Sustainability is baked into our DNA. Our founder and mom, Jenefer, likes to say that we were “green when it was just a color.” Being green is more than a philosophy; it’s our way of life. This commitment extends beyond our beautiful seaweed-based ingredients and our dark green logo. Since 1996, our family has put our values into every product we make and everything we do. For over 27 years, we’ve been on a mission to change the beauty landscape, and the earth, for the better.
What’s in a Name?
In our case, a whole lot. OSEA stands for Ocean, Sun, Earth and Atmosphere. These are the natural elements of wellness and represent a promise that every decision, every product is made with consideration of our impact on our planet and our collective well-being.
Sustainability & Packaging
At OSEA, we’ve always been guided by the belief that sustainability is our only viable future. That’s why when we launched our business back in the ’90s, we chose to package in glass and prioritize sustainable packaging materials.
As part of our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we are working to minimize our use of virgin plastic by transitioning to the use of product pumps and lids made of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. Our product pumps will be fully transitioned to 100% PCR materials by the end of 2024. We are minimizing our paper use by resizing our shipper boxes to use less cardboard and transitioning to smaller shippers. We are proud to be increasing the percentage of PCR material in our product unit boxes so we can rely less on virgin paper and have discontinued printed insert cards in an effort to decrease unecessary paper use. In 2022, we consolidated inbound freight, both domestically and internationally and stopped all air shipments.
We’re excited to have partnered with TerraCycle® to provide a recycling program for skincare packaging at our flagship Venice Skincare Studio in L.A. Learn more about TerraCycle here!
Climate Neutral Certified
As a brand inspired by the elements—ocean, sun, earth, atmosphere—we have a distinct duty to protect the elements that we draw from. We know that the world needs to meet net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which is why we’ve led the way in becoming one of the first Climate Neutral Certified brands. Each year we calculate our total carbon emissions across all sectors of the business and offset our footprint by funding sustainability projects.
Ocean Positive Verified
As a seaweed-based skincare brand, we also know that healthy oceans are crucial to the protection of our planet. That’s why we’ve taken action to become an Ocean Positive verified brand with our partner SeaTrees. This means that we offset more carbon than we create. For every ton of carbon that we offset, we pay it forward by investing in coastal restoration projects in Palos Verdes, California, Cambodia and Indonesia that sequester (“suck”) carbon from the atmosphere.
Vegan & Cruelty Free
We believe that animal rights matter, which is why we have always used plant-based, vegan and cruelty-free ingredients. All OSEA products aare vegan certified by PETA and Cruelty Free certified by Leaping Bunny International. But it’s not just animals that benefit from vegan skincare: Plant-based ingredients are better for the planet, too. Animal agriculture causes more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation industry.
Sustainable Partnerships
Since 1996, we have partnered with organizations that share our goals in creating sustainable solutions for our planet. Recent partnerships that we’re excited about include SeaTrees, Mission Blue, Kiss the Ground and Surfrider Foundation.
