Starting a beauty brand is one thing, but reshaping an entire category is another—and that’s exactly what beauty industry veteran Amy Liu did when she founded Tower 28 Beauty.
The makeup and skin-care brand is made with sensitive and eczema-prone skin in mind, but it goes beyond that: Instead of treating sensitivity as an afterthought, Tower 28 puts it at the center of everything it does. Though Liu has dealt with chronic eczema herself, she didn’t believe that meant makeup and skin care had to feel clinical or boring.
That’s exactly what Tower 28 is: a joy-sparking brand you actually look forward to using, with products designed for all skin types. Fan favorites include the SOS Rescue Spray ($28), Swipe Serum Concealer ($24), BeachPlease Cream Blush ($20) and many more.
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we sat down with Tower 28 founder Amy Liu to discuss how her identity has shaped her relationship with beauty, the gap she saw in the market for eczema-prone and sensitive skin, what excites her about the next generation of AAPI brand founders and more.
As an Asian American founder, how has your identity shaped the way you approach beauty, wellness and skin care?
“Growing up in California during the peak of beach culture, I always felt like an outsider because I didn’t see anyone who looked like me in pop culture. That experience deeply shaped the way I approach beauty today. I wanted to build a brand that felt inclusive in every sense, inclusive of skin tone, skin type, sensitivity, budget and beauty philosophy.
As someone who has had eczema my entire adult life, I also know what it feels like to feel excluded from beauty because you are relegated to using products that are ‘safe’ but boring. That’s why Tower 28 was created to be a safe space for sensitive skin, but still joyful, colorful and aspirational. Beauty should make people feel seen, not left out. And the products have to work!”
Are there any values from your upbringing or culture that continue to guide the way you lead your company today?
“My parents immigrated from Taiwan to the Midwest and raised me with a strong work ethic and hustle. My dad was an entrepreneur by default, and I watched him build a life for us and make his way in the world. He would not have been successful without his Asian American community and network. That sense of collaboration over competition is something I believe in deeply, and it’s become a huge part of our culture at Tower 28. Whether it’s through partnerships or the way we support causes important to our community, I really believe we are better together. I also think there’s a strong sense of resilience and resourcefulness in many immigrant families, and that mindset has definitely helped me as a founder.”
Before you launched the brand, did you always imagine it would be a brand focused on sensitive skin and eczema-prone skin?
“I spent my career working in beauty and constantly felt frustrated that I couldn’t fully participate in the industry because of my eczema. I couldn’t test products the way everyone else could, and so many formulas marketed as ‘clean’ still made my skin flare up. I knew firsthand there was a huge gap between products that were safe and high-performance. I didn’t want to create something clinical or boring. I wanted to create products that performed beautifully but were intentionally made for sensitive skin from day one.”
What was the moment you realized there was a gap in the market for sensitive skin and eczema-friendly products?
“Twenty years ago, when clean beauty was first introduced, I remember thinking maybe that was the answer for my eczema. I tried to make the switch and found that ‘clean beauty’ wasn’t necessarily safe beauty. Poison ivy is natural, too! A lot of ‘clean beauty’ just irritated my skin and wasn’t as high-performance either. I was using the NEA [National Eczema Association] to help me navigate which products to use for detergent, hand soap, etc. And I wondered why it didn’t exist [for makeup or skin care]. We are proudly the first and only brand to be 100 percent compliant with the NEA Seal of Acceptance guidelines and still high performance!”
Tower 28 was one of the first prestige beauty brands to really center the eczema community. What does that representation mean to you?
“I feel really proud that Tower 28 has helped expand the definition of inclusivity in beauty. So many people have told me that our products made them feel seen for the first time, and now they can feel safe wearing our makeup and skin care. Finally, a brand that makes sensitive skin feel like they can have fun, aspirational beauty as well.”
How do you hope someone with eczema or highly sensitive skin feels when they use Tower 28 products for the first time?
“I hope they feel safe. I know what it feels like to be nervous trying a new product because you’re worried your skin will react. Beauty should be fun. It should feel empowering and expressive, not stressful. When I hear from customers that SOS Rescue Spray ($28) changed their skin or helped them feel confident again, those are the moments that remind me exactly why I started this company.”
Have there been moments in your career where you felt underestimated? And how did that shape the way you built Tower 28?
“I grew up watching my dad be an entrepreneur, but he often said that he became an entrepreneur by default, not by choice. With English as his second language, he didn’t have the same opportunities. When I started Tower 28, he was the first to tell me not to do it. He just couldn’t imagine that a woman, much less an Asian American woman, could be a successful entrepreneur, given the challenges, but also how hard it is. In many ways, he’s not wrong. But I truly believe you have to see it to be it, and honestly, his doubt encouraged me to work even harder to make this dream a reality.”
You created a brand for people with eczema and sensitive skin while still making beauty feel fun and aspirational. Why was that balance important to you?
“Because people with sensitive skin deserve beautiful things too! For so long, products for sensitive skin felt clinical, medicinal or honestly a little depressing. I never wanted Tower 28 to feel like that. I wanted bright colors, glossy lips, fun textures, beautiful campaigns and all the things people love about beauty, but created in a way that’s safe and accessible. Having sensitive skin shouldn’t mean opting out of the fun part of beauty culture.”
Did your own relationship with makeup or skin care change because of eczema?
“Eczema made me much more intentional about what I put on my skin and taught me that ingredients and formulation really matter. There were periods where I felt disconnected from beauty because my skin was so reactive. But it also made me appreciate the emotional side of skin care and makeup in a much deeper way. When your skin is flaring, it impacts your confidence and how you move through the world. That’s why I’ve always approached product development through both a functional and emotional lens.”
When you look at the next generation of AAPI beauty founders, what excites you most?
“I’m really excited by how community-oriented this next generation feels. There are so many founders bringing their full identities, stories and cultural perspectives into beauty in ways we didn’t see as often before.”
