Earth Harbor

Earth Harbor, also trading as Earth Harbor Naturals, is an American independent skincare brand founded by toxicologist and herbalist Ali Perry-Hatch. It builds its range around marine and plant-derived ingredients — the "Ocean and Earth" pairing that gives the company its name — and positions itself within the clean-beauty movement. The brand remains active, with a direct-to-consumer site, United States retail through Ulta, Amazon and Whole Foods, and distribution reaching European retailers.

The company frames its central distinction as scientific credentials: it describes itself as the only self-care company founded by a toxicologist [1]. That founder background, combined with a marine-botanical focus and a strong sustainability program, defines how Earth Harbor presents itself.

Earth Harbor was created by Ali Perry-Hatch, MPH, who is described on the company's pages as a toxicologist, herbalist and "beach wanderer." She grew up on St. Simons Island, Georgia, and worked as a humanitarian engineer specializing in global environmental health before turning to skincare [4].

The founding story is unusually personal. According to the brand, Perry-Hatch was in a near-fatal car accident that left her disabled and learned shortly afterward that she was pregnant, prompting a reassessment of clean living [3]. Unable to find natural skincare meeting her standards, she began formulating her own. The Filtery, an editorial review, recounts that she started the company with $2,000 in savings from an off-the-grid treehouse where she and her husband lived [8]. The company says it launched at local farmers' markets and has remained self-funded, with no outside loans or investment.

The founding year is recorded inconsistently. Earth Harbor's own origin-story blog, published around March 2021, states the business "started nearly 3 years ago," placing the launch around 2018 [7]. A separate web aggregation lists 2015 instead [11]; that earlier date may reflect Perry-Hatch's herbalism and formulation work rather than the business launch. The brand's dated anniversary statement is the more direct source for 2018.

The company grew from farmers'-market sales into wider retail distribution. By 2020, Earth Harbor reported partnerships with Whole Foods, ASOS, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and the subscription service FabFitFun [7]. It has since expanded to retailers including Ulta and Amazon in the United States, and its products reach European markets through third-party distribution.

Earth Harbor describes its approach as "Beyond Clean Beauty," combining marine ("Ocean") and plant ("Earth") botanicals to make what it calls safe, ethical and sustainable products. Its stated mission is to "harness the natural power of Ocean and Earth" for plant-sourced skincare suited to sensitive skin. The brand's taglines include "Where Ocean Meets Earth, Science Meets Nature" and "Luxury, Made Honest," the latter referring to a vertically integrated model that the company says cuts out middlemen by formulating in-house.

The Filtery characterizes Earth Harbor as a marine-inspired indie brand with mid-level pricing, describing its products as colorful and lightly scented but "functional and relatively minimalistic." The brand's emphasis on a toxicologist founder is, in that review's words, "unique among other non-toxic skincare brands."

Earth Harbor's catalogue spans cleansers, toners, moisturizers, serums, mineral sunscreen, exfoliants and refill formats. Product names lean nautical: bestsellers listed on the brand's pages include the MERMAID MILK Nutrient Glow Moisturizer, MARINA Biome Brightening Concentrate, SIREN SILK Bio-Retinol Hydration Cream, TIDAL ROSE Seaweed Hydration Mist and SUNSHINE DEW Antioxidant Cleansing Oil.

The company centers its formulations on what it labels "Ocean and Earth Actives" — plant-based, bio-identical and mineral-rich botanicals alongside upcycled oils — and names familiar actives including bio-retinol, hyaluronic acid, peptides, niacinamide, vitamin C, ceramides and seaweed extracts. Earth Harbor defines "natural" strictly, stating that every ingredient is plant-based, mineral-based or bio-identical and processed only through methods such as fermentation, distillation and cold processing. It also publishes an extensive exclusion list, saying it omits more than 2,700 globally banned or restricted ingredients, among them parabens, sulfates, silicones, synthetic fragrance and palm oil [6]. The brand says its formulas are pH-optimized for absorption and gentle enough for all skin types.

Sustainability is a prominent part of the brand's identity. Earth Harbor claims to be the first skincare brand certified as Climate Neutral, Plastic Negative and a member of 1% for the Planet, and says it runs a "first-of-its-kind" plastic-free refill program [5]. According to the company, products are made almost entirely in-house using solar-powered, small-batch production, with packaging sourced nearly all within 50 miles and shipping materials that are fully compostable.

The brand lists certifications including Leaping Bunny, PETA Vegan and Cruelty-Free, EcoCert and Carbon Neutral status, and states that its formulas are 100% vegan, soy-free and gluten-free. The Filtery notes that several of these third-party certifications are verifiable [8]. Editorial coverage from Clean & Cruelty Free adds that the company donates a portion of profits to ocean-conservation organizations.

Earth Harbor lists appearances in publications including Vogue, Elle, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar and the Los Angeles Times. These are presented by the company as "as seen in" mentions rather than verified awards, and no formal award citations were identified.

Earth Harbor is an active business. It is manufactured in Utah [8] and operates a live direct-to-consumer site alongside United States retail through Ulta, Amazon and Whole Foods, with continued distribution to European retailers. Recent third-party coverage, current product availability and active social channels confirm ongoing operation.