Tower 28 Comes Home to Venice: The Beauty Brand Redefining Community, Connection, and the In-Person Experience

From its first-ever pop-up to a playful collaboration with JELL-O, the Los Angeles-born beauty brand is returning to its roots with a fresh perspective on what it means to build a brand beyond the beauty aisle.

In an industry where beauty launches are often measured by product sales, viral moments, and social media impressions, one Los Angeles-born brand is taking a refreshingly different approach. Tower 28, the beloved, sensitive-skin-friendly beauty company founded by entrepreneur Amy Liu, is returning to the neighborhood that inspired its name with two immersive experiences that celebrate creativity, connection, and the unmistakable spirit of Southern California.

This October, Tower 28 is transforming Venice, California, into a destination for beauty enthusiasts, longtime supporters, and curious newcomers alike. With its first-ever physical pop-up, aptly named the Sensitive Club, and a playful collaboration with iconic American brand JELL-O, Tower 28 is proving that sometimes the most meaningful brand experiences have very little to do with making a sale.

For Liu, the homecoming represents something greater than a marketing activation. It is an opportunity to reconnect with the community, culture, and California lifestyle that shaped Tower 28 from the start.

And in a beauty landscape increasingly dominated by digital commerce, influencer campaigns, and the constant pursuit of the next viral product, Tower 28's Venice takeover offers a compelling look at the growing importance of real-life experiences. A Beauty Brand Born From the California Coast

Founded in Los Angeles in 2019, Tower 28 has built its identity around a simple but powerful philosophy: beauty should be accessible, enjoyable, and welcoming, especially for people with sensitive skin.

The brand takes its name from the real Tower 28 lifeguard tower along Santa Monica's beaches, a coastal landmark that embodies the easygoing, inclusive California spirit woven throughout its products, packaging, and personality. While many beauty companies have traditionally emphasized exclusivity, luxury, or aspirational perfection, Tower 28 has embraced a more approachable vision. Its colorful packaging, playful product names, and focus on sensitive-skin-friendly formulas have helped it build a distinct identity in an increasingly competitive beauty market.

At the center of that identity is Liu's belief that beauty should be something people can enjoy without feeling excluded by their skin concerns.

The company's rise also reflects a broader evolution in consumer expectations. Today's beauty shoppers are not simply looking for products that perform. Many are looking for brands whose values, personalities, and communities align with their own.

Tower 28 has leaned into that shift by developing a distinctly Californian brand personality: relaxed but thoughtful, playful but purposeful, and rooted in the idea that everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own skin.

Now, seven years after its founding, Tower 28 is bringing that philosophy back to the coast in a particularly meaningful way. Introducing the Sensitive Club: A Pop-Up Where Beauty Isn't for Sale

OCTOBER 8–11, 2026 | VENICE, CALIFORNIA

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Tower 28's first-ever pop-up is what visitors will not find inside: beauty products available for purchase.

Rather than opening a traditional retail destination, Tower 28 is using the Sensitive Club to deepen its relationship with the people who have supported the company since its earliest days.

Located just blocks from the lifeguard tower that inspired its name, the temporary space invites guests to experience Tower 28 in a setting designed around discovery, interaction, and shared experiences.

Visitors can explore the brand's history, experience products firsthand, receive shade matching for the new Swipe Serum Foundation, and refill their SOS Rescue Spray.

Limited-edition Tower 28 merchandise will be available for purchase, giving guests an opportunity to take home something commemorating the experience. But the company's actual beauty products will remain off the sales floor.

It is an unconventional choice, particularly for a growing consumer brand investing in a physical retail environment. Yet the decision reveals an interesting perspective on the evolving relationship between brands and their customers.

Instead of asking how many products it can sell during a four-day activation, Tower 28 is exploring how much connection it can create. That distinction matters.

For consumers who primarily discover and interact with beauty brands through their phones, an in-person experience offers something a digital advertisement cannot fully replicate: the opportunity to engage with a brand through conversation, atmosphere, personal attention, and shared memories. The Sensitive Club creates space for those interactions without the pressure to buy immediately.

