Product: Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Sleeping Mask
How I Got It: Bought it
I think Glow Recipe’s products have such a cult following because of their dewy viscosity. There’s something about squishing their product with my fingers that makes me feel really… satisfied.
Sound weird? Yep. Well, let’s move on, then.
Don’t Judge Beauty by its Cover
I had never been particularly drawn to the K-Beauty movement. In fact, so many stores have popped up in my city that it actually had the opposite effect and turned me off from setting foot in them. In my mind, K-Beauty and “clean beauty” didn’t jive (particularly if brands were affordable). Funny how that pricing game works.
Glow Recipe had mass-market distribution, though. And that made me more open to trying it. It looked cute – but almost too cute – with its sugary-sweet pops of colour and fruit.
Changing Up the Contents of My Vanity
But as I navigated my diagnosis with endometriosis, fibroids, etc., I became more paranoid of how personal care products and certain ingredients (er, chemicals) could contribute to hormonal imbalance. While I was laid up in bed after surgery, I had a bit of cabin fever and ordered a ton of new products from Sephora thanks to the influence of their “clean beauty” marketing stamp on their website. And while I continue to learn about what constitutes “clean beauty” versus “clean-ish” versus “outright BS marketing gimmick,” I started experimenting with different brands.
It’s Glowing on Me
One of the products from my massive haul was Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask. I got to meet one of Glow’s founders, Christine Chang, during an event at, you guessed it, Sephora. She gave a good 101-friendly overview of K-Beauty as well as how she transitioned her career from working at L’Oreal to co-founding Glow Recipe. I’m always hesitant about in-store events where founders and brand experts gush over the super-specialness of their respective brands while enticing you with day-of specials. It’s part of the marketing dance, so I was curious to see how the sleeping mask would feel once I started using it.
Appearance
It’s kind of nutty that Glow Recipe apparently sells one bottle of its Watermelon Sleeping Mask every three minutes. Clearly, a lot of people are into the sweetness in this chic, glossy bottle! The thick, substantial feel of the bottle looked sleek in my cabinet.
Smell
I retained my skepticism while looking at the ingredients list and wondered just how much watermelon was in there. Social posts from co-founder, Sarah Lee, caught my eye when she showed their watermelon processing methods. Fifty watermelons get sliced and diced every day at their plant before undergoing the transformation processes to get them into the ooey-gooey sleep mask form). I had learned from Christine’s talk that the sweet watermelon scent is not a result of the actual fruit ingredient as you’d expect; the fruit is rather scent-less, so the smell has to be enhanced — kind of like how a watermelon Ring Pop smells). After application, the sweet scent was unnoticeable (thankfully).
Sensation & Results
I had experienced a terrible encounter with a chemical peel a couple of months back (looking at you, Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Exfoliating Peel Spray). So, I was a bit nervous about trying Glow’s sleeping mask.
Apparently, watermelon is a Korean beauty secret. Christine and Sarah’s grandmothers would rub watermelon rinds on tired, irritated skin to soothe it. But if you have super sensitive or stressed skin, Glow recommends using it like a mask that you wash off.
I tried it overnight several times, with a couple of days gap in between, and my skin felt great in the morning. Globbing on a nice thin layer (about three finger scoops), so that my face was shiny and dewy looking was all I needed. Just mix it thoroughly before, though, as it can get a bit separated. Thankfully, I didn’t experience any tingling or burning, only the film on my skin (which didn’t damage my pillowcase, either). I’ve been using the sleep mask on and off for a couple of months now and find it helps make my skin more supple during harsh Canadian winters. I tried it out with Glow Recipe’s Blueberry Bounce facial cleanser and felt like I’d just had a fruit salad (a little too sweet for my preference).
Price & Verdict
In terms of performance, it’s not a shock that I’m on board with the thousands of other fans of this sleeping mask. I would totally rotate it into my routine now and then as a nice pick-me-up but likely wouldn’t keep it in play all the time. At nearly $60 for 80 ml, it’s on the pricier side, but if you respond well to the extra moisture infusion, it might just be worth it.
Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Caulerpa Lentillifera (Seaweed) Extract, Simethicone, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit, Silica, Propanediol, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Fruit Extract, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa (Peony) Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Ipomoea Batatas (Sweet Potato) Root Extract, Betaine, Beta Glucan, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol, Fragrance
This product review was written independently. Glow Recipe did not sponsor or pay for coverage or promotion of its products.
