Skincare from the Sea®
Review #22 - Osea 🌊
This time the algae oil is topical.
Review #22 - Osea 🌊
What Is It
Osea makes, as you could probably guess from their tagline, “skincare from the sea.” According to their site, they “set a new industry standard” 27 years ago when they first began making their seaweed-infused skincare, which they base on “safety, efficacy” and “the latest scientific research”.
If you, like me, have been hearing influencers rave about their Undaria Algae™ Body Oil for years now, you’re in luck — I reached my tipping point and decided to volunteer as tribute and try it out for us all.
Brand / Aesthetic
First, let’s all get on the same page: it’s pronounced Oh-see-ah. Cool. That’s what I thought, but it was brought to my attention that the word “sea” doesn’t have the “ee-ah”, to which my only response is, “valid”.
The sea is actually the root of their whole brand. Or whatever the aquatic version of a root would be. They consider the ocean their “deepest inspiration”; from the color palette to the logo to the ingredients in all of their products, it’s quite evident that the ocean is, as the kids say, that girl.
But what if I told you that OSEA isn’t actually a play on the word “sea”? Yeah, you heard me.
Well, it technically is, but that’s not the point. OSEA stands for “ocean, sun, earth, atmosphere,” which to them are “the natural elements of wellness.” These elements symbolize their ethos that “every decision” and “every product is made with consideration of our impact on our planet and our collective well being.”
It’s taking everything in my power not to call them “crunchy” (non-pejorative), but there’s no other word I can use to describe this brand.* At least be grateful I made it 3+ paragraphs in. They truly are the natural, hippie, woo-woo Marin County mom skincare brand of choice, which totally checks out with my initial perception of the brand. Before I did any real research on OSEA, I pegged them as the kind of skincare product you’d find at a spa in Ojai, based on their bottles alone.
I’ll have you know, I nailed it. Jenefer Palmer, their founder, started the company with her expertise from running Southern California’s Murrieta Hot Springs Spa. This spa gig, and admiration for the ocean in general, was initially inspired by her grandmother who swore by a freezing cold swim in the Long Island Sound as the cure for her debilitating injury.
Fast forward to modern day, Jenefer’s daughter, Melissa, stepped in as CEO in 2015, bringing the company to what we know it to be now. She ostensibly kicked the ops into high gear, which would explain why we hadn’t heard much of them for the first 20ish years of their life over here on the East Coast.
The mother-daughter story is quite compelling, and while I probably wasn’t paying much attention to their “our story” narrative over the past 8 years, it does feel… new. My innate cynicism would flag it as a retroactive push to amp up the founder story to keep up with this confusing state of founder-influencer-public-figure affairs, specifically on Instagram. Let’s go there next.
*Not only am I sick of hearing myself use the word “crunchy” to describe something inedible, it also feels inappropriate in the context of the ocean. I guess “flowy” would be an alternative? Open to suggestions.
Marketing
The way I’d describe their brand’s voice and subsequent marketing is as if an elder-millennial was attempting to get in on the Gen Z vernacular. You can tell by their TikTok experiments (kudos to creative risks), the Tweetstagrams, and the giveaways. Oh and memes, those are definitely on the table.
At first, my self-identifying zillennial self thought this was incredibly corny. BUT — as frequently happens on this newsletter — the more time I spent on this deep dive, the more their brand grows on me. I got past the literal and figurative cloyingness of their smoothie collab (we’ll get there) and “hot girl hydration essentials”, and moved into 🫶🫶🫶🫶 territory. In fewer words, I leaned in.
I wasn’t the only one who pulled a Sheryl Sandberg here. Enough hours spent combing through their social media profiles will tell you that the mother daughter duo got a little more comfortable with their on-camera presence in the past year-ish. What was once a quarterly special occasion feature (Earth Day, Mother’s Day, Big Sale, etc.) is now a regular cameo.
A new thing I’m doing when talking to founders who want to be involved to some degree in their brands’ online presence is to liken their role as one on a popular TV show. For instance, take Seinfeld: do you want to be Jerry-level (the whole brand revolves around your identity), George Costanza-level (you can recognize the founder in the context of the brand), or Soup Nazi-level (real heads know).
Like I said, at first I was a bit *no comment* on what appeared to be the founders’ graduation from Soup Nazi to George Costanza (they’re sitting comfortably in Newman territory, at the moment). If I’m being honest**, I initially read it as an opportunistic push towards the aforementioned founders-as-celebrities situation and what I believe is a brand growth strategy fallacy. I outlined that here.
However — earnestness alert — I started to love these two, and the brand as a result, in that uniquely parasocial way. This time, it’s less of a friend crush, and more of a heart-warming appreciation. Sort of how you would feel about your friend’s mom who unironically calls things “adorbs”. Again, 🫶🫶🫶🫶.
The founders may be negotiating their union contracts, but there has and always will be one main character on the TV show that is OSEA. I’m talking about the beach. Perhaps the metaphor went too far this time.
