When Glow Recipe was born five years ago, the team was only two people strong. Our co-founders, Sarah and Christine, put together every order by hand, including personalized notes for each customer. Glow Recipe was born out of a love of beauty, discovery, and sharing those discoveries with others. 

Looking back at the past year, not only has Glow Recipe grown immensely (can you believe we launched five new products?!), but the beauty industry has changed incredibly as well. In honor of another amazing year of Glow, here are five things we’ve learned since our launch that changed the course of Glow Recipe for the better. 

1. Skin-care Is Nothing Without Skintertainment™

Sensorial products with novel textures are kind of our thing, wouldn’t you say? Our skin-care routine has always been the part of the day we most look forward to, both because of our love for discovering new products, and as a chance to unwind. We’ve always believed that self-care should be unapologetically fun, which is why back in 2016, our co-founder Christine talked to Marie Claire about the K-Beauty-inspired trend we coined “skinterntainment.”

“It’s an emerging trend that positions skincare as an indulgent moment of pampering versus a daily chore,” she said. “It does this with sensorial, exciting textures like gel-to-oil, capsules, bouncy balms, and novel application methods. The experience of skincare is as much a part of skincare as the product is!” Cue fun, bouncy textures, Insta-worthy packaging, and even more selfie-ready skin.

2. When In Doubt, Consult The Past

While some brands may only look to the future, we’ve found it beneficial to look back. Look back on long-held traditions, that is, and implement them in a modern way. There are tried and true skin-care methods that outlive generations simply because they work. The Korean tradition of using watermelon rinds to soothe heat rash is actually what inspired the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask. K-Beauty itself is a tradition rooted in simplicity, efficacy, and most importantly, prevention. We always use healing, calming ingredients and antioxidants to help prevent damage to the skin. And to keep skin healthy, we utilize K-Beauty hydration tricks like 7 Skin Method and combining serums.

3. Defining Clean Beauty Is More Important Than Ever

It’s always been our goal to empower customers to make an informed decision about their skin-care. Even back when we were curating the best of K-Beauty, it was Glow Recipe’s mission to make clean, nature-powered formulations easily accessible and super transparent. But as buzzy as the term “clean beauty” is, it unfortunately has no hard and fast definition. This means it’s up to each and every brand to take a stand on what “clean” means to them.

Transparency is important to us, and we’ve always shared our approach to “clean.” To us, clean means formulating our namesake without mineral oils, phthalates, suflates, parabens, and synthetic dyes. We also include less than 0.5% fragrance in our products for a safe and total sensorial experience. Did we mention we have the Clean at Sephora seal? You can read more about the strict standards Sephora uses to define “clean” here.

4. Taking Steps Towards a Sustainable Future

Over the past five years, we’ve learned that the path to sustainability isn’t a direct shot. When we launched our first face mask, we knew we wanted to use a glass jar to make recycling easier, and now all of our jars are made from 20% recycled glass. Our cartons are made of recycled material, too, and we chose to print with a soy-based ink because it’s less harmful to the environment. A few months ago, our corporate office even switched over to wind power!

To make greater strides, we need to evaluate our supply chain as a whole, and finding ways to improve is—and always will be—an ongoing process. While we’re working on things as actively as we can, we can’t make instant changes, but as a company we are constantly thinking about new ways to be sustainable. We’ve also heard all of your incredible feedback and suggestions, so you can expect some exciting changes to our business practice coming soon. 

5. Nothing Is Stronger Than A Gentle Approach

For those of us who love beauty, there’s nothing more exciting than adding a new product or promising active ingredient to our routine. When it comes to the balance of your skin, however, more actives isn’t always better. Persistent redness, sensitivity, and a tight shiny forehead are all signs of skin that’s been over-stimulated with active ingredients. 

Our favorite skin-care mantra, one that guides not only how we use products but how me make them, is that you should listen to your skin and only feed it what it needs. Remember that skincare wardrobe we mentioned earlier? We’ve always believed in the importance of soothing ingredients, but new developments are making it even easier to soothe irritated skin. Our Avocado Retinol Mask is a perfect example, where gentle encapsulated retinol is paired with nourishing avocado extract and calming chamomile for a perfectly balanced and effective formula. While our products were made to provide amazing results on their own, when used together they make for an even more effective and balanced routine without risk of over-stimulation.

We’re also all about listening to your skin, evaluating its state day by day, and customizing our routine accordingly. By building a well-rounded skincare wardrobe, beauty lovers are able to target whatever concerns pop up.

Thanks for your support over the last five years – we’re so excited for what’s next and can’t wait to share it with you!