Shopify blog
In the fast-paced world of beauty and skin care, longevity is rare. Yet OSEA Malibu, a brand that offers seaweed-based skin care products, founded in 1996, has not only survived but thrived for nearly three decades. CEO Melissa Palmer, daughter of company founder Jenefer Palmer, has steered the brand from its humble beginnings in Malibu, California, into a global presence. Today, in addition to its online Shopify store, the brand is sold by major retailers like Ulta and Nordstrom, and in thousands of spas worldwide.
Melissa has learned over the years what it takes to create a business model and marketing plan with staying power. Let’s dive into the key lessons from OSEA’s 28-year journey.
5 steps to creating a marketing plan that will sustain growth for decades
1. Start with a strong foundation
The first reason for OSEA’s enduring success is simple: "Without [a great product], I don’t think anything would have been possible, because we’ve continued to deliver on our commitment to our consumers of having a great product and doing what we say we’re gonna do," Melissa says.
This focus on product quality has been central to OSEA’s marketing strategy since its inception. Melissa’s mother, Jenefer, knew, “if we built a great product, people would come back.” A superior offering can be your best marketing tool. This philosophy has paid dividends, allowing OSEA to build a loyal customer base and expand into new markets over time.
![[From left to right] OSEA’s hyaluronic body serum, Undaria collagen body lotion, hyaluronic sea serum, and ocean eyes.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/031224_OSEA_HyaluronicBodySerum_HBS-1-821-EditV2_1.jpg?v=1727133509)
2. Embrace digital transformation
While OSEA’s roots are in traditional retail and spa partnerships, Melissa recognized the potential of ecommerce early on. In 2015, after scaling a direct-to-consumer Hula-Hooping brand, Melissa used the skills she honed with digital marketing and web design to build OSEA’s online presence. Her digital experience shifted the business from a primarily wholesale model to a thriving direct-to-consumer platform.
“We just tried everything that was going on at the time in digital marketing,” Melissa recalls. This experimentation led to a significant shift in the company’s business model, from 99% wholesale to a thriving direct-to-consumer platform on its Shopify-powered website, showing how important it is to stay open to new media channels and opportunities to experiment and get creative.
3. Build a unique influencer strategy
When brands started working with Instagram and TikTok influencers, OSEA decided to seek out content creators who aligned with its brand values. This meant eschewing the expected beauty influencers and instead partnering with nutritionists and healthy-living influencers.
“We went for non-typical content creators,” Melissa explains. “In 2016, you didn’t see a lot of nutritionists posting about what skin care products they were using.” This strategy allowed OSEA to tap into niche communities like nurses, flight attendants, and health-conscious consumers.
Melissa advises others to look beyond obvious influencer choices. Seek out partners whose values align with your brand, even if they’re not in your exact industry. One of OSEA’s most successful partnerships is with @fullyrawkristina, a lifestyle influencer based in Kauai who follows a raw food diet. Despite not being a typical beauty influencer, Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram has become a powerful advocate for the brand.
4. Create memorable moments and a unique value proposition
When you can, look for unique ways to tell your brand story through promotions as well as special discounts other businesses can’t run. OSEA creates traditions customers can look forward to. Its Leap Year sale is an example of how creative marketing resonates with customers. By offering 1996 pricing every four years across all its sales channels, OSEA creates buzz and reinforces its brand history.
“We thought, OK, we’ll just once do 20% off. And then we realized, wait, this is a leap year. And we just had this really funny idea to leap back to 1996 like pricing,” Melissa explains. This campaign, which celebrates the brand’s launch year, has grown from a small event in 2016 to a major sales driver in 2024, activating across multiple channels including email, affiliate marketing, social media, and paid search.
5. Continue to stay curious
Despite OSEA’s success, Melissa emphasizes the importance of ongoing growth and learning. She’s participated in entrepreneur groups like Vistage and YPO, constantly seeking new perspectives to adapt to the changing needs of a growing company.
“I think I just continually come back to my core commitments, which is doing my best and working to understand that I’m doing my best for where we are right now,” Melissa reflects. This commitment to learning extends to staying hands-on in various aspects of the business, even beyond marketing.
Building a brand that lasts requires more than a great product. It demands a commitment to quality and a willingness to adapt in order to sustain growth. By following these principles, OSEA Malibu not only has survived but thrived for nearly three decades in the competitive beauty industry.
Tune in to the full Shopify Masters episode to hear some of Melissa’s trials and errors when it came to scaling the business.
Osea Malibu FAQ
Who founded OSEA Malibu and how did the brand get its start?
OSEA Malibu was founded in 1996 by Jenefer Palmer, who spent close to a decade perfecting her seaweed-based formulas before bringing the brand to market. Her daughter Melissa Palmer now serves as CEO, having built out the company's digital marketing and direct-to-consumer sales channels in the years that followed. The company has stayed family-owned throughout its growth into a global skincare and body-care brand.
Is OSEA Malibu vegan and cruelty-free?
Yes, every OSEA Malibu product is formulated with vegan and cruelty-free ingredients. All of our clean skincare products are formulated with vegan and cruelty-free ingredients. The brand backs this up with third-party certification: it is certified by Leaping Bunny and PETA, ensuring that no animal testing occurred at any stage of product development. These standards have applied since the company's founding, reflecting a long-running commitment to ethical formulation.
What role does seaweed play in OSEA Malibu skincare?
Seaweed is the core active ingredient across OSEA Malibu's product line, chosen for its concentration of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. The brand formulates with seaweed, marine plants and algae, because it's one of nature's most powerful superfoods, rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Seaweed is sourced from around the world based on its high mineral content and combined with plant-based ingredients at clinically tested levels. This marine-first approach has anchored the brand's identity since it launched in 1996.
How sustainable is OSEA Malibu as a company?
OSEA Malibu holds Climate Label Certification and Ocean+Positive Verification, meaning its operations offset more carbon than they produce. The company is The Climate Label Certified and Ocean+Positive Verified, meaning Osea offsets more carbon than it creates. It is also Leaping Bunny Certified and PETA Approved. These commitments extend an early focus on environmental ethics, sustainable packaging, and cruelty-free ingredients that was unusual for a skincare brand in the 1990s.
How can I find the right OSEA Malibu products for my skin?
OSEA Malibu offers an online skin quiz that builds a personalized product routine in under a minute based on skin type and concerns. Shoppers can take the quiz to determine which plant-based skin and body care products are right for their routine. Recommendations account for concerns ranging from dullness and loss of elasticity to dryness and blemishes. Results typically pair a cleanser with a serum and moisturizer suited to those needs.
