Behind the Brand: Southold Bay Skin Care Features Innovative Oyster Technology

Southold Bay Skin Care Face Cream ($29) features Oyster Technology derived from oyster nacre—a rich ingredient found in oysters.

Located in the North Fork of Long Island, New York, Southold Bay Oysters is a shellfish farm that grows Southold Shindig Oysters in the waters of Southold Bay. What started out as a small hobby for Ben Gonzalez and Dave Daly, a married couple who moved there in 2015, eventually turned into a successful business growing commercial oysters.

Prior to starting their oyster farm, Daly was a marketing manager at L’Oreal USA, where he worked on new product launches at Garnier and the Maybelline mascara business. Ultimately, he and Gonzalez discovered the skin-boosting benefits of oysters and created Southold Bay Skin Care. Their debut product, Southold Bay Face Cream, rejuvenates skin and gives it a luminous pearl-like sheen thanks to Oyster Technology derived from oyster nacre—a rich ingredient found in oysters.

“My time working in the beauty industry gave me an appreciation for consumers’ passion for their beauty products and their desire to find and try new products that offer unique ingredients and benefits,” says Daly. “As oyster farmers, we have been looking for new ways to bring the benefits of oysters to more people. Not everyone eats oysters—even though they are so delicious—but just about everyone can use our skin care!”

We chatted with Daly and Gonzalez, who shared the inspiration behind the brand, its innovative oyster technology, and more.

When was Southold Bay Skin Care founded and what’s the meaning behind the name?

Southold Bay Skin Care has been in the works for quite some time. The pandemic gave us the time to focus on finalizing our formula and we launched our first product Southold Bay Face Cream in October 2020. We named our company after the body of water on Long Island where our oyster farm is located.

Tell us more about your products and what makes them special.

Our unique formula for Southold Bay Skin Care featuring Oyster Technology™ is derived from a rich ingredient found in oysters called nacre. Oyster nacre is rich in amino acids and it produces a protective moisturizing film that provides a repairing effect on damaged skin. It hydrates and moisturizes while softening the skin, increasing elasticity and supplementing nutrition for healthier, younger-looking skin. Oyster nacre has been a popular skin care ingredient in Asia for a long time and we’re thrilled to be introducing it to our customers.

David Daly and Ben Gonzalez.

Where are your products sold?

Currently our face cream is sold online at Amazon Marketplace and local to us in the Hamptons at the Flying Pointe Surf Shops.

What's next for the brand?

We look forward to returning to “as business as usual as possible” at our oyster farm this spring, as this past year was difficult with the pandemic. We are also looking at expanding our product offering to include additional skincare products that feature oyster nacre soon!

The face cream formula is rich in oyster amino acids and stimulates skin cells to produce collagen, promote cellular repair and hydration, and protect skin from pollution and outside elements.

Please share anything else you’d like us to know.

As the founders of Southold Bay Skin Care, we have been growing oysters in Southold Bay for six years. Through our work in aquaculture we have learned first hand about the tremendous benefits oysters offer. Oysters are truly a unique and fascinating creature that help to clean the waters in which they grow, while also providing valuable nutrition as both a food source and skincare ingredient.

For more information and to purchase, visit the website and follow on Instagram: @southoldbayoysters

[Images courtesy of Southold Bay Skin Care]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk