People visit the coast for relaxation, recharging and feeling good. Health and beauty products can give coastal shoppers a way to take those good vibes home with them. Offerings range from sun and skin care to fragrance and wellness, and many of them reflect the coastal lifestyle while tapping into growing interest in clean ingredients, self-care and uplifting scents.
“This category resonates with coastal travelers and sea lovers, offering captivating scents that transport them back to their beach day after returning to everyday life,” says Darin Trimble of True Ocean.
The company’s products use the ocean’s natural minerals, and its Body Spray, Perfume and Beach Hair — Sea Salt Spray are coastal bestsellers in its Ocean Water Body Care line. The company will soon be expanding the line to include shampoo and conditioner as well.
Oyst-Her Skin Care uses recycled oyster shells as a natural exfoliant in its products such as its shell and sugar exfoliating scrub.
The Smelly Sasquatch’s coastal offerings promote mental and physical health.
“A visit to the Cape or any coastal community is about making memories. It’s a mindset,” Erin MacKirdy, Oyst-Her Skin Care founder, says. Incorporating recycled oyster shells into her formulas she says “brings awareness to the ecosystem in our own backyard, and it’s a beautiful natural exfoliant straight from the ocean.”
Clean and conscious
Steve Stamatis, CEO and co-founder of The Grecian Soap Co., sees growing interest in clean beauty soaps and lotions made with pure essential oils and no artificial ingredients. The company’s coastal bestsellers include turtle, conch shell, clamshell, ocean and starfish soaps and 2-ounce organic goat’s milk lotions.
The company also recently launched 16-ounce Soak Ritual bath salts in three varieties from its Lumena Home by Grecian Co. subsidiary.
Maricruz Carrillo, PhD, co-founder and CEO of SUNMUD, says shoppers are also paying attention to the companies behind their personal care products.
“We often hear from our retailers that customers increasingly look to support responsible companies that stand for something,” Carrillo says. “They want to know their local coastal shop supports businesses doing good for people and the planet.”
SUNMUD’s Tinted Sports Stick is its top seller near the beach, which Carrillo attributes to its ease of application, compostable packaging and mineral formulation.
SUNMUD’s reef-safe tinted sunscreen uses compostable packaging.
“Our coastal customers love the mud because they want something that they can trust to stay on in the water but also don’t want the white cast that usually comes with a mineral (zinc) sunscreen,” she says.
SUNMUD also recently launched Zinc Lip Balm containing non-nano zinc that applies with a pink color that blends in and appears clear. A spreadable sunscreen lotion is also in development for next year.
Wellness on the go
Personal care is also increasingly connected to how consumers feel.
Shawna Bebbling, co-owner of The Smelly Sasquatch, says consumers are paying attention to both internal and external wellness.
“People care about feeling good and taking care of their internal health as much as their external health,” Bebbling says. “Wellness and having tools that work for our mental and physical health is a hot trend because it is so important.”
The Smelly Sasquatch’s traveler’s essential oil line includes Calm, Happy, Belly, Head and Muscle + Joint blends, while its coastal assortment includes sun relief products and its Ocean and Piña Colada collections.
“People are looking for something easy to use, that actually works,” Bebbling says. “That is why we created these roller essential oils — it’s like a lipstick, take it with you, apply when needed and feel beautiful inside.”
Karen Foley, North American sales manager for Inis the Energy of the Sea, is also seeing continued interest in wellness, self-care and products inspired by nature and the outdoors.
“With the stresses of modern life, consumers are more interested than ever in products that can enhance their mood and bring a sense of calm and positivity to their everyday routines,” she says.
The company’s bestseller is Inis Cologne, a unisex fragrance Foley describes as fresh, clean and uplifting. “For many of our customers, it evokes a sense of calm and clarity, like standing by the ocean on a clear day,” she says.
Inis’ signature scent is designed to be a fresh, clean and uplifting experience.
Body and hand care products allow customers to layer the Inis scent, while the company recently expanded into a new category with its Inis Hair Care range. Foley says consumers are looking for complete lifestyle experiences rather than individual products.
“Our fragrance, body care and new hair care range can work together to create a complete sensory experience, allowing customers to enjoy the feeling and energy of the sea throughout their daily routine,” she says.
A lifestyle connection
The opportunity in personal care is also attracting established lifestyle brands. Broken Top Brands is developing licensed personal care collections for Roxy and Billabong, with assortments designed around each brand’s audience.
Affton Coffelt, CEO and founder of Broken Top Brands, says developing the lines starts with understanding the identity behind each brand.
“What does Roxy mean? What is the heartbeat of Billabong?” Coffelt says of the brands.
Roxy’s collection is geared toward a younger demographic and includes body mists, while Billabong’s men’s offerings include cologne, solid fragrance and a versatile body and space spray.
“We’re trying not to have a lot of overlap between all the brands and the companies, as far as what we offer,” Coffelt says. “It’s been really fun developing their own personality.”
Foley says health and beauty products can appeal to visitors looking for gifts and vacation purchases as well as locals incorporating self-care into their everyday routines.
MacKirdy sees a similar opportunity. “A locally made, oyster-shell-based product does something a national brand can’t. It’s a souvenir, a self-care ritual, and a gift all at once, and a great story all in one,” she says.
