REVIEW: Tatcha Classic Rice Enzyme Powder

When a friend invited me to a Tatcha PR event, cocktails at MO bar in the Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel, I jumped at the opportunity. Not only would it be my first time attending a skincare PR event, but I saw it as the perfect chance to learn more about a brand that I had heard of a bit before on YouTube but had never had much exposure to. 

The founder of Tatcha, Vicky Tsai, left her corporate career to study the beauty secrets of the Japanese geishas. She travelled to Kyoto, Japan, where she had a chance encounter with a modern day geisha. She discovered a two-hundred-year-old text containing the geishas' beauty rituals and secrets which led her to create Tatcha, a line of skincare products based on those timeless beauty rituals, harking back to the twilight of Japan's Edo period renaissance. All Tatcha products contain 3 key ingredients, red algae, rice bran and green tea. This special blend is patented as "HADASEI-3" and according to Tatcha, this bioactive complex is shown to improve the appearance of elasticity of the skin, moisturise the skin and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. 

We were each given a goodie bag at the event, tailored to our skin's needs, based on a quick skin analysis performed by Vicky Tsai herself. My goodie bag contained: aburatorigami japanese beauty papers (oil-blotting papers), the classic rice enzyme powder, the deep hydration lifting mask and the camellia nourishing lip balm. 

Having tested the classic rice enzyme powder several times, I'm in a good position to let you know my thoughts.

Packaging gets a big thumbs up. The push back mechanism of the jar keeps everything neat and tidy and you can easily control exactly how much powder you want to dispense. The recommended amount is half a teaspoon.

This rice enzyme powder acts as a gentle exfoliant - when mixed with water, it becomes a creamy foam that really quickly dissolves the dead skin cells on your face as you massage it on in circular motions. The powder is a blend of rice and papaya enzymes, conditioning pearl and Tatcha's signature "HADASEI-3" complex. This should be applied to a wet face. Be careful not to leave it on your face for over 10-20 seconds as it really does act fast and you don't want to overstimulate! After rinsing it off with water, your skin immediately feels extremely clean and smooth, almost to the point of being squeaky clean, but not so that your skin feels dried out. 

There are actually 3 different levels of rice enzyme powder in the Tatcha line - a gentle one for sensitive skin, this classic one for normal skin, and a deep one for active skin (i.e. acne-prone), so it's easy to find one that suits your skin type. Although I have acne-prone skin, I'm actually glad I was given the classic powder as I believe it's always better to go gentle on your skin rather than to dry it out too much (which, if you have naturally oily skin, will cause it to produce even more oil to compensate).

I like to use this exfoliator once or twice a week, followed by either one of my favourite masks - the Antipodes Aura Manuka Mask or the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. 

I can honestly say that this is the best exfoliator I've tried to date. Highly recommend! The only drawback is the steep price tag at US$65 (around HK$500) but I can see the jar lasting a long time.

Have you tried anything from Tatcha? What's your favourite exfoliant?

S

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