Sensitive Skin, Strong POV: Amy Liu's Journey in Building Tower 28

AMY LIU is the founder and CEO of Tower 28, a beauty brand designed for sensitive skin (with 400K+ Instagram followers and products available at Sephora, Credo Beau, and MECCA).

Growing up, did you always know you wanted to become an entrepreneur? What key experiences or mentors helped shape your journey?

When my parents arrived to the US in the 70s, they were the first Asians to move to their small town in Minnesota.

My father became an entrepreneur, since options in corporate America were limited for immigrants. He likes to say that his journey in entrepreneurship was not by choice, but by necessity.

Growing up seeing his drive and ambition really stuck with me, though. I pursued an MBA at USC in entrepreneurship and worked for other people for 15 years before starting Tower 28.

Learning on someone else’s dime has proven to be a key to my success and I am so grateful for the collaboration of my beauty community. 

What inspired you to start Tower 28, and how did your personal experience with sensitive skin influence the creation of the brand?

After a brief stint in consulting, I began a long career in the beauty industry.

I was lucky enough to work for some of the brightest independent prestige beauty brands throughout my career, however, one thing remained constant: my severe eczema.

As a result, I could never safely try the products that I was actually helping to promote!

This is where I found a white space for Tower 28: I set out to create a clean, inclusive beauty brand that’s designed for sensitive skin, but made for all.

What is a piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

I would tell younger Amy to chill out and slow down!

It’s so hard, but important, to simply be present and enjoy the journey instead of worrying so much about the future.

How has your leadership style evolved since founding Tower 28, and what lessons have you learned about leading a team and building company culture?

Tower 28 itself has grown and evolved so much since day 1 (we’re planning to triple our year-over-year headcount this year!), so it’s been imperative that I evolve as a leader as well.

While I’m still very hands-on in the day to day, now that I have a more established team around me I’ve been able to let go of some of those daily obligations and focus more on our future – such as our recent expansion into the retailer MECCA in Australia!

Throughout this journey though, I’ve tried to focus on maintaining empathy for my team, celebrating all achievements big and small, and really valuing all of the different perspectives each employee brings to the table.  

What skills or qualities do you believe have been most crucial to your success in building and growing Tower 28?

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have such an amazing support system in this industry, from past mentors to peers and other brand founders.

Over the years, I’ve really enjoyed strengthening those relationships - both personal and professional - and playing an active role in helping to shape the future of the industry. 

The end result is not only amazing friendships, but a network we can all rely on to share advice and support each other through all of the trials and tribulations of founder life!

Running a successful business can be demanding. How do you maintain personal wellbeing and a healthy work-life balance?

I hate to say it but I don’t believe in balance, I believe in hard work meets opportunity.

There is an old adage “you can have it all, but you can’t have it all at once.” You have to prioritize constantly and think about what you really want in the end.

For me, that is not only my work goals but also my family. What really matters is showing my three kids what it means to be passionate and joyful, to pursue my dreams, and to do what I love.

How did you successfully pitch Tower 28 to Sephora, and what advice do you have for young women looking to start a business?

We went into the pitch with a very unique and strong brand voice and POV: clean beauty products that are designed for sensitive skin, but made for all.

We actually brought coolers full of Tower 28 popsicles with us to the Sephora office, and handed them out to everyone in the building!

I’m sure that’s not what “sealed the deal,” but it just shows the importance of leaving a lasting impression, and making things fun! :)

My advice is to only pursue an idea that you truly believe in, and that you aren’t just in it for the money. If you’re passionate about something, that will give you the confidence to share your idea with others and will radiate off you – it’s contagious! 

Where do you see Tower 28 in the next five years?

With the success of our recent expansion into MECCA Australia, we are excited to continue launching into global markets and bringing fun, sensitive skin solutions to beauty everywhere. 

Looking ahead, what changes would you like to see in the beauty industry to better support and elevate female founders and leaders?

I actually launched a mentorship and education program called Clean Beauty Summer School as a way to help advance the beauty industry, and to encourage inclusivity at all levels.

This year will be the 5th season of the program; our mission is to create community, access, and education for BIPOC beauty founders and micro influencers to help increase the probability and success of small, minority-founded, clean beauty brands.

Lastly, what is one Tower 28 product you can't live without?

That would be our SOS (Save Our Skin) Rescue Spray! I suffered from severe eczema for years, and at times had to rely heavily on steroids to keep flare-ups at bay.

Enter SOS: my skin has never been happier, and I’ve been off of those steroids ever since I started to incorporate hypochlorous acid into my routine.