Exclusive: Tatcha Is Giving Its Fan-Favorite Rice Enzyme Powder a Makeover

Sophie Wirt
Updated

Fact: Anyone who says they don't like physical exfoliants has probably never tried the Tatcha Classic Rice Enzyme Powder. The stuff is so good, it has gained quite a following, including the likes of Allure editors and Meghan Markle, who once gushed about it's majorly subtle-yet-effective exfoliation.

Hold your royal horses, because Tatcha just released a 2.0. version of its classic exfoliator. We tried it out, and yes, it's somehow even more amazing than the original.

Like Tatcha's first scrubs, these newbies are made from Japanese rice bran. Mix them with H2O, and the dry powders transform — as if by magic — into gentle-yet-effective, creamy exfoliators, which rely not on the granules, but on exfoliating papaya fruit enzymes. Since exfoliators, like cleansers, are not a one-size-fits-all product, these babies come in four different variations: Classic, Deep, Gentle, and Calming. (If you're already partial to a specific powder, not to worry. The original skin type-specific names still apply with the revamp.)

So, why change a such good thing? "[Tatcha's] skin-care scientists create each formula from scratch and are always searching for new technology or ways to improve," Victoria Tsai, founder and CEO of Tatcha, tells Allure. "We felt lucky to have such a wonderful response to our Polished Rice Enzyme Powders, but we also heard that clients were turning it into a paste and scrubbing skin with it, when it should be non-abrasive."

The new formulas, dubbed the Rice Polish (instead of the Rice Powder), maintain all the skin-sloughing benefits of the exfoliator before it, but they come with a few new bells and whistles. The principles are the same: dry powder, mix with water. But the end product is even creamier than its predecessor, thanks in part to a more finely milled rice bran powder (Tsai compares it to matcha).

But don't let its gentleness fool you — this stuff is still just as effective, thanks to those papaya fruit enzymes, which chemically slough away dead skin without any sort of scrubbing involved. Simply scoop out a teeny bit of powder, mix with water, and watch it transform into a "...creamy, fluffy exfoliant, right before your eyes," Tsai says. (We call it magic.) Think of it as a lazy exfoliation hack.

One more bit of magic: you can use these scrubs (almost) as often as your heart desires. Unlike traditional exfoliants, which should generally be limited to once or twice a week use, these are so gentle, they can be used up to twice daily. We gave them a go, and were pleasantly surprised by how soft — not stripped — our skin felt afterward.

"We still have four different 'flavors' available, each with active ingredients tailored to suit the needs of individual skin types," Tsai says. When tried them, each felt equally as spa-like, creamy, and luxurious as the next. One commonality is a newly adjusted pH-neutral amino acid base. From a packaging standpoint, the improved products come in a rainbow of shades (talk about #shelfie potential).

You can start (gently) sloughing starting on Tuesday, July 31 on Tatcha.com. If brick and mortar is more your style, feel free to take an IRL look on Sephora shelves starting on Friday, August 3. Each retails for $65 — a portion of which will go directly toward the Room to Read Girls' Education Program. Plus, you really can't put a price on Duchess-worthy skin, can you?

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