How Gloryscent Founder Rafaela Gonzalez is Redefining Clean Beauty for Women of Color
Rafaela Gonzalez is on a mission to revolutionize the beauty industry by creating a safe and effective skincare line designed exclusively for women of color. Her brand, Gloryscent, has already gained popularity among women for its natural ingredients and effectiveness in treating skin issues such as hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and dryness.
But the story behind the brand is inspiring and deeply rooted in Gonzalez’s personal experiences. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, she was constantly told that her textured hair and darker skin were not beautiful enough. Despite facing discrimination and European standards of beauty, Gonzalez learned to embrace her unique features and journey of self-love and acceptance.
Creating a brand that centered on underrepresented women of color, rather than seeing them as an afterthought, was the driving force behind Gloryscent. Gonzalez wanted to create a line that focused on clean beauty without compromising on safety or effectiveness. In the process of creating the products, Gonzalez discovered that many other brands’ products for women of color contained toxic ingredients that had dangerous side effects. The negative impact of such chemical exposure is disproportionately impacting these consumers in comparison to white women. As such, her brand’s mission expanded and evolved to stand for “inclusivity and safety in clean beauty,” providing women of color with access to health and wellness products that are safe and effective.
Gloryscent focuses on providing women with clean beauty products created using natural ingredients such as arnica flower extract, willow bark, organic ginseng, and neem oil, which soothe sun-damaged skin, promote exfoliation, and help soften fine lines. Gonzalez took inspiration from her Caribbean roots to serve as the basis for many of her products. Ingredients such as neem oil are derived from trees that Gonzalez grew up seeing in her ancestral home, and the Behold Brightening Balm ($96) is made using this oil. The balm reduces hyperpigmentation and wrinkles while softening the skin. Other products in the Gloryscent line include the Soothing Enzyme Cleansing Gel ($56), Total Body Serum ($63), Urbana Elixir ($54), and Manketti Oil Serum ($62), all made using the natural ingredients mentioned previously.
“I felt it was necessary to create and offer a skin routine rather than just one or two products,” Gonzalez says. “If someone wants to transition to clean beauty, they should have the entire collection. That was my train of thought at the time.” While creating the healthy, nutrient-packed products that would come to define the Gloryscent collection, Gonzalez faced the challenge of figuring out the formulation for said skincare 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 says. Still, 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. The initial hurdle of formulation proved challenging, but she maintains it was necessary to bring women the effective care that Gloryscent now provides.
Gloryscent’s mission of effective care is to provide women of color with healthier, tailored alternatives to the harsh and often damaging active ingredients in mainstream products while uplifting these women as they are. In an industry that often exploits women of color and sidelines their beauty needs, Gloryscent is a brand that stands for inclusivity and effective care.
“I’m working towards bringing awareness to healthier options of self-care, building up and encouraging women to love themselves,” Gonzalez says. “I’m hoping to provide education and empowerment in order for them to make the best choices for their wellness.”
Gonzalez’s dream of creating a clean beauty brand exclusively for women of color has come true in more ways than one. Last year, her biggest achievement was having Gloryscent in JCPenney stores, which was done through the Thirteen Lune eCommerce site, which helps boost the visibility of POC-owned brands. She still deems this a “huge” accomplishment, but this year, she’s particularly proud to be hosting a speaking series regarding inclusivity in clean beauty.
The series, “Let’s Talk Inclusion in Clean Beauty,” will be composed of interviews featuring various founders and organizations who 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, and more are expected in the late spring.
“This is with the intention to simply educate and not fearmonger,” Gonzalez says. “Knowledge is power.”
Gloryscent offers women of color a chance to redefine clean beauty on their own terms. Through honoring Gonzalez’s Caribbean roots and her journey of self-love and acceptance, Gloryscent is a brand that seeks to uplift women while providing them with clean beauty options that promote wellness and safety. Though the brand got its start in Gonzalez’s Dominican Republic backyard, its reach is now extending across the globe, demonstrating that beauty is not defined by any one set of standards but instead is an ever-evolving journey of self-exploration and self-love.
