Are Encapsulated Ingredients the Next Big Beauty Trend? Glow Recipe's Cofounders Say Yes

PS: When you do go back to Korea, what's the first thing you do, whether it's somewhere you go for a facial or a product that you snap up?

SL: We do a couple of things we love, from beauty hunting in the streets to seeing what the latest trends are. One of those beauty hotspots is our friend Unistella's [salon], who is nail artist who created glass nails. She's always a source of inspiration, as well.

SL: We always get facials. And we're always on a hunt for the latest facials — the latest technology with facials, but also the treatment approach. We were inspired by how Korean facials always incorporate hydration, extraction, exfoliation and soothing. We wanted to combine all of that, and that was actually a source of inspiration for our creation of the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask, which is why we combined hydration, exfoliation to one jar.

PS: How do you think K-beauty becoming a global force has changed the industry at large?

CC: The fact that the K-beauty approach to skin care has opened up and exploded this dialogue around skin care is amazing. People [are] actually sharing their skincare routines, versus sharing a makeup transformation look. Which is still great, but that's always been part of that dialogue. I think because skin care is just universal in that sense, when we create products, it's really for everybody, and everyone can enjoy them. Women and men, whatever skin type you have — we make things for everybody. Inclusivity is also part of how we do visuals or how we present ourselves in social, too. Recently we did a shoot with makeup artist Nina Park and one of the models we used had very acne-prone, textured skin. But we didn't do any makeup on top or retouching because we just wanted to show that skin as skin, and skin is beautiful the way it is. Embracing that reality is really special for us.

SL: I think [the idea] that skin care could be fun is a deep philosophy that K-beauty brought to the market. It used to be such a chore, especially in America. I remember in our old L'Oreal days when we did surveys, people were rarely using moisturisers. Now people are obsessed with SPF products and they understand toners and essences and masks. It's a different world. I think K-beauty played a really key part in opening up this experimental mentality but also in creating this fun factor.

PS: Is there anything you find that's different between American beauty consumers and Korean beauty consumers?

CC: Oh, absolutely. Korean consumers really fuel that market, because they are so demanding and so adventurous — especially with skincare, which is this beauty ideal that is the golden standard to achieve in Korea. Women invest a lot in trying to find the right products for them, the right routines for them. I think the US customer is a little bit more results-driven, a little bit more practical. But that, in itself, is amazing, too. And so for us to be able to bridge that gap in a way that makes sense, that is simple, that is accessible and approachable for everybody, is basically the essence of Glow Recipe Skincare.

SL:I think the philosophy of prevention versus repair are the two key words. K-beauty really stands for prevention. We learn to take care of our skin since our teen years and here [in America], because it's results driven, people want to see their wrinkles smoothed and fine lines smoothed away. So why not prevent earlier instead of trying to repair later? I think that gap again is becoming narrower and narrower.

PS: I've got to ask: can you give us any hints at like what you're working on next?

CC: There might be a new fruit dropping sometime soon, but we'll kind of leave it at that.

SL: Yeah. And it's going to be for all skin types. I have to say, every time we post about what fruit should we do next on Instagram, I've never seen so much engagement. Our community is very excited about it, so it really motivates us.