Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Kuklinski.
Hi Christina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a water person my whole life — from jumping fearlessly into mommy-and-me swim lessons as a baby to doing open-water triathlons as a teen. I’ve always felt most myself in, on, or near the ocean. At 17, I learned to scuba dive with my dad, and that completely changed the course of my life. Diving opened up a new world and became the way I connected most deeply with the water.
In my 20s, I spent long stretches living on boats and diving up to three times a day. That’s when I really started to feel the toll: my hair was constantly breaking, my skin was stripped, and nothing on the market could withstand saltwater, sun, and sweat while still being reef-safe. It was frustrating to love the ocean so much but not have products that protected me — or the reefs I was swimming over.
As I became a master scuba diver and continued my adventures across the Galapagos, Palau, and Sipadan, it became clear that I needed to create what I couldn’t find. In 2024, I found a local lab that was focused on created sustainable, eco-friendly products and got to work. It took over a year to formulate our hero product, The Pre-Swim Hair Mask as we trialed it on over 100 ocean-lovers around the world. It’s certified vegan, reef-safe, and cruelty-free and protects hair for up to 8 hours of salt, sun, surf, and chlorine exposure.
Before launching KOOK, I spent a decade in brand strategy and consumer insights for companies like Unilever, L’Oréal, and Wella, with a Sociology and Entrepreneurial Leadership background from Tufts. That experience taught me how to merge data, storytelling, and consumer behavior — tools I now use daily to build an ocean-first beauty brand rooted in performance and sustainability.
Today, KOOK continues to craft high-performance, reef-safe essentials designed for surfers, divers, and water lovers like me. Everything is made in Los Angeles, tested in real ocean conditions, and gives back through our Seatrees partnership where every jar plants a mangrove in a UNESCO World Heritage site. We focus on creating community through beach clean-ups, surf expos, and diver nights while educating our audience on the importance of protecting our playground.
My story really comes back to this: the ocean has always taken care of me, and KOOK is my way of taking care of it in return. I want people to enjoy the water without sacrificing their hair, their skin, or the reefs that make these experiences possible. That mission is what drives me every day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road — but I don’t think any meaningful startup story is. KOOK was born from passion, but the path to building it has been full of very real challenges.
Formulating products for people who spend hours in the ocean is incredibly difficult especially when there isn’t a product like it on the market. They need to be water-resistant, UV-absorbing, nourishing, and reef-safe and made in a way that’s sustainable while not forcing me into bankruptcy before I even began. I went through dozens of failed rounds, long testing cycles, and more than a few moments where I questioned whether I should keep going.
Then there were the realities of being a first-time founder: navigating manufacturing, learning regulatory requirements, fundraising while bootstrapping, handling IP disputes, building retailer relationships, and trying to grow a brand without the budget of a traditional beauty company. I am able to rely on some of my incredible employees and female founder network, but I wear a lot of hats (formulator, shipper, designer, marketer, financier, customer service rep…) while still trying to stay inspired.
I also faced skepticism. Clean beauty gets written off, ocean problems get minimized, and niche brands are often underestimated. But I kept coming back to the community I was building — the divers, surfers, and swimmers who told me KOOK was solving a problem they’d had for years.
So no, it hasn’t been smooth. But every challenge, from late-night label reprints to navigating supply chain delays, has pushed me to become a more thoughtful, resilient founder. And honestly, those obstacles have shaped the brand’s personality — scrappy, ocean-obsessed, and unwilling to compromise on performance or purpose.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
KOOK is an ocean-first beauty brand built for surfers, divers, swimmers, and anyone who spends serious time in the water. We create high-performance, reef-safe hair and skincare that actually holds up against sun, saltwater, sweat, and chlorine — because traditional beauty products simply weren’t built for the elements.
We’re best known for our flagship Pre-Swim Hair Mask, a vegan, nutrient-dense, water-resistant formula designed to protect hair before getting in the ocean. It’s become our hero product, loved by ocean athletes and everyday water lovers across 50+ countries, with 100+ global affiliates, 200+ retailer partners and inquiries, and a fast-growing community both here in LA where we’re made and abroad.
What sets KOOK apart is our obsession with performance and planetary care.
We only create products that are:
Reef-safe, vegan, and biodegradable
Water-resistant and UV-absorbent, built for long days outside
Tested by over 100 ocean lovers across real surf breaks, dive sites, and open-water conditions
Made in Los Angeles through sustainable, small-batch manufacturing
Certified by Vegan Action, Leaping Bunny, and Friends of the Sea
Impact-driven through our partnership with Seatrees, planting mangroves in a UNESCO World Heritage Site for every jar sold
We’re not just a beauty product — we’re an outdoor essential designed for performance, environmental responsibility, and community.
What I’m most proud of brand-wise is the culture we’ve built. KOOK resonates because it celebrates the people who live boldly, care deeply, and show up for the ocean — from surf clubs and dive teams to travelers, ocean activists, and everyday swimmers. The community has become the heartbeat of everything we do.
We’re also proud to be carving out a new category: ocean-proof beauty. Until now, there hasn’t been a brand designing truly functional products for people who spend hours in the water. KOOK is pioneering that space — with high-quality formulas that protect you while also giving back to the ecosystems that make these moments possible.
If readers take away one thing, it’s this: KOOK was built by ocean lovers, for ocean lovers. We’re making products that let you keep doing what you love without sacrificing your hair, your skin, or the reefs themselves.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is protecting the places and the people that have shaped who I am. The ocean has given me confidence, community, adventure, and a sense of peace I’ve never found anywhere else. It’s where I’ve built my happiest memories — diving with my dad, living on boats, traveling the world, and finding a version of myself that feels bold and free. So caring for that ecosystem is very personal.
I want to create something that genuinely improves people’s lives in small but meaningful ways. Hair and skin may seem like simple things, but for people who spend their days in the water and out in the sun, it affects their wellbeing, confidence, and how they show up in the world. Building products that protect them — and protect the reefs beneath them — matters to me because it means helping others experience the ocean the way I do (and get to keep experiencing it into the future).
On a deeper level, what matters most is building a company that leads with integrity. I want to prove that you can create high-performance products without compromising on sustainability, safety, or ethics. A brand can be fun, bold, and high-impact and still be deeply responsible in how it operates.
It also matters that I’m having fun while doing it. I spent years working behind a desk and a screen in a cubicle so with KOOK, I wanted to work in a way that honored my needs (like being out in nature). And all the struggles aside, I am building something with people who I genuinely love to work with and for people who genuinely love the ocean.
Pricing:
- $44 – Pre-Swim Hair Mask
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gotkook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/got.kook/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/got.kook/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gotkook/
