Geisha Traditions Allow HBS Startup to Join Fastest-Growing Companies

The Harvard Business School (HBS) graduate told Inc. Magazine that learning about the beauty rituals of a modern-day geisha worked wonders on her own skin – something she says suffered greatly during an MBA internship that saw Tsai perform competitive benchmarking for a big-name beauty products company that culminated in acute dermatitis: “The second year of business school was not fun,” she admits. “I was interviewing everywhere looking like Quasimodo.”

After graduating from HBS, Tsai joined Starbucks to help grow the company’s presence in China. It was her frequent travels to China, with layovers in Japan, that first brought her into contact with the culture of the geisha. Over the course of repeated trips, Tsai came upon the 1813 text of Miyakofuzoku Kewaiden, or ‘Capital Beauty and Style Handbook’ and was suitably impressed by the differing approaches taken by geishas towards beauty regimens that she decided to launch TATCHA – even though it meant selling her car and engagement ring to raise the initial capital.

“The idea that I could find authenticity, simplicity and beauty in another place and bring that to life for other people is a dream come true. It never felt like that much of a risk; it was something that I had to do,” the HBS alumna told Yahoo Finance. Some of her company’s best-selling products include Rice Enzyme Powder, Dewy Skin Mist, and Camellia Cleansing Oil – all items that are said to take their cue from the geisha’s code of practice.