This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you choose to purchase through links I provide.
Glow Recipe is everywhere. Social media, Sephora endcaps, in every “glass skin” recommendation you can find. I kept seeing it and had to know: is this actually good, or is it just cute jars and a fruity smell?
Here’s the thing about Glow Recipe’s timing. When it launched, K-beauty wasn’t mainstream yet. Glow Recipe was one of the first brands to make those ingredients and formulas accessible to a wider audience outside of Korea. That was a real advantage.
That advantage is gone now. K-beauty is everywhere, it’s accessible, and it’s affordable. Glow Recipe isn’t introducing you to something new anymore. It’s competing with the entire K-beauty market, and after testing these products, my honest take is that it’s falling flat.
That said, if you love a fun, fruity, colorful skincare routine, I get the appeal, and you might genuinely like this brand more than I do. This review is for anyone who wants to know whether it actually works.
About Glow Recipe
Glow Recipe was founded in 2014 by Sarah Lee and Christine Chang, two beauty industry veterans who wanted to bring Korean skincare ingredients and formulas to a wider, global audience. The brand’s philosophy centers on “natural, fruit-powered skincare,” with formulas built around fruit-based ingredients like watermelon, avocado, and blueberry.
Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser
Glow Recipe sold this as a cleanser that could remove your makeup with barely any effort, thanks to a formula built around antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, and gentle AHAs, but in practice, it never lived up to that claim.
This face wash couldn’t remove makeup at all, not even the minimal makeup I wear regularly. You’d have to pair it with a cleansing balm to actually get your face makeup-free.
Since I couldn’t use it at the end of the day, I moved it to my morning routine. It did a perfectly adequate job at removing the previous night’s skincare products.
When it comes down to it, I can’t justify the price for this cleanser. There are plenty of gentle cleansers available that perform better and cost less.
Alternatives: haruharu Wonder Black Rice Triple AHA Gentle Cleansing Gel or Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist
The mister on this one is genuinely well engineered, a fine, even spray instead of the kind that drowns your face in product. It’s formulated with watermelon extract, hyaluronic acid, Centella Asiatica, apple cider vinegar, and licorice root. I used it once each morning on clean skin, and it did what a hydrating mist should do.
Where I disagree with Glow Recipe is their suggested use. They recommend spritzing this throughout the day, over makeup, on skin that’s been out in the world for hours. I don’t like that idea for any mist, HA based or not. If your skin needs a refresh mid-afternoon, spraying more product over a dirty face isn’t the fix.
Used the way I used it, once in the morning on clean skin, it’s a fine product. I just don’t reach for it over the milky toners already in my routine.
Shop Now at Sephora
Alternative: AESTURA ATOBARRIER365 Hydrating Milky Cream Mist or Avène Thermal Spring Water Spray
Watermelon Glow PHA +BHA Pore-Tight Toner
This one wasn’t a bad product, it just wasn’t for me. Cactus water and hyaluronic acid handled the hydration side, willow bark and tea tree were in there for pore care, and gluconolactone, a PHA, gave it a gentle exfoliating edge.
My issue was preference, not performance. I reach for hydrating toners over exfoliating ones, so this was never going to earn a permanent spot in my routine, even though I didn’t have anything bad to say about how it worked.
If you have very dry skin or don’t like fragrance, I’d skip this one. But if you want a gentle exfoliating toner and a light scent doesn’t bother you, this did what it promised.
Alternative: Biodance Skin Refining Mild PHA Toner or Medik8 Press & Glow Gentle Daily Exfoliating PHA Toner
Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops
This serum is built around niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and watermelon extract, and on paper, it covers real ground: niacinamide helps with clogged pores and oil production, hyaluronic acid keeps skin hydrated, and together they’re genuinely useful ingredients to have in a routine.
Where I’d push back is the marketing. Glow Recipe sells this as something that gives your skin an instant glow, and I didn’t experience that. What I did notice was a slower, more gradual improvement over consistent use, which is a completely different promise than “glow drops.” If you’re picking this up expecting a visible difference the moment you apply it under moisturizer and SPF, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re using it for what niacinamide and hyaluronic acid actually do over time, it earns its place.
Alternative: MERIT Great Skin Instant Glow Serum
Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum
The Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum is formulated with avocado butter, ceramides, and allantoin to moisturize and soothe the skin. Glow Recipe also includes a variety of natural extracts including ginger, turmeric, grape, and apple.
