dewy Skin Cream and a Kissu lip product, then add The Water Cream when the weather turns, and The Indigo Body Butter for the evenings. It is a short list, and each piece has a clear job in the morning or at night. Unilever acquired the brand in 2019, but the idea is still the one Vicky Tsai brought back from Kyoto: skin and mind, same root.

For more in the same spirit, take a look at The Ultimate Luxury Skincare Wardrobe and Merit Makeup and Skincare.