#The best new beach beauty products for hair and skin

While most of us are just starting to envision a return to the beach and the chance to wiggle our toes in the sand, a cool crop of sea-centric beauty brands has been keeping busy in the past year, crafting products that fuel our obsession with an endless summer. Helmed by surfers and beach-lovers, and powered by missions like ridding the sea of plastic, brands like Pirette, Kelsen, Tower 28, Playa and Eir NYC deliver an ocean of goodness on the daily. 

Tower 28

Named for an actual lifeguard station in Santa Monica, California, and beloved by Instagram-catnip makeup artists such as Katie Jane Hughes and Molly R. Stern, Tower 28 has had such a smash hit with its year-old Bronzino Illuminating Cream Bronzer ($20) in its Best Coast and West Coast shades that it’s expanding the range with three darker, more inclusive offerings. New Sun Coast, Gold Coast and Pacific Coast were created in collaboration with makeup artist Jessica Smalls, whose celeb roster includes Janelle Monáe, Tessa Thompson and Usher. 

“Beach culture is a huge part of our brand identity at Tower 28,” says founder Amy Liu. “All of our products are made with skin-loving ingredients designed to give you that ‘I just got back from vacation,’ sun-kissed look without even stepping outside.” 

Kelsen

The brainchild of two pro surfers (Jack Freestone, Mikey February) and two pro skaters (Curren Caples, Sean Malto), Kelsen made its fall 2019 debut with three microplastic-free, unisex products: a combo shampoo and bodywash, hair conditioner and pomade ($26 each). According to the brand, its name stems from a “keelson,” the centerline structure of a boat, without which the whole kit and caboodle capsizes. The “marine performance blend” woven throughout its formulas contains kelp that has been sustainably harvested from underwater “forests” all over the world, along with other ocean-derived ingredients such as sea holly and sea rock fennel.

Pirette Beach

Newport Beach, California-based Pirette was spawned by a single product: its addictive Fragrance Oil ($48), which features a beachy olfactory blend of “fresh green coconut, surf wax and sunscreen” notes. Today, the brand weaves that signature scent throughout its entire collection, whether it’s Invisible Dry Shampoo ($26), Coconut Oil Scrub ($36), Dry Body Oil ($36) or the new Hydrating Body Lotion ($38). Fun fact: According to Pirette’s marketing materials, a “piret” is “a female pirate; a salty trailblazer who belongs to the sea.” 

Playa

Amid a sea of West Coast upstarts, the OG of surf brands — Playa — is standing strong. Founded by former stylist and Manhattan transplant Shelby Wild, a surfer who fell in love with Venice Beach, it sprang from her desire for natural products that would allow her hair to air dry and actually look good. Launching with “essentials” Every Day Shampoo ($28) and Supernatural Conditioner ($28), Wild recently added Healing Hair Masque ($38), California Salt Shampoo ($38), Endless Summer Spray ($24), Monoi Milk Leave-In Conditioner ($24) and Violet Brightening Shampoo ($28) to the mix.

According to Wild, Playa’s sales boomed during the pandemic. “With everyone spending more time on their self-care routines, we saw a surge around our treatment products,” she says. “People were particularly drawn to our California Salt Shampoo and Healing Hair Masque. As a duo, they’re amazing for treating your scalp and hair all at once, and feel like an indulgent, spa-worthy moment — something we could all use a little more of these days.” 

Eir

Not that all beach beauty brands hail from Cali. Eir NYC has its roots in the Montauk, LI, surf community and was conjured as a greener alternative to drugstore wellness. Helmed by an avid kite surfer, CEO Stacy Haase, it features products like Surf Mud sun protection balm ($24) and Post Session Salts ($20), which helps ocean junkies recover from a day in the waves. “For me, the ocean makes me feel alive and at peace at the same time,” says Haase. “I just feel at home on the water.”

Ama Sea Beauty

Nomad Cosmetics