The 10 Best Glow Recipe Products That Transformed Our Skin
You’d be hard-pressed to find a skincare best-of list these days without GLOW RECIPE. Inspired by Korean skincare routines and K-Beauty skincare trends—notably glass skin—their fruit-powered formulas became cult favorites among editors and online skincare communities alike. But it was TikTok’s obsession with their Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops and Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner (more on those below!) that catapulted them into top shelf–status everywhere. In fact, the famous drops have garnered 17.1 million posts on TikTok alone.
While their viral beauty products may have been the gateway into GLOW RECIPE for many, we were curious to find out whether there were other heavy hitters in their line just as worthy of accolades. So, in the name of beauty science, we put them all to the test. From cleansers to moisturizers to toners and more, keep scrolling for our list of the best GLOW RECIPE products worth getting your hands on immediately.
Let’s just jump right into the TikTok-loved Dew Drops right out of the gate. The powerhouse formula contains its namesake niacinamide, vitamins C and A, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and amino acids. Upon application, the hydrators help to instantly plump our skin and give that lit-from-within glow they are so known for. We love how the niacinamide-spiked formula helps address hyperpigmentation over time and that our glowiness was 100% us—no tricks from mica or glitter.
2. GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner
The other player in the buzzy GLOW RECIPE duo? This exfoliating, hydrating, pore-minimizing toner that’s one of their best sellers. Designed to be pat onto the skin as the first step after cleansing, it preps pores for the remainder of your skincare routine. Cucumber, watermelon, and cactus water help soothe dry skin while the polyhydroxy acid and beta hydroxy acid get to work on clogged pores. Just like the rest of the Internet, when we used this toner with the GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops, our glow was off the charts.
3. GLOW RECIPE Papaya Sorbet Enzyme Cleansing Balm
Inspired by the Korean one-to-one double cleansing method, where you spend a full minute on each cleansing step, GLOW RECIPE developed this multiphase cleansing balm to withstand lengthy massaging. When testing, the balm-to-milk formula effortlessly broke down our makeup (even the hard-to-remove tinted SPF) and left skin feeling soft, never stripped. We were particularly impressed by the inclusion of papaya enzymes, which helped to gently exfoliate dead skin cells on a deeper level.
4. GLOW RECIPE Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser
Obviously, it only made sense to chase the balm portion of our double cleanse with GLOW RECIPE’s go-to gentle cleanser. Made with antioxidant-rich blueberries and hyaluronic acid (plus AHAs for the glow), the cleanser is a triple threat—and can be used as a makeup remover, cleanser, or clarifying mask. But we found that it truly shines as a cleanser, thanks to the extra bubble-producing formula that left our skin feeling thoroughly clean.
5. GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Balm SPF 45
Finding an SPF that works with your skin can be…well, a lot of trial and error. It’s what leaves many beauty aficionados heading to more elegantly formulated Korean beauty formulas. GLOW RECIPE took notice and created their broad-spectrum sunscreen with Korean innovations in mind—resulting in this serum-balm hybrid that is rated PA+++ to shield against both UVA and UVB rays. Our favorite part is that it comes as a stick “bullet” that’s incredibly easy to use and pop in a purse for on-the-go application.
6. GLOW RECIPE Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser
A gentle cleanser can make all the difference for sensitive skin types, as many active ingredients can disrupt the delicate barrier. This nourishing cleanser has a luxuriously creamy feel, which was super satisfying to use and effectively dissolved dirt and oil. We love just how many soothing and skin-protective ingredients were packed into the formula—like colloidal oatmeal, avocado, ceramides, and prebiotics.
7. GLOW RECIPE Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops
The nutshell: a long-lasting, silicone-free, oil-absorbing primer that helps reduce pore appearance. But there’s so much more to these magic drops’ story. The innovative formula uses encapsulated BHA and strawberry enzymes to help visibly reduce pore size (in the present and future) with tapioca and ice to mattify and blur. It makes makeup application a dream and can even be used as an alternative to blotting papers as a touch up.
8. GLOW RECIPE Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream
We found this ultra hydrating cream to be one of our favorite moisturizers for nighttime rotation in the summer and as a daytime moisturizer in winter. Irritated, dry skin is soothed and balanced by three varieties of antioxidant-rich plums (Kakadu, Illawarra, and Burdekin), ice willowbark, hyaluronic acid, and polyglutamic acid. The whipped texture sinks into skin and stays put—which we felt helped with moisture retention through the night.
9. GLOW RECIPE Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eye Gel Cream
For tired under eyes and dark circles, vitamin C is a game changer. Like a vitamin C serum specifically for the under eyes, this gentle-but-effective eye cream uses an encapsulated 10% vitamin C complex, firming (and also vitamin C–rich) guava, green caffeine, and peptides. It absorbs lightning fast to help plump fine lines, which made our concealer so much easier to blend and helped us avoid the dreaded creasing throughout the day. If you have yet to bring an eye cream into your routine, let this be the one.
10. GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow AHA Night Treatment
Plenty of skincare products are designed to help your skin tone change incrementally, but sometimes we just need a quick fix—especially when our skin feels particularly dull (like after a camping trip). That’s when we reach for face masks. GLOW RECIPE’s brightening sleeping mask uses a potent but pH-balanced acid complex to help reduce potential irritation while reducing the appearance of dark spots, with a healthy glug of hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate in one go. Trust us when we say the morning-after glow is unreal.
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