A Glow Recipe launch is always something we look forward to — but one that banks on their signature Watermelon Glow line, and the clean beauty brand’s first body care product to boot? We’re quaking. Long anticipated since the launch of the bestselling OG sleeping mask, the brand is finally giving us what fans have been asking for all along, a body cream that soothes and moisturises for the most incredible glow — meet the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Dream™ Body Cream.
Co-founders Sarah Lee and Christine Chang are seasoned pros at identifying exactly what we need, and during a virtual press event, shared about how they were inspired by their childhood memories of a traditional Korean remedy. “Our grandmothers would rub watermelon rinds on our skin to soothe our rashes,” said Chang, who elaborated on how the antioxidant-rich watermelon is essential in soothing the skin, providing relief from heat rash and irritation.
For this latest launch though, they’d like the body cream experience to go beyond “just a beautiful scent” and hydration, which we admit, is sometimes all we settle for. “This is facial skincare extended all the way to your body, in its most optimal format,” said Lee, “You do need more than just moisture.”
The formula
For that, they’ve amped up the all-important watermelon extract with other actives — Hibiscus AHA, Hyaluronic Acid, and Watermelon Seed Butter, which they say is a rich form of watermelon in a deeply moisturising butter form.
Derived from the national flower of Korea, the Hibiscus AHA is a natural chemical exfoliant that gently smoothes and resurfaces the skin, which is why you’ll see smoother skin over time. Helpfully, the founders divulged that this is a very gentle formula where you don’t have to worry about using it in the day or applying sunscreen on top — it’s made to be enjoyed by all skin types, even those with sensitive skin.
As for Hyaluronic Acid, you already know it for instantly quenching dry, rough skin. In short, Glow Recipe’s body cream soothes and treats the skin at the same time.
The texture
Another thing they wanted to nail was the texture. On this, Lee shared that they were absolutely keen on finding a balance between a rich cream and a lightweight texture, something you don’t have to awkwardly wait around for as it dries down. The key goal here — pajama-proof! We’re happy to report that the cream has a soft, sensorial texture and gets absorbed in a flash, without any stickiness on your skin or clothes. It also leaves no white cast, which is especially important in their mission for inclusivity.
As you’ll see across the campaign images, Glow Recipe showcases beautiful skin with a healthy dose of body positivity, by featuring people of all shapes, sizes, and skin types, in un-retouched photos for real results. This welcome message is also echoed in their recent pledge to remove terms such as “poreless” and “flawless” in their brand message, in order to celebrate how real skin looks like. “We want you to remember that your “perfect” skin is your healthiest skin, and we should all celebrate and cherish our skin in every state,” they said.
Our first impressions
Since I got a bottle ahead of the launch, I was excited to test this out immediately. My first thought was that the body cream smells truly amazing, with the natural scent of a freshly-sliced watermelon, yet slightly sweeter. I was curious about the source of the fragrance though since this seemed more noticeable than the other Watermelon Glow products.
True to the clean beauty brand, while there are no parabens, mineral oils, silicones, and sulfates, they’re transparent about how the Watermelon Body contains “less than 1% of a gentle blend of carefully sourced fragrance and is free of known irritants such as PCM”. I can still stand by that though, since this is a product you’ll be applying all over your body, not just to your face, which means you’ll be smelling it for far longer; thankfully, this one’s a pleasant scent I love. It’s worth noting that the sweet scent does fade naturally over time as well.
As for how it feels, this was a lightweight cream with a slight pink tint that disappeared upon contact. I liked how it plumped up my skin right away, and made the back of my palm very, very soft. Since my skin got a bit hot after taking these pictures under the harsh sunlight, I also noticed a slight cooling effect.
To be fair, I’ve never been much of a body cream person, so I tend to stick with whatever lotion that lands on my desk. Compared to a typical body lotion though, the Glow Recipe formula has a texture that feels less slick, and more light and buttery, and manages to feel rich without any unpleasant heaviness.
It also left a nice glowy sheen on my skin, as you’ll see in the before / after image above, but actually dries down to more of a matte texture in real life. I’ll continue to use this in the weeks to come, and you know what, maybe heed Sarah and Christine’s advice to slow down and spend some time on a healthy self-care ritual.
The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Dream™ Body Cream retails for USD28 (~SGD37) on glowrecipe.com. It will be available in Singapore for $43, launching 18 March online at sephora.sg, and from 25 March 2021, at Sephora stores.
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