Meet Christine Chang and Sarah Lee, former L’Oréal employees who launched Glow Recipe with $50,000 in 2014; how it grew to an estimated $100 million in annual sales

Christine Chang and Sarah Lee launched Glow Recipe in 2014. The founders with just initial investment of $50,000, and made the skincare business around Korean beauty products. Glow Recipe gained widespread attention. The fruit-inspired products, retail partnership with Sephora, and presence on social media became a topic of discussion widely.

Chang and Lee met while working at L’Oréal and shared an interest in Korean beauty. They saw an opportunity and later introduced American consumers to Korean skincare products. Notably, these products were not widely available in the US market.

What was the strategy behind the business?

Glow Recipe was at first created as an online platform to bring Korean beauty brands to American customers, which was later moved into developing its own skincare products under the name of Glow Recipe.


One of the brand's early signature products was the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask. The idea drew on memories of using watermelon rinds to soothe skin after spending time in the sun.

Starter Story reported that the founders went through more than 1,000 formulations before settling on a version they could sell. The development process took around two years.

They subsequently expanded its range, and offered products built around different ingredients and skincare needs.

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How did they grow the customer base?

Social media became one of the most important tools for them. It became the secret for their wide reach and growth strategy. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok were widely used to share skincare tips, product demonstration and content created by customers.

They also collaborated with influencers. Other methods like content marketing were also used.

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Sephora and its role in growth

The retail partnership with Sephora gave Glow Recipe access to customers shopping at a major beauty retailer.

The journey of the brand is what has motivated many to follow. The hard work of the founders showed that a business can move from introducing existing products to developing its own range.