Tatcha The Starter Ritual Set – Soothing for Sensitive Skin | 2 Week Introductory Set | $93 Value

Very hydrating & anti aging skin care care
Skincare is such a difficult review because not all skin types are the same. I really like this line of products, it works! It’s light and helps keep my skin plump and firmer – hydrated. The night cream is my favorite. Hope you find the skincare products that work for you!

Great trial products, but the packaging could be a lot better.
I have sensitive, dehydrated, and dry skin this starter kit is seriously gold in a box! It has all the products that has my face feeling so incredibly soft and hydrated at the same time. It’s super gentle and doesn’t irritate my skin at all. I’ve been using Tatcha products for a long time now and honestly the rest of their products they offer have always been good to my face.The one negative thing I have to say is that there’s a lot of packaging waste that comes with this set. The products themselves are mini size but the box it comes with is huge and feels like there should be full sized products. There’s just so much wasted empty space. I get that Tatcha wants the set to feel luxury, bc the prices are luxury, but the inside of the box is literally just plain white so I don’t see what’s the point. You could probably cut the box down by 1/3 and have the same experience. Also, my box came a little damaged with the paper peeling off the cardboard when it arrived so proceed with caution if you’re getting this as a gift.

So-So
Overall, I found these products to be so-so. Some I liked, others I did not. Although they do feel gentle, they did nothing to calm the redness in my skin. There is also a lot of wasted packaging.Cleanser: very different than what I’m used to. You rub it into dry skin. It feels kind of like smearing Vaseline onto your face. It didn’t seem to clean well.Exfoliator: was very gentle and calming, but the exfoliating particles disintegrate almost immediately upon contact with water, so they don’t really last long enough to polish.Serum: feels nice, slightly moisturizing, gentle, but not really plumping as it claims.Moisturizer: made my pores HUGE, so my skin looked terrible after using.

All four were gentle but effective (skin felt clean, soft, smooth, & soothed).
4 ½ stars rounded up to 5. Tatcha sets are always beautifully presented, and this starter set (mini jars/bottle) made me smile as I opened it. However, know that there aren’t any tight safety seals if that’s a deal breaker for you.I’ve been using this “Calming & Strengthening Set” for two weeks, and my mature but still acne-prone, combination skin (I have uneven skin tone/redness) has reacted well; I’ve experienced no irritation/issues.I’ve been using the Indigo Cleansing Balm every evening, and it has gently and easily removed my makeup (including waterproof) and mineral sunscreen, and I haven’t had any spots (I still break out with skincare oils, including the couple of cleansing oils I’ve tried). The balm effortlessly glides around the skin (it’s gently massaged in with dry hands on a dry face), creates a bit of lather, and rinsed easily. My skin felt soft, clean, and a bit moisturized; it was a pleasure to use.With my hands and face wet from the cleansing balm, I shook about ¼ tsp of the Calming Rice Polish onto my fingers and rubbed them together. I could feel the graininess of the physical exfoliants for a few seconds, but it soon turned into a creamy foam. This is so gentle I was able to use it every evening without any irritation. (I can’t use enzymatic exfoliation products daily because they are too strong for my skin). The physical exfoliants in this worked gently but effectively (my skin felt wonderfully smooth, but retained the moisturized feeling from the balm). To my nose this product had a light (oatmealish?) scent which I found pleasant.The Essence looks and feels like water, but there’s no water in the short ingredient list. I first applied it to half my face, and the added hydration was immediately apparent. I’ve been using this one twice daily because my skin feels better when I use it, and the Hadasei-3 ingredients are supposed to help serums/actives/moisturizers absorb better. Shaking the essence out of the pretty glass bottle works, but I prefer a mist so after a couple of days I moved it to a fine misting glass bottle (I still lightly pat it into my skin).I wasn’t sure about the Indigo Calming Cream because dimethicone is near the top of the ingredient list (I learned to avoid silicones when I had very oily skin), so I cautiously used a small amount the first time. To my surprise it was quickly absorbed (I use lightweight moisturizers because my skin can take forever to absorb heavier/richer creams), and my skin felt soft, hydrated, and very comfortable. After that first successful evening use I started using it once daily in the morning. The blue color is visible when applied but disappears as it’s spread (it spreads easily). I almost always apply SPF, and often a lightweight foundation with additional SPF, and both worked well over this cream. The listing states it has the recommendation of the National Eczema Association (nice!), but that info isn’t listed on the box or jar that I could see.This starter set was a wonderful way to try these four products, and it would make a great gift for someone with sensitive skin.All products are cruelty free, but that info isn’t listed on the box or jars/ bottle. Three out of the four products are made in Japan, and the fourth (Indigo Calming Cream) was formulated in Japan but is “Made in the USA of International Ingredients”. The box I received in August 2025 was marked “EXP: 11/2026”, and icons state the products should be good for 6 months after opening.