Glow Recipe’s Founders On How They Built The Internet’s Buzziest Beauty Brand

In Quick Question, Bustle asks women leaders all about advice, from the best guidance they’ve gotten to how they deal with demanding hours. This week, Glow Recipe founders Sarah Lee and Christine Chang share the brand’s origins, what makes their fully-remote business work, and more.

Glow Recipe is, without a doubt, one of the buzziest and most-loved skin care brands today. Not only has the brand authentically tapped the bold innovation of the ever-growing K-Beauty craze, but the founders have managed to create accessible, fruit-filled products that give complexions an otherworldly glow — all while making the whole process feel like fun along the way.

Co-founders Sarah Lee and Christine Chang may have met while working at L'Oréal in South Korea, but, like most great ideas, they dreamed up Glow Recipe’s concept over a bottle of wine.

“Over 10 years ago, on a Friday evening after work, Christine and I were drinking wine, sheet-masking, and of course, talking skin care,” Lee tells Bustle. “The half bottle of wine might have had something to do with it, but we made up our minds that night that someone needed to combine Korea’s skin care philosophies with their cutting edge innovations — and that someone was us. So, Glow Recipe was born.”

And like all great founders, Lee and Chang are masters of innovation, while knowing exactly what their audience wants. Case in point: rcently, Glow Recipe expanded into makeup with the launch of its Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush, a serum-texture blush that acts as skin care first and foremost, while imparting a subtle flush of color. “We saw our community use Dew Drops with makeup, such as mixing Dew Drops with their foundations, bronzers and blush to create a more skin-like finish to the complexion products,” says Chang. In fact, the launch has spawned a brand-new category of hybrid products Glow Recipe is dubbing Glow Hues. “They’re products that not only enhance your natural complexion with sheer tints, but also provide real lasting and efficacious results over time,” says Lee.

Ahead, Lee and Chang speak about running their fully-remote business, the advice they’d give to young beauty entrepreneurs, and more.

Starting from the beginning of your journey. What led you to create Glow Recipe?

SL: “Christine and I first met when we were both working at L'Oréal Korea. We became fast friends, and eventually, we both found ourselves moving to New York at the same time. We started the company in 2014 and our namesake skin care brand in 2017.”

CC: “We prioritized skin care education and social media from day one as our ultimate goal was to make skin care accessible and approachable to as many as possible. We ourselves grew up with our mothers and grandmothers teaching us skin care rituals first-hand, and it was ingrained in us as a daily, sensorial, joyful self-care routine that we looked forward to. The star ingredient of our first ever product was watermelon as an homage to the experience both of us had growing up in Korea — our grandmothers rubbing chilled watermelon rind on heat rash to sooth and calm skin instantly. The response was beyond anything we could have imagined.”

How often do you go to Korea to research for new products?

CC: “We travel to Korea a few times a year to meet with our labs to discover the next generation technologies coming out of South Korea. It’s a true partnership where we bring to them the formulas we would like to create, while they are able to show us what’s new — whether it’s a sensorial texture that’s never been done before, or a new process in formulation, such as cold pressing natural ingredients like watermelon.”

What would you say are your biggest strengths in business? What about your weaknesses?

SL: “Learning to run a business that requires expertise in all areas was definitely a challenge. For example, at one point I wished I had a law degree or a CPA, but overtime I learned that part of what makes this journey amazing is working with people and leveraging resources in creative, smart ways.”

CC: “We had started the business by pooling $50,000 total of our savings, so we were very scrappy on all fronts. After several months, the volume grew to a point where we moved to a small start-up warehouse in Brooklyn. Looking back at the growth and scale of our business, we definitely should have moved to a larger warehouse with more capabilities ahead of time. It’s a less talked about aspect of the business, but investing in strong operations and logistics processes is equally important for your business to run seamlessly.”

What’s your leadership style?

CC: “We believe great ideas come from everyone and every level. We try to empower the team to think outside of the box and create spaces that welcome all input.”

SL: “As a remote company, we prioritize clear and consistent communication and a collaborative environment where all teams are encouraged to share ideas.”

On a typical work day, what is your morning routine?

CC: “My morning routine is essentially getting my daughter to school — I actually enjoy the whirlwind because it means I’m up and ready for the day. Glow is fully remote, and I’ve found that I function best when I’m comfortably dressed and have my skincare on.”

SL: “I always take 10 minutes to lie in bed as soon as I wake up and mentally prepare for the day — I think of it as my mental stretching routine. Every day is so fleeting and there is always so much I want to get done, both professionally and personally. I find the simple mental exercise of visualizing everything I want to accomplish helps keep me focused and motivated.”

What would your advice be for young entrepreneurs who want to start a beauty brand?

SL: “When you hire people that have expertise that you can also learn from, that will lead to a successful growth. If you’re ready and able, hire senior talent as soon as you can.”

CC: “In the early days, one thing that’s quite isolating is not knowing where to go for support. We quickly learned that you have to be explicit about what you need, and there’s an incredible network of inspiring founders and entrepreneurs that are generous with their time.”

What books have been inspiring you these days?

CC: “I’ve been loving Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi. I’m inspired by books that help me to paint vivid pictures in my head, and the rich juxtaposition of two unexpected characters coming together in a raucous NYC cityscape had me immersed for days.”

SL: “Don’t Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk. It’s a fictional story that offers a unique, and sometimes uncomfortable, perspective on what it means to be American and [being] abroad. Underpinning the satirical storyline is a deeper commentary on how we as people need to do a better job of respecting each other’s cultures and values, and how it can be conveniently easy to forget that a ‘tourist destination’ for us is home to someone else.”

What are some of the things you love to do to shut off your “work brain?”

CC: “Cooking on the weekend with my family — I love trying new recipes.”

SL: “I love pampering myself at the end of a long day with a bath. I keep a small stack of sheet masks and a couple of books on my bathtub tray, which should give you an idea of how long I like to soak and stay in my personal oasis.”

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.