Sephora is looking past the winter sports rush and toward summer with the arrival of surf-inspired haircare brand Ebb Ocean Club.
It landed online at the beauty specialty chain Tuesday and will roll out to 50 select doors in the spring, including locations in Massachusetts, New York, Florida, California and Hawaii, where co-founder Khalyla Kuhn lives. Kuhn co-hosts comedy podcasts “Trash Tuesday” with Esther Povitsky and “TigerBelly” with Bobby Lee, and they have a combined 1.65 million subscribers on YouTube. Kuhn has an additional 329,000 followers on Instagram. The brand will expand internationally with Sephora later this year to an undisclosed market.
“While I don’t come from a traditional beauty background, I’ve always known that Sephora would be the natural fit for Ebb. It’s a place people go to discover products that work,” says Kuhn. “The partnership allows us to connect with consumers who value thoughtful, high-performing products without the extra noise.”
At a time when retailers and brands are competing in a noisy market for highly coveted attention, Kuhn’s reach outside of beauty is a draw. Ebb Ocean Club CEO and co-founder Alyson Lord, formerly director of brand partnerships at Ipsy, says, “The beauty of having Kuhn not be saturated in beauty is that she’s got an audience on two podcasts that have the opportunity to hear about this brand and be curious about it. I think [Sephora] saw us as an opportunity to bring in some new customers.”
Sephora is bringing in Ebb Ocean Club as prestige haircare continues to be a bright spot in the industry. According to market research firm Circana, prestige haircare sales were up 8% in the first nine months of last year, double the growth rate of prestige beauty overall. Capitalizing on haircare’s momentum, Sephora has been making sure it has coverage across distinct segments within the category. Prior to Ebb Ocean Club’s launch, it picked up K-Beauty haircare player Unove and professional haircare stalwart Kenra.
Ebb Ocean Club also aligns with shifting consumer behavior among younger shoppers. According to the 2024 Les Mills Global Consumer Fitness Report, based on a survey of more than 12,000 consumers across 16 markets, roughly 73% of gen Z respondents reported they exercise at least once a week, with many prioritizing products that can withstand sweat, sun and frequent washing. As wellness and movement become everyday lifestyle pillars rather than seasonal pursuits, haircare brands positioned around performance and protection are gaining relevance beyond traditional gyms and exercise studios.
Lord, who also has held roles at Blip, Mecca and Coty, was brought in to work on Ebb Ocean Club full-time at the end of 2024 by Concept Brands, a venture studio that, according to its website, is dedicated to “building the next generation of iconic consumer brands. Founded in 2023 by Chris Young Kim and Jina Kim, Concept previously launched sleepwear brand Daphne with television personality and podcast host Paige DeSorbo, who starred in Bravo’s “Summer House.”
Kuhn fills her hours not behind the podcast mic diving, swimming and spearfishing in the ocean, which is where the inspiration for Ebb Ocean Club came from. Priced under $30, its collection includes Instant Slip & Shine Hydrating Shampoo, Hydrating Conditioner, Detangling Leave-In and Deep Treatment Repair Mask. Sephora will be carrying the brand’s new Hair Barrier Repair Hair Oil. A travel-size version of the shampoo, conditioner and detangling leave-in will be available as an app exclusive. The products incorporate ocean-linked ingredients like seaweed and algae along with Ebb Ocean Club’s proprietary Marine BioRepair Complex.
Kuhn says, “Ebb came from wanting products that could keep up without damaging my hair or the water I lived in.”
Ebb Ocean Club hit the market in 2024 with a soft launch to test product-market fit and attract retailer attention. Ebb Ocean Club raised an angel round around that time from family and friends, including actress Claire Holt and Sarni Rogers. The founders declined to disclose how much it raised. Lord describes the brand as addressing “hair barrier care” rather than focusing squarely on scalp care, a prominent subcategory within haircare today.
“We’re taking on the opportunity to educate a little bit more on what a strand of hair is and what it needs to be repaired and then protected, but without too much science-forward elements,” she says. “I think we’re taking an approach that feels a little, not responsive, but respectful of what people see in the brand.” She elaborates, “We are not a Chris McMillan, we don’t have styling as our thing. We definitely want to be out and about and adventurous in the world.”
Ebb Ocean Club’s adventures in the world will manifest in partnerships with female and male surfers in the World Surfing League and the Red Bull women’s surf team. Lord explains, “We want to hit this very active person, but then also show everyone that this should be your evergreen system in your shower on a regular basis.”
Ebb Ocean Club is still fine-tuning its content to balance its beauty, surf and humor-driven sensibilities on social media. Its current posts consist of high-production imagery mixed with behind-the-scenes moments. Fresh campaign imagery and content will roll out with the Sephora launch.
“We’re excited to get into the system of Sephora and be a little bit more wild and silly than others potentially,” says Lord. “We’re hot and funny, we’re not taking ourselves too seriously, but what we do take seriously is the functionality of the products.”
