The Modern Pioneer

SHE SOLD HER ENGAGEMENT RING TO LAUNCH LUXE SKINCARE LINE, TATCHA. NEARLY A DECADE LATER, VICTORIA TSAI IS STILL FOLLOWING HER OWN PATH

- Hayley D'onofrio

Victoria Tsai was working in finance in New York City in 2001, and was at Ground Zero during the September 11 terrorist attacks. Her proximity to the tragic event was “the catalyst” for creating Tatcha. “I was only 22, and my husband was ill for the three years [following September 11]. I found myself impatient with doing anything that I didn’t consider meaningful.” Tsai tells the story of waking up one day—while working for a beauty company where she had acquired a case of acute dermatitis—and deciding to choose happiness over her career. “I started travelling, I guess trying to find myself, which I know sounds gratuitous, and looking for products that would cover my dermatitis. I was in Japan when I met a geisha, and I asked her about her make-up. I knew [the ingredients she put on her skin] must be quite natural, and thought it might help my dermat