EXCLUSIVE: Eva Gutowski Cocreates Coastal Citizen Beauty Brand
Influencer Eva Gutowski has founded a new beauty company.
Coastal Citizen is a minimalist beauty brand born from Gutowski’s skin care journey. Launching Sept. 2 via its own website, the brand will bow with two products that are “clean,” according to the European Union’s beauty standards; ocean-friendly; vegan, and cruelty-free: a no-rinse Morning Water cleanser, $28, and bamboo terry towels, $17 for a pack of three. The packaging is recyclable and features photos from Gutowski’s world travels, along with captions and mood descriptors.
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Gutowski is known as @MyLifeAsEva on YouTube, where she counts 11 million subscribers. She started her channel in 2012, when she was a freshman in high school hoping to improve her public speaking skills, she told WWD via phone.
“Ten years later, I’m here and I’m happy to be in this amazing community of over 32 million combined [followers],” she said.
Courtesy of Coastal Citizen
Gutowski drew from her own struggles with acne and other skin issues for Coastal Citizen’s initial product lineup. Four years ago, she cut out all beauty products — skin care and makeup — that were animal-tested and contained artificial dyes and fragrances. Her skin proceeded to “heal itself,” she said.
Coastal Citizen was developed in partnership with Follow Beauty, a holding company that builds creator-led brands. Neither Follow Beauty nor Gutowski agreed to offer a sales projection, but industry sources estimate Coastal Citizen will do up to $8 million in first-year retail sales.
Gutowski was intent on making Coastal Citizen sustainable where possible — a focus she brought to It’s All Wild, a clothing line she launched in 2017. It’s All Wild released a number of small-batch drops using recyclable fabrics. The last collection took two years to develop, Gutowski said, and released in 2020.
“I’m not presenting myself as a clean or sustainable beauty brand because it’s cool, I actually care,” Gutowski said. “It’s All Wild put me in a position to make Coastal Citizen the best brand possible. I can come to Coastal Citizen with a very good understanding of how the behind the scenes works so we can get things done effectively.”
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