In doing so, Tower 28 is making a statement about the value of community in an industry where transactions often dominate the conversation. Why Selling Less Could Mean Building More

At first glance, investing in a branded physical space without selling the company's primary products might seem counterintuitive. Pop-ups have traditionally served as temporary storefronts designed to generate excitement, introduce new merchandise, and capitalize on limited-time consumer demand.

Tower 28's approach challenges that familiar formula. By removing direct beauty sales from the experience, the company shifts attention toward product education, discovery, and emotional engagement.

A visitor who receives a personalized foundation shade match may leave more confident about which product suits their skin. Someone refilling an SOS Rescue Spray can experience the brand's commitment to encouraging continued use of its products. And a longtime fan exploring the company's history can develop a deeper appreciation for the story behind the products already sitting on their bathroom counter.

These moments may not immediately translate into sales at the pop-up, but they can build something more valuable over time: customer loyalty. For growing beauty brands, that loyalty matters even more.

With countless new products entering the market and social media trends changing almost overnight, attracting attention is only one part of building a sustainable business. Maintaining meaningful customer relationships can be equally critical. Tower 28's strategy reflects an understanding that a memorable brand experience can continue influencing consumer behavior long after the physical event has ended.

It also offers a different way of thinking about return on investment. Instead of evaluating success solely through on-site revenue, companies can measure experiential initiatives by customer engagement, product discovery, community participation, earned media, and long-term brand affinity.

Whether those benefits ultimately justify the investment will depend on how the company evaluates the results. But the Sensitive Club illustrates a growing willingness among consumer brands to treat physical spaces as relationship-building platforms rather than simply additional points of sale.

For Tower 28, the absence of a beauty checkout counter may be one of the strongest expressions of its community-first philosophy. A Love Letter to Venice Beach Culture. The setting itself is central to the story.

Rather than creating a glossy beauty boutique with polished counters and a traditional luxury retail aesthetic, Tower 28 has designed the Sensitive Club to resemble a nostalgic California beach shop. The creative direction draws on the surf, skate, souvenir, and beach culture that has defined Venice for generations.

That choice feels especially appropriate for a brand whose identity has always been closely tied to Southern California. Venice is more than a picturesque backdrop. It is a neighborhood known for its individuality, artistic expression, laid-back lifestyle, and eclectic mix of local characters and creative communities.

From the boardwalk and colorful storefronts to its skateboarding heritage and beachside energy, Venice has long celebrated personal expression.

Those same qualities are reflected in Tower 28's approach to beauty. By bringing the Sensitive Club into this environment, the company connects the physical experience to the cultural influences that shaped its identity.

The result is intended to feel less like a conventional beauty store and more like stepping into Tower 28's version of a California beach day.

It reminds us that some of the most compelling brand experiences don't need to transport customers into an entirely invented world. Sometimes, the strongest storytelling comes from returning to the place where the story began.

The Swipe Serum Foundation: Beauty Meets Personal Connection. The Sensitive Club offers shade matching for Tower 28's new Swipe Serum Foundation.

While online beauty retailers and digital shade-matching tools have made foundation shopping more convenient, finding the right complexion product can still be a personal process.

Skin tone, undertones, texture, and individual preferences all influence how a foundation looks and feels. For shoppers with sensitive skin, the experience can carry additional considerations, including comfort and product compatibility.

By offering in-person shade matching, Tower 28 lets visitors engage with the product in a more personalized way. Instead of navigating a digital product page or guessing between shades, guests can try the foundation hands-on.

The activation also lets Tower 28 introduce the product through education rather than a traditional sales pitch. That approach reinforces the company's broader message: beauty should feel welcoming, not intimidating.

For consumers who may have struggled to find complexion products that suit their needs, even a simple interaction can make the brand feel more approachable.

Giving an Iconic Product a Second Life. Another feature of the Sensitive Club is the opportunity for guests to refill their SOS Rescue Spray.

The refill experience brings a practical element to the activation while encouraging customers to engage with a product they may already know and use. It also highlights an opportunity for beauty brands to rethink how they engage existing customers.

While launches and new product introductions often dominate marketing conversations, the refill experience focuses on continued product use and consumers' relationship with their everyday beauty essentials.

