Tower 28 to Release Mineral Sunscreen for Sensitive & Acne-prone Skin

Tower 28 has a mineral sunscreen coming.

The clean beauty brand, launched by Amy Liu in Santa Monica, Calif. in 2019, is introducing its SOS FaceGuard Broad Spectrum SPF 30 online on May 19 at tower28beauty.com, sephora.com and revolve.com, and in stores May 22 at Sephora and Sephora at Kohl’s.

“This is a product we’ve been working on for a really long time, and honestly, have done so many revisions of,” said Liu.

It’s been two-and-a-half years in the making. Like all Tower 28 products, it’s created with sensitive skin in mind; Liu, who has eczema, started the brand to create cosmetics and skin care goods that are nontoxic and non-irritating.

The products are resonating with consumers. Tower 28 had 145 percent year-over-year growth in 2024, according to the company, and it’s listed among the top 15 makeup brands at Sephora, with the fastest-growing client base at the retailer.

Liu raised $500,000 from her personal and professional network to launch Tower 28, before securing a series A investment led by Prelude Growth Partners in 2023 for an undisclosed sum.

“It was always going to be a mineral sunscreen and not a chemical sunscreen, because we’re talking about sensitive skin. And, as you know, the problem with mineral sunscreens is that they are hard to blend. You get the white cast,” she went on, of the new launch.

The Tower 28 SPF goes on without a white cast — just a subtle tint — and hydrates with a creamy texture.

“It really does feel and act like a moisturizer, the blendability of it,” said Liu. “This is not a trend-based product. This really is out of a need.”

It’s clinically proven to be non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic, making it safe for acne-prone skin. It also promises to be gentle enough not to irritate the eyes and not to pill with makeup. Priced at $32 for 50 ml. (with a travel-size option), it has three medical seals of approval: the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance, National Psoriasis Foundation Seal of Recognition and the National Rosacea Society Seal of Acceptance.

“We call it our triple seal program,” said Liu. “The hope is really just that people can feel that much more confident using the product.”

Tower 28’s entire SOS skin care line now has the three seals. (The SOS Rescue Spray continues to be the bestseller, with one sold every 11 seconds globally.)

Liu has been a voice in the beauty space for those with eczema. She serves on the board of directors for the National Eczema Association, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and supporting those affected by eczema, and through a partnership with Tower 28, offers a $200,000 scholarship to further its mission.

But now she’s broadened her focus to include all types of sensitive skin concerns, including rosacea, psoriasis and acne. As part of that effort, Tower 28 has added a medical advisory board to the company composed of dermatologist Dr. Joyce Park and double board-certified plastic surgeon Kelly Killeen.

“We’re working with these doctors to make sure we’re understanding ingredients in a deeper way, and the way that skin works, the way skin barrier works,” said Liu. “We’re really trying to cover the umbrella of sensitive skin.”