How We Helped Tatcha Refresh Its Brand and Reclaim Moisturizer Leadership
In beauty, legacy is a foundation, but innovation drives what's next.
Tatcha, a brand grounded in centuries of Japanese skincare wisdom, found itself at a critical juncture in 2024. Despite holding the #1 moisturizer SKU at Sephora, it faced a wave of new competitors and a consumer base increasingly driven by “newness” and viral moments.
So how does a 16-year-old brand hold onto its leadership position in the most competitive category in beauty? That’s where we came in, with a brand refresh and campaign rooted in heritage and respect, guided by insights with how beauty shoppers are connecting with brands today. Our central message was clear: Today, Tatcha’s Transformative Japanese Skincare aims to intentionally disrupt the pace of modern life with a newfound goal: bridging the connection between skin and mind.
The Challenge: Staying on Top in a Trend-Obsessed Market
In 2024, the prestige moisturizer category was exploding. New brands were flooding the market; loud, fast-moving, and often driven by hype rather than heritage. Even a leader like Tatcha wasn’t immune to the pressure.
Tatcha needed to do more than defend its position. It needed to evolve without compromising the soul of the brand. The brief wasn’t just about updating visuals. It was about re-establishing emotional relevance and finding new meaning in a brand built on tradition.
At the same time, the category itself was changing. Consumers were no longer just seeking hydration, but emotional wellbeing. Millennial and Gen Z shoppers increasingly viewed skincare as a form of self-care, with 72% engaging in beauty rituals to manage stress and anxiety.
The Solution: A New Expression of Transformation
We partnered with Tatcha to reframe its identity around an idea that felt both timeless and urgent: True meaning takes transformation. True transformation takes intentional disruption.
Our work began at the strategic level, clarifying brand purpose, evolving positioning, and defining a new emotional language for how Tatcha shows up in the world. This strategy informed every creative decision, from campaign messaging to campaign typography.
We were also responding to macro shifts, like the rise of neurocosmetics and psychodermatology, where beauty products are designed not just to treat skin but to trigger emotional responses. We further aligned Tatcha’s offering with this new expectation: beauty that literally makes you feel better, inside and out.
Bringing It to Life: Moisture That Makes You Feel
To introduce this evolved identity, we centered our work around what Tatcha is best known for: its moisturizers. But instead of talking about hydration, we talked about feeling.
“Moisture That Makes You Feel” was a 360 campaign designed to build equity not just in product, but in the emotional shift each formula could inspire. Each hero SKU was tied to a specific emotional benefit, transforming a skincare step into a self-affirming ritual.
From refreshed art direction and updated design systems, to campaign rollout and messaging architecture, our goal was simple: help Tatcha stand out, not by shouting louder, but by speaking more clearly, more meaningfully, and more beautifully.
In doing so, we helped Tatcha respond to what consumers were already telling us in their search behavior; terms like “soothing,” “gentle,” and “calming” were all on the rise, reflecting a demand for emotional management through skincare.
Today, Tatcha’s Transformative Japanese Skincare aims to intentionally disrupt the pace of modern life with a newfound goal: bridging the connection between skin and mind. Our first campaign together, Moisture That Makes You Feel is an invitation to change the way you see your skin and self through Moisture Therapy.
A Brand Built for What’s Next
Front Row’s work with Tatcha was a reawakening anchored in wisdom, elevated by design, and ready for the modern beauty consumer. While the campaign is still unfolding, one thing is already clear: Tatcha’s transformation is more than skin deep.
It reflects a larger shift in beauty itself, from a category focused on appearance to one that acknowledges and enhances emotional wellbeing. And with this new foundation, Tatcha is positioned not just as a skincare leader, but as a source of serenity in an increasingly chaotic world.
