Beauty

Glow Recipe's First SPF Has Arrived — Here's An Honest Review

It took over three years to create.

Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 is the brand's first sun care product; here...
Glow Recipe
We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

No matter how much one preaches about the importance of sunscreen, finding one that ticks off all the boxes on the proverbial sun care wish list (blends in well, doesn’t smell terrible, feels lightweight, provides moisture, etc.) is tricky. Glow Recipe’s newest launch, the Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50, might change that and satisfy even the pickiest beauty lovers.

“With SPFs, there are so many considerations. You hear that they're greasy, it's not great to use, it's chalky, and mineral sunscreen especially can be drying after wear — it's just not generally a pleasant experience for so many people,” Glow Recipe co-founder Christine Chang tells Bustle over Zoom. “We want to make this something that you would want to wear every single day. That's the best sunscreen: the one you'll actually want to wear.”

The brand’s first foray into sunscreen took over three years to create. Considered both a chemical and mineral sunscreen, the liquid formulation feels super lightweight and blends seamlessly into the skin, providing broad-spectrum protection against UVA / UVB rays with SPF 50. It is also infused with nourishing skin care ingredients such as watermelon extract to boost hydration, niacinamide to minimize the appearance of pores, and aloe to soothe irritation.

The sunscreen can be used by all skin types, but if you’re acne-prone and tend to get super oily skin when it’s hot and humid like me, this sunscreen is what beauty dreams are made of. It immediately seeps into the skin and absorbs quickly, making me less worried about unwanted breakouts when having to layer makeup on top of it. It also gives me a nice dewy glow for a natural-looking, radiant complexion.

“Because I have oily skin and I have pore concerns, it just gives that nice, non-greasy glow without making you look like you have extra shine,” says Sarah Lee, Glow Recipe co-founder.

As a treat, it has a soft watermelon scent that is just so lovely. “I also personally like that it has a subtle watermelon scent,” Lee agrees. “A lot of SPFs have a very distinctive sunscreen smell and personally, I'm not a fan of that. [It’s] also really important that it's pleasant as an application.”

A pleasant sunscreen application it is, indeed. You can buy the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 now at sephora.com. You might want to stock up before summer hits.

We only include products that have been independently selected by Bustle's editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

This article was originally published on