Amy Liu
After 20+ years building Smashbox, Kate Somerville, and Josie Maran Cosmetics — while unable to use most of the products she worked on because of lifelong eczema — Amy Liu launched Tower 28 at 40. It is the only beauty brand 100% compliant with the National Eczema Association's ingredient guidelines across its entire range.
"Safety, rescue, community — named after a Santa Monica lifeguard tower."
— Amy Liu
Amy Liu spent more than 20 years as a beauty executive across Smashbox, Kate Somerville, and Josie Maran Cosmetics — building other people's brands while, as a lifelong eczema sufferer, unable to use most of the products without irritation.
At 40, she founded Tower 28, named after a lifeguard tower on the Santa Monica beach — a symbol of safety, rescue, and community.
Tower 28 is the first beauty brand 100% compliant with the National Eczema Association's ingredient guidelines across its entire range — a stricter bar than any retailer's 'clean' certification. Every product is clean, vegan, free of all known skin irritants, and priced under $30. Liu has been named EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Greater Los Angeles and recognized by Goldman Sachs as one of its most exceptional entrepreneurs. Tower 28 launched at Sephora UK in September 2025.
Sensitive-skin compliance is a higher standard than 'clean.' The NEA bar requires evidence, not claims.
Accessibility is part of the ethos — every SKU under $30, with a scholarship fund supporting eczema-community attendance at the annual Eczema Expo.
- Pre-201920+ years as a beauty executive (Smashbox, Kate Somerville, Josie Maran)
- 2019Founds Tower 28 Beauty in Los Angeles at age 40
- 2025Launches at Sephora UK in September — first major international expansion