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100 Years of Women Inspired by the Sea
OSEA was founded three decades ago, but our story began over a century ago. My grandmother Elsa was a great believer in the power of the sea. When she was 44 years old, Elsa had a terrible fall, injuring her leg and leaving her bedridden. One night, a message came to her in a dream: The ocean will heal you. The next morning, she asked her husband to take her to the Long Island Sound and carry her into the water. She returned again the next day. And the next. Elsa swam in the frigid waters every day for weeks, and the dream became a prophecy: Her leg healed.
When I had a family of my own, we moved to Southern California, never straying far from the ocean. At the time, almost everything in the skincare world seemed to be made with artificial fragrances, dyes and synthetic ingredients, and none of it worked very well. I knew I could do better. Borrowing from my grandmother’s wisdom, I collected seaweed and started mixing my own formulas. That is how OSEA was born.
Today it’s called clean beauty, but in our family, it is what it has always been: a simple, holistic philosophy that our connection to nature is essential to our collective wellbeing.
Our Timeline
1920s
My grandmother Elsa (one of the first female chiropractors in the U.S.) discovers the healing powers of seaweed and the ocean. She starts the first Polar Bear Club in New York, swimming in the Long Island Sound over 300 days a year!
1982
Moved to Orcas Island, Washington to raise my family in an intentional community. I immerse myself in the healing arts, including shiatsu, polarity therapy and biodynamic craniosacral therapy.
1982
I become Spa Director at Murrieta Hot Springs, one of Southern California's first wellness spas. Unable to find clean skincare that meets my standards, I start creating my own formulas. The following year, I formulated what would eventually become the first OSEA product: Essential Hydrating Oil.
1987
After Murrieta Hot Springs spa is sold, I focus my attention on creating seaweed-infused skincare. My bathtub becomes a seaweed storage facility and my kitchen, a laboratory.
1990s
I devote myself to the study of cosmetic chemistry and spend years perfecting my formulations.
1996
OSEA officially launches at Fred Segal on Melrose!
1998
My daughter Melissa officially joins me and we begin working on OSEA together (out of our garage).
2000
We have been vegan and cruelty free since the beginning! We officially affirm this commitment with our Leaping Bunny Certified.
2001
OSEA becomes the first company to sign the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Eventually, more than 1,000 other companies will join us.
2002
Our first spa partnership is with the Four Seasons Maui, uniting our shared passion for holistic wellness, naturally-derived ingredients and rejuvenation.
2003
Recognizing our commitment to animal rights, Legally Blonde II–a movie about the horrors of animal testing–includes OSEA products.
2004
I testify before the California State Assembly in support of the California Safe Cosmetics Act, which passed in 2005. I also work with the Environmental Working Group and the Breast Cancer Fund to advocate for safer cosmetic regulation.
2005
We begin sourcing our seaweed from a sustainable seaweed farm in southern Patagonia. It’s there that we develop OSEA’s signature, proprietary seaweed-based ingredients.
2010
We introduce our cult-favorite seaweed-infused Undaria Algae Body Oil, which to this day remains our #1 bestseller.
2016
My daughter Melissa becomes OSEA’s first CEO. She begins to rapidly grow our family-run company and expand our social media presence.
2017
Melissa and I, together with a group of clean beauty activists, lobby the United States Congress for a new bill regulating safety in the cosmetics industry.
2018
Our first OSEA Skincare Studio opens in Venice, California. The response was overwhelming!
2020
After decades of work towards sustainability, we implement one of our core principles: OSEA becomes certified Climate Neutral.
2020
We make our debut in Ulta Beauty as part of their Conscious Beauty initiative, which highlights brands that positively impact our community and the planet.
2022
We win our first-ever Allure Best of Beauty award for our Ocean Eyes Serum. Clinically proven to depuff, visibly brighten dark circles & smooth lines.
2021
Celebrating our 25th anniversary in front of our first-ever billboards in NYC and LA!
2022
We become the first Ocean Positive beauty brand! We commit to offsetting more carbon than we create by supporting kelp forests in California and across the globe.
2023
We’re proud to win our second Allure Best of Beauty award for Vagus Nerve Bath Oil, a one-of-a-kind bath oil that soaks away signs of stress.