Instead of focusing exclusively on what's new, Tower 28 is creating an occasion around something familiar. The experience can also encourage conversations about beauty routines, product preferences, and the role that trusted products play in consumers' daily lives.

In a category that often celebrates constant novelty, acknowledging the value of products customers already love is key to building long-term relationships. A Sweet Surprise: Tower 28 Teams Up With JELL-O

OCTOBER 2–4, 2026 | VENICE, CALIFORNIA. Before the Sensitive Club opens its doors, Tower 28 is kicking off its Venice celebrations with a collaboration that brings an entirely different kind of indulgence to the neighborhood.

In partnership with JELL-O, Tower 28 hosted a three-day Jell-O-teria celebrating the brands' playful collaboration and the Li'l Puddings LipSofties. The experience combined the nostalgia of a familiar American dessert brand with Tower 28's colorful, youthful beauty identity.

Visitors could enjoy JELL-O-inspired frozen yogurt in Tahitian Vanilla and Wild Strawberry flavors, topped with JELL-O Pudding drizzles inspired by the lip products. The activation also featured exclusive JELL-O x Tower 28 merchandise, a raffle for a JELL-O PR box, and complimentary JELL-O powder mixes for guests to take home.

The creative crossover showed how beauty brands can reach beyond their traditional categories to create experiences that feel entertaining, unexpected, and culturally relevant.

Rather than simply promoting a lip product through conventional advertising, the Jell-O-teria brought the sensory inspiration behind the collaboration into the real world. The dessert-beauty connection may seem unconventional, but it fits naturally with Tower 28's playful approach to product storytelling.

Lip products inspired by pudding flavors become more memorable when consumers can experience a dessert-themed environment built around the same concept. The collaboration also taps into nostalgia's emotional appeal.

JELL-O has a long history in American households, while Tower 28 represents a newer generation of beauty brands built around digital culture, self-expression, and community. Bringing the two together creates an interesting contrast between familiar childhood memories and modern beauty discovery.

For visitors, the result felt like a lighthearted outing rather than a conventional promotional event. For the brands, it created an opportunity to engage audiences through an experience that extended well beyond their respective product categories.

Why Unexpected Collaborations Are Changing Beauty Marketing. The Tower 28 and JELL-O partnership reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are approaching collaborations.

Once focused primarily on co-branded merchandise or limited-edition packaging, collaborations have increasingly become opportunities to create entire experiences.

Food, fashion, entertainment, wellness, and beauty are intersecting in ways that let brands reach audiences they might not otherwise encounter.

For Tower 28, a dessert-inspired activation offers a particularly accessible entry point. Someone who has never tried the brand's beauty products might still be drawn to a colorful frozen yogurt experience in Venice.

A longtime Tower 28 customer may attend because of the collaboration and bring friends who are discovering the company for the first time.

Visitors who share photos or videos from the activation can extend the experience into digital spaces, letting the physical event reach an audience far beyond those who attended.

This mix of real-world participation and organic digital storytelling is one reason experiential marketing has become such an interesting area of investment for consumer brands.

A successful activation can create multiple layers of engagement: attendees, people who encounter the event on social media, and consumers who later associate the brand with the experience. Of course, attention alone does not guarantee lasting loyalty. The experience still needs to feel authentic to the brand.

In Tower 28's case, the JELL-O partnership aligns with the company's established personality: bright, approachable, nostalgic, and unafraid to have fun. Amy Liu and the Power of Building With Purpose

Founder Amy Liu drives Tower 28's growth, shaping a beauty company that treats sensitive skin as central to its identity rather than a niche consideration. Launching a beauty brand in 2019 meant entering a marketplace already filled with established cosmetics companies, celebrity-backed collections, and emerging independent labels.

Differentiation was essential. Tower 28 found its voice by combining an emphasis on sensitive-skin-friendly beauty with an upbeat, inclusive aesthetic.

Instead of positioning sensitive skin as something to hide or treat as a limitation, the brand made it part of a broader conversation about accessibility and feeling comfortable in one's skin.

That perspective has shaped not only its products but also how Tower 28 communicates with its audience. The Sensitive Club represents a natural extension of that philosophy.

