Aqua Peel Facials, Watermelon and Weightlifting: The Real Beauty Routine of Glow Recipe’s Christine Chang
June 4 | 5 minute read
Words by Izzy Wight
For a beauty industry veteran and international skincare entrepreneur, Glow Recipe’s Christine Chang is surprisingly low maintenance. A firm believer in what she calls ‘skin-tertainment’, Chang and co-founder Sarah Lee built their brand on the idea that skincare should be as enjoyable as it is effective. Combining superfruit-powered formulas — think watermelon, avocado and prickly pear — with hardworking actives, the duo designs products that are an absolute pleasure to use. It’s a philosophy Chang applies to her own beauty routine, too.
From weightlifting to watermelon (and lots of it), scroll on to learn everything she does in the name of beauty.
Skincare With Intuition
“After that, I like to ‘skin flood’ with the Watermelon Pore-Tight Toner, which essentially means using it three times in a row and really pressing it into the skin,” she continues. “I rotate my serums depending on how my skin feels – it might be the Watermelon Glow Dew Drops, or the Prickly Pear Peptide Serum.”
And the final step she never skips? The new Watermelon Milk Peptide Glow Cushion Cream to smooth, soften and lock in hydration: “At night I’ll apply an extra thick layer, almost like a sleeping mask,” she adds.
Treatments Worth Travelling For
Building a brand rooted in K-Beauty philosophies means Chang travels to Korea once or twice a year – for research, product development and, most importantly, to test the latest skincare innovations! “The Watermelon Glow Pore-Tight Toner was actually inspired by an aqua peel facial Sarah and I had in Korea... it has those same pore-refining, hydrating and smoothing benefits,” she explains. “I also recently had a topical PDRN facial in Korea, and I liked that a lot.
A Power Sleep Routine
When she feels the night-time skincare-routine fatigue, she turns to what she calls her ‘good habits tray’: “If I’m too tired and want to go straight to bed, I keep my skincare on my bedside so I can just grab it. It’ll have Watermelon Exfoliating Toner Pads, Cushion Cream and a notepad, so I can unload my thoughts. Otherwise, my brain will just keep racing.”
The Glow From Within
As the founder of a fruit-powered beauty brand, Chang is a firm believer in holistic skin health. Growing up, she and Sarah Lee watched their grandmothers rub chilled watermelon rinds on their skin during hot summer days; it was a natural way to soothe heat rash and calm redness – a ritual that would become the inspiration for Glow Recipe’s iconic watermelon range.
“Fruit is a big part of the culture I grew up with; it was always consumed very frequently... particularly watermelon. That habit has never stopped,” Chang says. “And I never used to exercise, but now that I’m in my forties, I’m trying to build some muscle with weightlifting,” she laughs. “It’s never too late!”
