Gloryscent Skin Care: Empowering Women of Color to Embrace Their Natural Beauty
Growing up, Rafaela Gonzalez found that European beauty standards often left her feeling self-conscious about her textured hair and darker skin. But she turned her journey of self-love and acceptance into something that could help other women of color who might be going through similar experiences.
Through her skin-care line, Gloryscent, Gonzalez seeks to empower women of color to embrace their natural beauty while providing them with safe and clean beauty products. She is determined to serve underrepresented women of color in an industry that fails them far too often.
A “Pro-Melanin Skin-Care Brand”
Gloryscent brands itself as a “pro-melanin skin-care brand,” which essentially means that it aims to serve women of color first and foremost. Indeed, Gonzalez explains that one of her main goals was to create a brand where women of color are the inspiration, rather than an afterthought.
However, the brand also focuses on providing women with safe and clean beauty products. During the process of creating Gloryscent, Gonzalez discovered that many products marketed towards women of color contain toxic ingredients. One study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology found that these chemical exposures disproportionately affect women of color in comparison to white women.
As such, Gloryscent’s mission has evolved to stand for “inclusivity in clean beauty,” providing women of color with access to health and wellness products that are safe and effective. This is about much more than just catering to a specific demographic; it’s about creating a skin-routine that’s good for everyone.
The Inspiration Behind Gloryscent
Rafaela Gonzalez was born in the Dominican Republic and took inspiration from her Caribbean roots when developing many of her products. By highlighting ingredients from her ancestral home, Gonzalez hoped to honor her “beautiful island.”
For example, her Behold Brightening Balm is made with neem oil, derived from trees that she grew up seeing on the island.
“When I was a little girl, we had two large neem trees in my backyard,” she explains. “I remember my late grandmother swiping them up into piles when they ripened and fell to the ground. It’s very memorable because being from el campo, our parents and grandparents are very serious about keeping the yard clean.”
“El Campo” refers to the Dominican countryside, the setting for much of the natural beauty Gonzalez infuses throughout her several skin-care products. Other salient ingredients the brand features include arnica flower extract, willow bark, and organic ginseng. Natural additives such as these soothe sun-damaged skin, promote exfoliation, and help soften fine lines.
Gloryscent’s Philosophy on Healthy Skin
Gonzalez felt it was necessary to offer a skin routine rather than just one or two products. “If someone wants to transition to clean beauty, they should have the entire collection. That was my train of thought at the time.”
The brand offers customers a variety of products made using natural elements with which women of color are not typically presented.
Gonzalez believes that healthy skin requires education and empowerment. “I’m working towards bringing awareness to healthier options of self-care, building up and encouraging women to love themselves,” she says. “I’m hoping to provide education and empowerment in order for them to make the best choices for their wellness.”
Overcoming the Challenges of Creating Clean Beauty Products
While creating the healthy, nutrient-packed products that would define the Gloryscent collection, Gonzalez faced the challenge of figuring out the formulation for said skin-care items without formal training in the subject.
“Initially, I was completely unaware of the process of formulation, and there were no physical schools I could locate, and frankly not something I [was] able to do because I was already in college,” she explains.
Nevertheless, the lack of resources at her immediate disposal did not dissuade her; Gonzalez found an online school where she could work toward her diploma at her own pace. This is where Gonzalez says she learned how to begin the process of sourcing her own ingredients.
In an industry that often exploits women of color and sidelines their beauty needs, Gonzalez’s mission of effective care is to provide them with healthier, tailored alternatives to the harsh and often damaging active ingredients in mainstream products while also uplifting these women as they are.
Gloryscent’s Achievements So Far
Last year, Gonzalez’s biggest achievement was having Gloryscent in JCPenney stores, which was done through the Thirteen Lune e-commerce site. Thirteen Lune helps boost the visibility of POC-owned brands. While this was a “huge” accomplishment, Gonzalez is even more proud to be hosting a speaking series this year regarding inclusivity in clean beauty.
The series — titled “Let’s Talk Inclusion in Clean Beauty” — will feature interviews with various founders and organizations. They will highlight the importance of raising awareness about the toxic ingredients in self-care products marketed to Latinx women and other women of color. There are currently five episodes available, with more to come in the late spring.
“This is with the intention to simply educate and not fearmonger,” Gonzalez explains. “Knowledge is power.”
Conclusion
In a world where standards of beauty can be so narrow and restrictive, it’s refreshing to see someone like Rafaela Gonzalez using her experiences to create a brand that uplifts women of color.
Through Gloryscent, she is helping to provide women of color with clean and safe alternatives to mainstream products, with a focus on educating and empowering them to make the best choices for their wellness.
With her speaking series, Gonzalez is making sure that the conversation around inclusivity in clean beauty continues. It’s a crucial dialogue, and one that more people in the industry should be having.
At the end of the day, Gonzalez’s message is simple, but incredibly important: that beauty comes in all forms, and should always be celebrated.