As someone who has easily irritated skin, I was very excited to try this product. Unfortunately, this serum did not soothe my skin, it made my sensitive skin even redder and caused me to break out.
When I did a deep dive into the ingredients, I was surprised by how much they stuffed into the formula. Not only does it contain skin soothing ingredients like ceramides and avocado butter, but it also contains countless botanicals, including lavender, rose, and sandalwood. These natural ingredients help give the product a pleasant smell but are also known irritants. I am not sure which ingredient irritated my skin, but suffice it to say I will not be using this product again.
Alternatives: AESTURA ATOBARRIER365 Hydro Essence or The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum
Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream
Out of everything in this lineup, this is the one product I’d tell you to buy without hesitation. I liked it enough to repurchase it, which genuinely surprised me given how I feel about the rest of this brand.
The texture is lighter than you’d expect from something this hydrating. Hyaluronic acid and polyglutamic acid handle the plumping, niacinamide and squalane round it out, and the combination gives you real hydration without the heavy, occlusive feeling a lot of rich moisturizers leave behind. If you only try one thing from Glow Recipe, make it this one.
Watermelon Pink Juice Oil-Free Moisturize
This is a lightweight gel moisturizer aimed at combination and oily skin, formulated with glycerin, antioxidants, and sodium hyaluronate.
Simply put, this just wasn’t for me. I found it provided very little actual hydration, and it left a sticky feeling on my skin after applying. If you have genuinely oily skin and want the lightest possible texture, this might work better for you than it did for me.
Watermelon Glow AHA Night Treatment
This Watermelon Glow sleeping mask is designed to exfoliate while you sleep. With glycolic acid, lactic acid, and pumpkin this mask helps to slough off your skin. Watermelon extract and sodium hyaluronate are included in the mask to help keep the skin hydrated.
If you decide you want to try this overnight mask, make sure you are not overdoing it. On nights that you use this, you will want to limit the other actives in your skincare routine. For example, you wouldn’t want to use an AHA-based serum on the same night. I wouldn’t pair it with a strong retinoid either. Doing so is likely to dry your skin out or disrupt the skin barrier.
Ultimately, I would not choose to purchase this sleeping mask. Instead, I would opt for the Youth To The People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask. It is more expensive but it does the job of brightening the skin while being a bit more hydrating.
Alternative: Youth To The People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask
A Few I Haven’t Tried
Glow Recipe has kept expanding since I originally tested this lineup, and there’s a real list of products I haven’t gotten to. A few worth naming: the brand now has an entire toner pad line (Watermelon LHA+AHA, Vitamin C Brightening, and PDRN+Repair+Soothe), and a product called Prickly Pear Peptide Mucin that I’m genuinely curious about.
Given how many good toner pads are already on the market from other K-beauty brands, the pads don’t feel urgent enough for me to prioritize testing. The Prickly Pear product is different enough, so I’m not ruling it out. If I do test it, I’ll update this post.
Final Thoughts On Glow Recipe
After testing this much of the lineup, my opinion hasn’t changed. Glow Recipe doesn’t hold up to the hype. When it launched, it had a real advantage, bringing K-beauty formulas to people who couldn’t easily get them otherwise. That advantage is gone now. K-beauty is everywhere, and Glow Recipe is competing with all of it, not standing apart from it.
Out of everything I tried, Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream is the one product I’d actually tell you to buy. Everything else ranged from fine-but-forgettable to a genuine skip.
None of that means you shouldn’t try it. If you love a fun, fruity, colorful skincare routine, I understand the appeal, and there’s a real chance you’ll like this brand more than I do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are Glow Recipe products vegan and cruelty-free?
A: Yes, Glow Recipe products are vegan and cruelty-free.
Q: Are Glow Recipe products suitable for all skin types?
A: Glow Recipe products are formulated to cater to a wide range of skin types, including normal, oily, combination, and dry skin. However, it’s always recommended to check the product’s label and ingredients to ensure it’s suitable for your skin type.
Q: Where can I purchase Glow Recipe?
A: Glow Recipe products are available at their official website as well as various authorized retailers like Sephora and Ulta.
Shop Glow Recipe
If You Liked This Glow Recipe Review
If you enjoyed this Glow Recipe review, you may like these:
