Rafaela Gonzalez’s Journey to Creating Gloryscent: Inclusivity in Clean Beauty
Growing up, Rafaela Gonzalez felt the pressures of European standards of beauty. As a woman of color with textured hair and darker skin, she often felt self-conscious about her appearance. However, her journey towards self-love and acceptance ultimately led her to create Gloryscent, a pro-melanin skin-care brand that aims to center women of color and provide them with access to safe and clean beauty products.
Gonzalez’s inspiration for Gloryscent stemmed from her personal experience and the lack of representation for women of color in the beauty industry. She wanted to create a brand where they were the inspiration rather than an afterthought. She also wanted to address the issue of toxic ingredients in products catering to women of color. According to a study by the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, these ingredients disproportionately negatively impact women of color in comparison to white women.
Gloryscent is not just a brand that aims to center women of color but rather one that focuses on inclusivity in clean beauty. The brand prides itself on providing women of color with safe and effective health and wellness products.
Gonzalez takes inspiration from her Caribbean roots to serve as the basis for many of Gloryscent’s products. She uses natural additives such as arnica flower extract, willow bark, and organic ginseng in her products to soothe sun-damaged skin, promote exfoliation and soften fine lines. The newly developed Behold Brightening Balm, for example, reduces hyperpigmentation and wrinkles while softening the skin, containing neem oil derived from trees Gonzalez grew up seeing on the island.
Gloryscent offers customers a complete skin routine rather than just one or two products. Gonzalez believes that if someone wants to transition to clean beauty, they should have the entire collection. While creating these products, Gonzalez faced the challenge of figuring out the formulation without any formal training in the subject. However, with determination and eagerness to bring effective care to women, Gonzalez found an online school where she could work towards her diploma.
Gloryscent’s biggest accomplishment was having its products in JCPenney stores through the Thirteen Lune e-commerce site, which boosts the visibility of POC-owned brands. This year Gonzalez is proud to host a speaking series titled “Let’s Talk Inclusion in Clean Beauty,” highlighting the importance of raising awareness about toxic ingredients in self-care products marketed to women of color.
In an industry that often exploits women of color and sidelines their beauty needs, Gonzalez’s mission is to provide healthier and tailored alternatives to harsh and often damaging active ingredients in mainstream products while uplifting these women as they are. She is working towards bringing awareness to healthier options of self-care, building up and encouraging women to love themselves, and providing education and empowerment to make the best choices for their wellness.
In conclusion, Gloryscent is not just a brand, but a symbol of inclusivity in clean beauty, representing the journey of self-love and acceptance while providing effective and safe products. Gonzalez hopes to inspire more women and make them feel seen and heard in the beauty industry.
