Vicky Tsai

Vicky Tsai is an American businesswoman and co-founder of Tatcha, a luxury skincare brand rooted in Japanese beauty rituals. Before launching Tatcha, Tsai built a career in finance on Wall Street, working at Merrill Lynch during the September 11 attacks, an experience that profoundly shaped her desire to pursue more meaningful work. She later earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, where she worked on SK-II for Procter & Gamble and developed an acute dermatitis that sparked her interest in gentle, effective skincare.

In 2008, a trip to Kyoto introduced Tsai to the centuries-old beauty practices of Japanese geisha. Convinced these timeless ingredients could succeed in the American market, she founded Tatcha in 2009. The early years were grueling: she worked out of her parents' garage in Millbrae, California, took no salary, and ran out of money repeatedly. She personally financed losses, maxed out credit cards, and borrowed from friends and family to keep the company alive. Tatcha's breakthrough came through QVC appearances and a holy-grail press cycle that included Vogue, Oprah, and the Today Show.

By 2018, Tatcha reached $70 million in sales, and in 2019 Unilever acquired the company for a reported $500 million. Tsai stepped down as CEO in 2021, returning two years later to lead the brand again after Unilever requested her comeback. Today she focuses on product innovation and client care while advocating for female founders and transparent beauty standards.