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OSEA for Parachute: Behind the Design

OSEA for Parachute: Behind the Design
Written By
Parachute Team
Photographs By
Nicki Sebastian for Parachute
@parachutehome
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Our mission has always been to help you start and end your days feeling your very best, and now we’re taking it to the next level with our first-ever apothecary items, made in collaboration with the safe skincare pioneers at OSEA. Together, we created a delicately scented Linen Mist, an ultra-relaxing Bath Salt,  a Hydrating Hand Cream and Purifying Hand Soap. Meet the mother-daughter duo behind OSEA, take a tour of their Malibu headquarters, and discover how their plant-based skincare line approaches self-care differently.

How would you describe OSEA?

Jenefer Palmer:OSEA is an acronym for Ocean, Sun, Earth, Atmosphere. When I started formulating over 20 years ago, I knew I wanted to create products based on the elements. Having been a student of Eastern Medicine for many years, I believe in the power of natural ingredients.

Osea for Parachute products.
JESSICA SCHRAMM FOR PARACHUTE

How did the OSEA for Parachute collaboration come together? Describe the creative process.

Melissa Palmer:We focus on safe products for the skin, but we’ve been interested in developing safe products for living environments, too. We are big fans of Parachute and its commitment to using only the highest quality materials, free of harmful chemicals and synthetics. As we got to know Ariel Kaye, Founder and CEO, we realized our mutual commitment to self-care and relaxation. That’s when the Sleep Time Bath Salt came together. Deep sleep is our number one beauty secret!

Ariel Kaye:As soon as I started using OSEA’s products, I wanted to work with them! They’re a fellow Los Angeles-based brand and they share Parachute’s values. We trust OSEA to enhance our customers’ sleep and well-being.

Jenefer:The one thing I knew is that I wanted to bring the Malibu beach vibe to Parachute’s timeless aesthetic. With our essential oil blends of Malibu Lavender, French Lavender, Geranium,Peppermint, Vetiver, Lemon, Litsea and Sage, I think we got it!

What makes the OSEA for Parachute Bath Salt and Linen Spray unique? How are these items different from others you’ve made in the past?

Melissa:These are our first-ever home products, and we couldn’t be happier that they’re in collaboration with Parachute – a brand that truly knows home. The Linen Mist is a totally different category for us, but we ended up taking a similar formulation approach by making them plant-based and non-toxic. Although they don’t go directly on your skin, they make contact with your pillow and are in the air you breathe.

  • OSEA for Parachute: Behind the Design
  • OSEA for Parachute: Behind the Design
  • OSEA for Parachute: Behind the Design

OSEA is a family-run business. Tell us about your professional backgrounds. When did your careers start to overlap?

Jenefer:While managing a spa in my late 30s, I was shocked to learn about the toxic ingredients in every beauty brand that came to pitch me their line. You have to remember, this was in the 1980s and health food nuts, like myself, were definitely fringe. But my intuition told me that if I didn’t want to put an ingredient in my body, then I didn’t want to put it on my body. In my quest to find a safe and effective skincare line, I realized I had to make my own.

Melissa: My career started at birth. OSEA was like another sibling I grew up with. My mom spent decades mastering her formulas, filling our bathtub with seaweed and our kitchen with various concoctions. Once the original formulas were finalized, my siblings and I would fill products and pack boxes. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and my mom and I really learned the ropes to scaling this business together.

Melissa and Jenefer

Describe your part of the business and what you most enjoy about producing skincare products together.

Melissa:My mom holds the brand vision of OSEA and formulates all of our products. I bring the brand vision to life with our team by running the day to day operations.

Jenefer:It’s so amazing to create something you love with someone you love. We really understand each other and our thought processes. Sometimes I literally see the formulas in my dreams. Can you imagine what someone other than my daughter would think of that?

How has Malibu influenced your work?

Jenefer:I have lived, loved and raised my family in Malibu for the last 26 years. The ocean called out to me. When I saw the need for safe skincare, all the nourishing and mineralizing ingredients were right in front of me.

Melissa:Our connection to the elements – especially the ocean – is the part of OSEA that resonates most deeply for me. I was lucky enough to grow up near the beach. The moment my feet hit the sand my whole mood shifts. Being in the water is completely transformative, and sharing a little piece of this magic inspires me.

[Ed. note: The Palmer family lost their Mail home during the devastating 2018 Woolsey fire.]

Osea products on a bathtub in an outdoor setting.

Any tips for other creative entrepreneurs?

Jenefer:Understand that people won’t always get your vision – and some might even try to discourage it. But having to push forward only makes you better.

Melissa:Start somewhere! I spent years struggling with making things perfect, but I’ve learned that starting somewhere, often far from what I consider perfect, moves the process along much faster. Progress over perfection.

[Ed. note: Video production took place in early 2018. Parachute now only carries one linen mist.]