By prioritizing participation over purchases, the activation reinforces the idea that belonging to a beauty community should not depend on how much someone spends. It also demonstrates how founder-led brands can use their origin stories as a foundation for future growth.

As companies expand, maintaining the authenticity that initially attracted customers can become increasingly challenging. Returning to Venice gives Tower 28 an opportunity to reconnect with its founding identity while introducing that story to a wider audience.

For Liu, the pop-up's strategic significance extends beyond opening a temporary physical space. It raises a bigger question: how can a growing beauty business maintain the personal connections that built its success? The Future of Beauty May Be More Personal Than Digital. The beauty industry has transformed dramatically in recent years.

Social media has changed how consumers discover products. Online retailers have made shopping more convenient. Creators and influencers have become important voices in product education and purchasing decisions. Yet as digital experiences become increasingly sophisticated, physical interactions continue to offer something distinctive.

Watching someone demonstrate a product on a screen is different from experiencing it firsthand. Following a brand online is different from attending an event surrounded by people who share your enthusiasm.

And there is a difference between seeing a company's story in a marketing campaign and walking into a space that brings that story to life. Tower 28's Venice activations highlight those distinctions.

The Jell-O-teria uses food, nostalgia, and entertainment to create an unexpected connection with consumers. The Sensitive Club takes a more personal approach, inviting guests to explore products, learn about the brand, and participate in a community-centered environment.

Together, the experiences demonstrate two different but complementary approaches to experiential marketing. One creates excitement through a playful collaboration. The other builds familiarity by returning to the brand's roots.

Both suggest that the next phase of beauty marketing may involve more than creating content for consumers to watch. It may be about creating moments they want to experience themselves. A California Homecoming With a Bigger Message

For Los Angeles, Tower 28's Venice takeover also celebrates the city's influence on modern beauty culture. Southern California has long shaped trends in wellness, skincare, fashion, and lifestyle. Its coastal aesthetic and emphasis on individuality continue to influence brands that reach consumers worldwide.

Tower 28 is one example of how a distinctly local identity can become the foundation for a much broader beauty business. Its name, personality, and visual language remain connected to the California coastline, even as the company continues to grow.

Bringing the brand back to Venice makes that connection tangible. And while the Sensitive Club may be open for only four days, its ideas extend well beyond October.

What if beauty retail spaces were designed first around education and community? What if brands measured an event's success not only by the revenue it generated but also by the relationships it strengthened? And what if the most effective way to build a loyal audience was to create an environment where people felt welcome even when they weren't buying anything? These questions extend beyond cosmetics and into the future of consumer branding.

Tower 28's experiment offers one possible direction. More Than a Pop-Up, It's a Celebration of Belonging. At its heart, Tower 28's return to Venice is about remembering where it all started.

What began in Los Angeles in 2019 has grown into a recognizable beauty brand with a distinct voice and a community that continues to shape its identity. Now, with the Sensitive Club and its imaginative JELL-O collaboration, Tower 28 is bringing that story full circle.

The activations celebrate the brand's California heritage while showing a thoughtful approach to modern marketing: create experiences people genuinely want to join, make room for meaningful interactions, and let the relationship extend beyond the transaction. For beauty lovers, the Venice takeover offers a new way to engage with Tower 28.

For entrepreneurs and brand builders, it provides an interesting example of how a company can invest in community as it scales. And for Los Angeles, it is another reminder of the creativity that continues to emerge from the city's neighborhoods, founders, and independent businesses.

In a world where you can buy nearly everything with a few taps on a screen, Tower 28 is making a case for something you can't add to a shopping cart.

Connection, community, and belonging. Sometimes, the most powerful way to move a brand forward is to bring it back home.

EVENT DETAILS: Tower 28 Sensitive Club, October 8–11, 2026 | Venice, California

The brand's first-ever pop-up features foundation shade matching, SOS Rescue Spray refills, product experiences, brand storytelling, and exclusive merchandise. Beauty products will not be sold on-site. Tower 28 x JELL-O Jell-o-teria

October 2–4, 2026 | Venice, California. A  three-day collaboration celebrating the Li'l Puddings LipSofties with dessert-inspired frozen yogurt, exclusive merchandise, and special giveaways. Discover more at Tower28Beauty.com