Glow Recipe co-founders Sarah Lee and Christine Chang are big believers in the power of fruit.
Get the latest from Aleesha Harris straight to your inbox
Published Oct 07, 2024 • Last updated 41 minutes ago • 4 minute read
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
Article content
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
We know the benefits of fruit for our diets — fibre and antioxidants, to name a few — but what about for our faces?
Co-founders Sarah Lee and Christine Chang set out to push the boundaries of what fruit-derived ingredients could do for skin with their brand Glow Recipe. Focusing on ingredients such as watermelon, blackberry and plum in their formulations, the brand’s colourfully packaged products have become fast-favourites with many beauty fans.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account.
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
Enjoy additional articles per month.
Get email updates from your favourite authors.
THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
Enjoy additional articles per month
Get email updates from your favourite authors
Sign In or Create an Account
or
Article content
We caught up with the duo to learn more:
Q: For those who aren’t familiar, what is Glow Recipe?
Sarah Lee: We launched our namesake brand Glow Recipe in 2017 as part of our mission to provide clean, cruelty-free, fruit forward, clinically effective skin care for glowing skin. Anchored in Korean skin-care philosophies, this sensorial skin-care line develops innovative formulas that pair antioxidant-rich fruit with gentle yet powerful actives for real results.
Our first product was created by harnessing the power of watermelon. Growing up, our grandmothers rubbed watermelon rinds on our heat rashes during hot summer months and we experienced firsthand the miraculous healing power of watermelon and how soothing and hydrating it was for the skin. This was the inspiration for our OG product for Glow Recipe, the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask. Since its launch, we sold out over eight times and had wait lists in the thousands. We never expected that the product would be so well-received, it was amazing.
Q: What makes it unique?
Christine Chang: Glow Recipe bridged the gap between clinically effective and efficacious skin care, with sensoriality, trend-setting branding and education. Skin care was viewed as a chore before makeup, however, we were able to drive the conversation around skin care being not only self-care, but a collection of products our community wants to keep on their shelves and share online on their social platforms.
West Coast Table
Discover the best of B.C.’s recipes, restaurants and wine.
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
Thanks for signing up!
A welcome email is on its way. If you don’t see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Article content
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Q: Who is the target customer?
Chang: Since our inception, we’ve always strived to take an inclusive approach to skin care. For starters, we don’t retouch the images you see in our ads and on social media, we aim for minimal makeup (if any), and we’re always committed to showing real skin, with bumps, texture, and all — because that’s what’s realistic for our customers. Everyone can and should have healthy, hydrated and bouncy skin that isn’t upheld to impossible standards.
To that end, we’re officially banning the following words for our brand vocabulary: Perfect Skin, Flawless, Poreless, Ageless, Anti-Wrinkle and Anti-Aging. No amount of skin-care products could make any of the above words a reality for most people — perfect skin just doesn’t exist.
Q: Is there a ‘hero’ product in the collection?
Lee: Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops and Watermelon Glow PHA+BHA Pore-Tight Toner are our top two selling SKUs globally — one of each is sold every 12 seconds. Our community loves this duo not only for the immediate, real glass skin results they give, but because they work hard and well overtime too.
Advertisement 4
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Q: What’s new for the brand?
Chang: We’re so excited to introduce Glow Recipe’s very first retinol serum and create a formula that our community will look forward to using every night. Glow Recipe skin care is anchored in Korean skin-care philosophies which include sensorial textures and experiences that ultimately promote regular use within your skin-care routine for long-term results. We’ve heard feedback from our community that retinol treatments have not always been enjoyable to use and we wanted to rethink the experience by creating a lightweight, milky gel texture that is infused with a small amount of 100 per cent naturally derived, essential-oil free fragrance.
Lee: We knew it was so important for a gentle retinol product like Blackberry Retinol Blemish Serum to have the same sensorial experience as our other Glow Recipe products. Consistency is key when introducing an active like retinol in your routine, and Blackberry Retinol Blemish Serum contains a powerful yet gentle triple retinoid blend — with retinal, retinol and retinyl ester — at 0.16 per cent, balanced with antioxidant-rich Blackberry extract and skin nurturing ingredients like eight per cent glycerin, ectoin and squalane. It was important to us to create a gentle, hydrating formula that was comforting and easy to use in addition to driving results over time.
Advertisement 5
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.
This website uses tracking tools, including cookies. We use these technologies for a variety of reasons, including to recognize new and past website users, to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. You agree to our Privacy Policyand Terms of Accessby clicking I agree.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.