Consistency is something a lot of brands struggle with, particularly in their eco-consciousness efforts and/or give-back initiatives, so I appreciate how caring for the planet, particularly the ocean, is a regular and seemingly genuine part of their programming. I guess that’s what happens when all your products are made from seaweed. And, of course, the whole name thing.
A prime example of the beach’s Jerry Seinfeld Status (I’m done now, I promise) is their annual beach clean up: a fabulous way to bring community together with a purpose.
The beach is also conveniently photogenic; it makes for reliable photoshoot backdrops and great filler content for the grid. And apparently smoothie inspiration.
If we’re talking about partnerships, I’m more interested in their collab with Parachute on a co-branded hand soap and lotion combo. This feels like a logical and productive partnership that I have no recollection of from 183 weeks ago and just stumbled across it on their website. It makes even more sense when you remember they have a Venice skincare studio. I think this holds up 3 years later — I could see a certain demographic eating this up. Perhaps there’s more Parachute juice to squeeze there…
I’m about to close up shop on the conversation around their owned social presence, but before I do, I’d like to acknowledge the simplicity and utility of their infographics. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a diagram, what can I say.
All in all, their partnerships and owned marketing does the job, but I think the real secret to OSEA’s success (from my highly professional and completely outsider perspective) is their influencer marketing. It’s how I became aware of them in the first place.
Circa 2021, OSEA was just entering my consciousness thanks to the LA instagirlies who posted them on stories here and there. But what felt like a sudden development a few months later, the Undaria Algae Oil became unavoidable. I couldn’t log onto Instagram without seeing the glimmering glass bottle. I assumed the sudden rise in OSEA discourse was the result of the Undaria Algae Oil’s launch and instant best-seller status. Apparently I was completely wrong — the receipts show that 2010 was actually when the released their body oil. I believe we have a case of the Mandela Effect on our hands.
Perhaps the body oil boom was the result of a bump in their ad budget, a particularly successful round of mass gifting, or a feature on Victoria Beckham’s beauty highlight. Whatever it was, this Undaria Algae Oil stole the spotlight, and it hasn’t gone anywhere since. So it’s about time I try it.
**Unfortunately, honesty is a compulsion of mine. A real blessing and a curse situation.
Efficacy
The big reason why I didn’t try this product sooner is that 5 ounces of OSEA’s Undaria Algae™ Body Oil goes for $52 (plus shipping, if you’re buying DTC).
I really wanted to try it after receiving numerous requests from you all, but I didn’t have it in me to spend that money on a body oil when I’m still working through my beloved body serum + lotion duo at home. My mother’s disapproving voice was just a tad too loud during my last adventure to Credo Beauty, so I went with the 1 fl oz travel size as a more digestible way to dip my toe.
I’m don’t mean to qualify everything I say, but I do want to add: I’m not knocking them for being expensive. In fact, I’m on record as pro-expensive.
Anyways, this mini-version was a mistake that I will most certainly own up to. What’s that saying about being cheap is more expensive in the long run? Same idea here, because the dispenser for the normal sized bottle is 10x better than its travel counterpart.
The 5 oz size has a normal pump. The 1 oz size is a lot less user-friendly, with one of those squirt cap things better reserved for serums than an oil that dribbles on itself and leaves a slippery residue. I don’t want to knock them on account of my own cheapness, so I’ll leave it there with the dispenser complaints. Especially because the oil itself is lovely.
First order of business is the scent. It smells fresh and natural. I was worried the algae would give way to a fishy smell, but in reality it’s quite luxurious and soothing. The best case scenario for an oceanic aroma.
Next, let’s talk absorption. I’ve dabbled in body oil before, so I’m familiar with that weird greasy feeling of an oil staying surface-level on your skin, therefore rubbing onto your clothes and sheets. Not the case here — I can confirm the non-greasy rumors are true. OSEA’s oil seeps into your skin nicely, and my legs are still moisturized and relatively glowy as I write this 6+ hours after application.
Overall Thoughts
The Undaria Algae™ Body Oil gets a thumbs up from me.
It’s spa-like in scent, efficacy, and price point, so if you’re in the mood to have a luxe at-home version of a SoCal spa experience, I say go forth and conquer. You’re safe — and better off — going straight to the full size. The price makes it prohibitive for the casual skincare spender, but at least it’s cheaper than going to Ojai.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
In Other News…
The makers of my favorite moisturizer and the internet’s favorite SOS spray released a cleanser. I could be convinced to try it…
Jeff Bezos’s Whole Foods is upping its sustainability efforts thanks to stale bagel dealer TGTG
There’s a new ugly sneaker in town
That’s all for now. If there’s a product you want reviewed or just want to chat, reply to this email or leave a comment. :)
Love this deep dive! Osea is one of my favourites and I'm so sad I can't find it in the UK!