By LILY TINOCO | Reporter
“Designed for sensitive skin. Made for all.”
That is the slogan of beach-inspired, clean beauty brand Tower 28—and at the helm of it all is Marquez Knolls resident Amy Liu.
Liu told the Palisadian-Post that she has been in the beauty industry for over 15 years, garnering experience working as a beauty executive at companies like Smashbox and Josie Maran.
But as a consumer, Liu shared that she struggled to find products that were suitable for her sensitive skin. Liu has a history of chronic eczema, and went to great lengths to try and combat it for part of her adult life.
“As my eczema got worse in my adulthood, I became exposed to clean beauty,” she explained. “Josie Maran was really a pioneer in the clean beauty movement, and it coincided with my becoming a mother. While I was there—when I got pregnant and started having kids—I became more interested in what was going on my skin and what was going into my bloodstream.”
As Liu began trying clean beauty products, she said she found that plant botanicals, essential oils and fragrances in a number of clean beauty products would, ironically, irritate her skin.
She set off on a goal to create products that were non-toxic, free of irritants and made with nourishing ingredients.
Liu launched Tower 28, a beauty brand that is 100% clean, vegan and free of every known skin irritant. It is also the only makeup brand that 100% follows the National Eczema Association’s ingredient guidelines, according to the website.
Simultaneously, as part of her philosophy, Liu was determined to create a brand that was inclusive of all skin tones and skin types.
“As an Asian American, I didn’t really see myself depicted in the media,” she shared with the Post. “I didn’t see faces that looked like my own, I didn’t see skin that looked like my own. I was really looking for the opportunity to help redefine that and do it in a more inclusive way. I think the beach as a medium is such an interesting one … I go to the beach and I see literally every type of person. But when I look at Billabong and Hurley, I see blonde girls with blue eyes. As someone who has lived on the Westside for a really long time now, it’s not congruent with what I see.”
Liu said she loves that the beach is a space for everybody, which is the genesis of the name of the brand.
Liu lived in Santa Monica after graduating from college and before moving to Pacific Palisades, adding that the name Tower 28 also nods to her Santa Monica roots.
“That was the lifeguard tower that I always went to and met my friends at,” she said. “It’s the one just at the intersection of Santa Monica and Venice.”
Liu has lived in the Palisades for just over three years with her husband, Victor, and three children Logan, Ellie and Charlie. She shared that it’s the first house she’s purchased, with plans for it to be her forever home.
The brand’s line of products includes cream bronzers, balms, blushes and lip glosses ranging from $12 to $28—Liu said it was important for her to create a clean beauty brand that was accessibly priced.
“Things have changed a little bit now, there are a bit more options, but clean beauty specifically was pretty expensive and it targeted a very narrow, older demographic and a wealthy one,” Liu said. “I wanted it to be an entry-level price point in a prestige environment.”
In addition to its makeup products, Tower 28 also boasts a Save.Our.Skin Daily Rescue Facial Spray, described as a three-ingredient daily treatment spray that soothes skin and reduces redness and irritation: Liu’s personal favorite.
“It’s like asking me which of my kids is my favorite … except slightly easier,” Liu said with a laugh. “Our S.O.S. Daily Rescue Facial Spray is not the most fun product we have, but it’s the one I personally rely on the most. I’ve had chronic eczema for so long, with the use of this product I really have been able to keep it under control.”
Liu said Sephora took a leap of faith with Tower 28, going from selling its products online in September 2019 to all stores in January 2020.
“I’m super grateful to Sephora because they’ve really believed in us from the beginning,” she added.
Liu said the reception of her products has been surreal—literally.
“It’s so interesting, especially in COVID,” she explained. “There was a part of it where it really just didn’t feel real because I didn’t go into those stores. Part of the plan last year was for me to go train those stores … so to have the brand explode and start gaining momentum is so exciting but to do it virtually, is such a weird thing. It’s like, ‘Are you guys real people?’”
Through social media, Liu said the most exciting part has been seeing her brand resonate in different ways among individuals all around the world.
“Being somebody who has worked in the beauty industry for a long time … a traditional marketer would say, ‘Oh, my customer is this age and has this wealth income,’ and what we found is there’s not just one archetype of who our customer is, and I’m so proud of that,” Liu said.
With the growth of her brand, Liu found herself gaining a platform and saw it as an opportunity to give back. As an effort to help the fight against systemic racism and injustices, Tower 28 launched the Clean Beauty Summer School last year, a program for founders and brand experts to collaborate and support the growth of majority Black-owned small beauty businesses.
“We mentored, we taught classes and we also had a pitch day,” Liu said. “In the end, we were able to secure a $10,000 grant from an organization called the New Voices Foundation, they were able to help us give $10,000 to the winner. Our judges were a buyer from Sephora, a buyer from Ulta and Credo was involved too.”
Tower 28 is hosting its Clean Beauty Summer School again this year and has extended the opportunity to BIPOC beauty founders. This year’s winners will be offered over $50,000 worth of prizes and secured meetings with Sephora, Ulta and Credo.
Liu concluded with her single piece of advice to fellow entrepreneurs: “Comparison is the thief of joy … at the end of the day, you just have to run your own race.”
Tower 28’s products can be found in Sephora, and online at Credo Beauty or REVOLVE. Visit tower28beauty.com to learn more.
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