“Feel Good for Yourself.” As Instagram bios go, the intro for Halo42 packs a Hemingway-esque punch. Spare and powerful, it instantly evokes what this four-year-old, beauty-meets-wellness skincare range is all about: stepping into personal agency via conscious self-care.
The brainchild of celebrity makeup artist and former Armani Beauty VP Tim Quinn, and holistic wellness coach and author Mark Turnipseed, Halo42 is a tightly edited collection of luxe elixirs for face and body that owes a heavy debt to copaiba, an oleoresin tapped from Copaifera trees indigenous to the Amazon rainforest.
More on copaiba in a bit; the backstory of this brand is too compelling to not dive into first.
Turning Personal Struggles into Purpose
In perhaps a first for the beauty biz, a jumping-off point for Halo42 is addiction.
Turnipseed’s long-since-conquered struggles with heroin and alcohol abuse inform a hefty chunk of his self-published 2020 memoir, My Suicide Race: Winning Over the Trauma of Addiction, Recovery and Coming Out (2020).
Searching for insight after losing both his younger brother and long-time partner to addiction, Quinn, a cancer survivor, landed on Turnipseed’s book.
Sensing that Turnipseed—who lifted his own life out of the ashes and became a sober, self-disciplined triathlete and sought-after “calm strength” coach—could steer him in a mentally and physically healthier direction, Quinn reached out. The initial plan? Virtual coaching sessions.
But as (good) luck would have it, at that precise moment, Turnipseed was literally in the middle of a move to Florida, where Quinn had relocated from New York City during the pandemic to care for his mother. With the ability to meet in person rather than online, Quinn and Turnipseed seriously clicked.
We envision Halo42 treatments that engage all five senses, combining beautiful products with intentional touch, breathwork, aromatherapy, and mindfulness.
A year later, when Turnipseed attempted to “fire” Quinn as a client because their work was complete, Quinn urged Turnipseed to consider applying his 360-degree mind and body wellness intel to developing some form of physical brand.
A few ideas were kicked around, including a collection of fitness apparel. But when Turnipseed reminded Quinn about a powerful anecdote from his book—that he’d initially found his way back to himself in rehab through the simple act of mindfully brushing his teeth—it resonated powerfully with Quinn, who firmly believes in the ability of self-care to lift one’s mood, even when you’re staring down a dire diagnosis.
“Tim realized my focus on mindfulness and daily rituals mirrored the practices that had helped him navigate his own battle with cancer in 2007,” Turnipseed shared. “He had learned not to rely solely on science, but also to draw strength from spirituality, beauty rituals, and inner resilience.”
The Story Behind the Name—and the Ingredient
Founders, Mark Turnipseed, left, and Tim Quinn
It’s pretty high-concept, but Halo42 draws inspiration from a phenomenon called a “circumzenithal arc”: essentially an upside-down rainbow that appears in clear skies and is only visible from a 42-degree angle. To Quinn and Turnipseed, the colorful arc represents not only finding strength in tough times, but also the inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community.
And in a market overrun with retinol, niacinamide, and peptides, the brand’s hero ingredient, copaiba, is another point of difference. Soothing and anti-inflammatory, it’s woven into every Halo42 product, from the best-selling Nourishing Face & Body Elixir and award-winning Anti-Aging Eye Gel to the Balancing Body Wash and Soothing Face Cleanser.
“Halo42 was created to address what we saw as a major gap in luxury skincare: the need for ingredients that are both natural and effective,” said Turnipseed. “Copaiba sits at the center of that idea. It is a sustainable, still relatively untapped resource with a long history of use in skin health.”
Turnipseed first became acquainted with copaiba after contracting COPD at age 29 after years of childhood asthma, smoking, and drug addiction. Determining that it could both help calm the nervous system and reduce inflammation in the lungs, copaiba proved exceptionally beneficial.
Asked about concrete data attached to the ingredient, which Halo42 sources from five small rainforest communities in Brazil, Turnipseed cites study after study. “Copaiba is not an unresearched ingredient,” he shared. “It has been the subject of extensive laboratory and preclinical investigation, along with a number of human clinical studies.”
A Slam-Dunk for Spa Distribution
While Halo42 made its debut at a small holistic lifestyle boutique in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, it has since expanded into multiple other indie retailers and has also established a partnership with Bloomingdale’s.
But while spending “significant” time visiting and evaluating spas during the development of the brand, the duo became convinced the channel is perfectly aligned with its nurture-yourself ethos. To date, it counts Tideline Resort and the private wellness community Lost Tree, both located in the greater Palm Beach area, among its spa clients.
“We see the spa world as a natural home for Halo42 because it’s where beauty and wellness meet,” notes Turnipseed. “It’s our vision for copaiba to become a spa-menu essential. While CBD has often been used as an add-on in spa treatments, we believe copaiba offers a compelling alternative because of its history of traditional use, its skin benefits, and its potential in massage and bodycare rituals.”
Asked if he could ever see developing a ritual-based spa protocol for estheticians, Turnipseed is unequivocal. “Without question,” he says. “We can envision Halo42 treatments that engage all five senses, combining beautiful products with intentional touch, breathwork, aromatherapy, and mindfulness.”
Dana Wood
Dana Wood is the Contributing Beauty Editor at InsidersGuidetoSpas.com. She has been writing about beauty and wellness for decades, and no matter how many times she taps the words “hyaluronic acid” or “healing modalities” into her keyboard, it never gets old. Dana spent a total of 20 years at Condé Nast, serving as Beauty Director for W, Cookie, and Brides. A transplanted New Yorker, Dana now lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. Her peak spa experience? Dana says it’s impossible to decide between the Coco-Mango Body Buff at the Driftwood Spa at Jakes in Treasure Beach, Jamaica, The Land of Beautiful Waters Anti-Aging Facial at Four Seasons Nevis, and the 80-minute 5 Senses massage at the Spa by JW in Marco Island, Florida.