Tower 28’s dedication to sensitive-skin-safe products can be seen through its motto, “It’s okay to be sensitive”⁵ which not only acknowledges the shopper’s skin type but also celebrates it. Other companies in the U.S. do not garner the same kind of inclusivity as Tower 28, as most Asian American shoppers don’t bother shopping at big-box stores because they don’t feel welcome and these stores and shopping centers don’t provide products that appeal to their consumer identity as Asian Americans. For example, in a research study done in California, evidence shows that Asian women do not purchase their hygiene products from American companies, nor do they get them directly imported from Asian companies, but instead they were the most likely to purchase products in America that have languages other than English on them⁶. This indicates that Asian American women obtain their care needs at stores that reside within Asian American community centers, where they feel welcome. These community spaces, or “Asian Malls” typically center themselves around Asian grocery stores and often include Asian restaurants, drink shops, and businesses⁷. These spaces have been marketed toward a certain demographic and truly demonstrate the importance of catering to a consumer's identity. Other companies can do this by targeting different aspects of consumer identity in many ways:

Another way in which Tower 28 can continue its growth is through its targeting of younger Asian Americans. Its product and brand design is playful, beachy, colorful, and simplistic packaging. However, Tower 28 owner Amy Liu knew that many clean beauty products were not feasible purchases for those who needed them, so all items on the Tower 28 website are no more than thirty-five dollars, making safe products accessible to many people. Asian American youth face significant challenges in a world where they may not always feel like they belong. As recommended by Atkin and Yoo¹², embracing their identity in the multicultural market and encouraging knowledge of cultural diversity at home might help with these identity conflicts as well. The company is a great example of how companies may effectively target and resonate with this demographic, especially through the use of social media marketing. In an Instagram post on their official Tower 28 account, a 25-year-old social media influencer, Erin DeVilbiss, is advertising their Tinted Sunscreen Foundation¹³. The use of a young social media influencer to attract a younger audience who may see someone they follow and trust using a product as well as someone they share an Asian American identity with makes the target audience more interested in the brand. According to research done on teenage girls in America, the most control over teenage girls’ beauty and identity ideals comes from popular culture and forms of social media, making advertisements like the one featuring Erin much more powerful to Tower 28’s target audience¹⁴.

Even with the growth of the Asian American population and the popularity of Asian Malls, Asian Americans still face exclusion in the American consumer market. Major retailers have not considered Asian Americans as a real consumer audience and do not cater to their needs, otherwise, Tower 28 would not be such an isolated case of inclusivity. The popularity of companies like Tower 28 in big-box stores like Sephora should be taken as a sign of the growing necessity for companies that account for the identities of their customers. Especially considering the fact that AAPI-identifying people dominate the mass shopping population in big-name stores¹⁵. Corporate America can “tap into” this demographic and not only increase its sales but also create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for Asian Americans in major retail stores across the nation. The growing Asian population in the U.S. should be taken seriously and start a trend of inclusiveness towards all ethnicities in the American consumer market.

One way in which Tower 28 makes an effort to market to the Asian American population is through a common experience shared by many within the cultural group. According to a study conducted with racially and ethnically diverse groups, Asians are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, and other skin conditions like eczema, while at the doctor’s office⁸. Products from Tower 28 are the first of their kind, being a cosmetics instead of a skincare brand, and producing quality cosmetics while maintaining high skin safety standards, as many of their products have been approved by the National Eczema Association. Being marketed toward sensitive skin appeals to many consumers’ social identities and when it is being modeled by an Asian American or other ethnic minority, it also considers a customer’s “identity salience”⁹. This term was used in a study about consumer identity awareness and is defined as when “a consumer’s social identity [becomes] accessible in a certain decision situation to the extent that it is contextually salient, or is chronically self-important to them”9. The combination of both self-important identities within a company along with the identity salience that is active when you are presented with a product that is catered toward your sensitive skin, you are much more likely to purchase it without the need for a testimonial or recommendation. Tower 28 offers a Tinted Sunscreen Foundation that has received the seal of approval from the National Eczema Association. One of the Sephora Listing Images displays before and after images of the use of the foundation, but it also has this comparison using models with three different skin tones¹⁰. This makes the product more appealing to a larger audience but also breaks down the long-time Asian beauty standard of pale or white skin. Oftentimes this ideal does not transfer over once in the U.S. or just dissipates through the generations. So, Asian Americans' skin colors drastically differ from those who live in their home countries, leaving the use of imported or Asian-curated products useless, ineffective, or just giving a sense of “unbelonging” and invisibility to the Asian American consumer. This gives the Tower 28 Sunscreen Foundation a sense of appeal to Asian Americans as they can find a product that suits their skin tone and sensitivity, even if it is not as light and pale as their relatives or ancestors.

Quote from Forbes Article on the growth of “Clean Beauty”¹¹

Erin DeVilbiss posing with Tower 28’s Tinted Sunscreen¹³

Sephora Advertisement for Tower 28, displaying their ShineOn Lip Jelly⁵

Vietnamese women in California purchase their hygiene products in non-English packaging significantly more than women of other ethnicities⁶

Sephora Website Advertisement for Tower 28’s Tinted Sunscreen¹⁰