Glow Recipe is doubling down on toner.
The skin care brand has launched its new Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner on sephora.com for $38, marking the induction of a new fruit franchise for Glow Recipe, and its second offering in the toner category — where its existing Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore Tight Toner purportedly sells every 13 seconds.
The essence toner’s primary active ingredient is CoQ10, a naturally occurring antioxidant that steadily diminishes with age. Often used in supplements to promote healthy heart and brain function, CoQ10’s topical benefits include skin brightening and hydration, while studies show the ingredient protects from environmental aggressors and neutralizes free radicals.
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“With the watermelon glow toner, the focus was on pore-refining and smoothing; with cloudberry, we wanted to take things a step further by creating this ultrahydrating first step,” said Christine Chang, who cofounded the brand in 2014 alongside Sarah Lee.
Meant for twice-daily use, the essence toner also features fermented rice water, oat and collagen amino acids and 5 percent glycerin to prevent water loss. Its cloudberry concentrate offers a vitamin C, E and omega fatty acids blend.
“The goal of creating this product was to level up your routine — to be able to maximize the other clinical actives you’re using, especially in your serum steps,” Lee said.
The #GlowRecipeToner hashtag counts more than 261 million views on TikTok, and Chang and Lee aim to continue the conversation with a two-pronged marketing strategy that focuses on ingredient breakdowns to educate, and “Get Ready With Me” content to generate buzz.
“We always make sure to provide plenty of education around the ingredients; that’s also why we highlight a fruit ingredient in addition to a clinically effective ingredient — it feels a bit more immediate and accessible,” said Chang.
Circana reports the toner category at large has seen a 21 percent year-to-date sales increase, and while neither Chang nor Lee specified sales expectations for this launch, industry sources think the essence toner could do $15 million in global retail sales during its first year on the market.
The launch follows that of Glow Recipe’s first skin-firming serum in August, which claimed both preventative and reparative properties thanks to its incorporation of pomegranate enzymes, hyaluronic acid and polypeptides.
“We were able to capture a pretty broad audience, from young Gen Z to also seeing mothers and daughters creating content together using the pomegranate serum,” said Lee, adding 2023 was “a big year in bringing our brand to new customers.”
The plan is to extend these efforts into 2024.
“We have a pretty lean and streamlined portfolio currently, so there’s a lot of room for us to continue to innovate,” said Lee.
