Gloryscent: Reimagining Clean Beauty for Women of Color
Rafaela Gonzalez’s journey to self-love and acceptance led her to create a clean, pro-melanin skin-care brand that celebrates the natural beauty of women of color. Gloryscent is the manifestation of her desire to serve underrepresented women and provide them with safe, effective, and nourishing beauty products that highlight the beauty of their skin and hair.
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Gonzalez was often made to feel self-conscious about her textured hair and darker skin tone. It wasn’t until she decided to actively embrace and celebrate her heritage that she realized the beauty and strength that lay within her. Her mission with Gloryscent is to empower other women of color to do the same.
Gloryscent’s mission goes beyond just catering to women of color. The brand also focuses on using clean, non-toxic ingredients in all its products. During the process of creating Gloryscent, Gonzalez discovered that most beauty products aimed at women of color contained harmful chemicals and toxins. Many studies have shown that these chemicals have a disproportionately negative impact on women of color compared to white women. As such, Gonzalez’s brand has expanded to include a commitment to inclusivity in clean beauty.
The Gloryscent collection pays homage to Gonzalez’s Caribbean roots with natural ingredients inspired by the lush landscapes of the island. For example, the Behold Brightening Balm features neem oil derived from trees that Gonzalez grew up seeing in her backyard. Other notable ingredients in the brand’s products include arnica flower extract, willow bark, and organic ginseng, all known for their ability to soothe, exfoliate and soften the skin.
What sets Gloryscent apart is its holistic approach to skin care. The brand offers customers a full skin-care routine rather than just one or two products. Gonzalez believes that for someone to transition to clean beauty, they need to have access to the entire collection. Creating the products wasn’t without its challenges. Gonzalez didn’t have formal training in the subject, but she persevered and found an online school where she could work towards her diploma at her own pace.
One of the brand’s biggest achievements to date was having Gloryscent in JCPenney stores, thanks to Thirteen Lune’s e-commerce platform, which supports POC-owned brands. While she deems this a “huge” accomplishment, Gonzalez is particularly proud to be hosting a speaking series on inclusivity in clean beauty. The series is titled “Let’s Talk Inclusion in Clean Beauty” and features interviews with various founders and organizations who highlight the importance of raising awareness about toxic ingredients in self-care products marketed towards Latinx women and other women of color.
For Gonzalez, this is an opportunity to educate and empower women to make informed decisions about their wellness. She believes that knowledge is power and that by bringing awareness to healthier options of self-care, we can build up and encourage women to love themselves.
Gloryscent isn’t just any beauty brand, it’s a celebration of the beauty and strength of women of color. Gonzalez’s journey to self-love has led her to create a brand that celebrates the beauty of her heritage and empowers other women of color to do the same. By combining clean, non-toxic ingredients with natural additives that soothe, exfoliate, and soften the skin, Gloryscent is reimagining clean beauty for a new generation of women who value both their health and their natural beauty.
