In the early days of Glow Jar Beauty, I was at countless local markets.
6-8 hours on my feet, surrounded by a sea of other “natural skincare” companies, and sometimes, I’d sell maybe 3 products.
Back then, I proudly called our skincare “100% natural.” We didn’t even have water in our first eight products… and yes, water is a chemical.
At the time, natural felt like the gold standard or a signal that we were doing things “better.” But over the years, I’ve learned that labels like natural, clean beauty, and medical grade don’t always mean what customers think they do.
Why Beauty Labels Can Be Misleading
The beauty industry loves catchy labels. They sound official, they look good on packaging, and they seem to give instant clarity. But here’s the reality:
Clean beauty is not a regulated term. It started with good intentions, removing questionable ingredients like formaldehyde releasers, but it has no single definition.
Medical grade has no universal or regulatory standard. It’s more of a marketing term than a true quality guarantee.
Natural doesn’t always mean safe. Poison ivy is natural too, and many natural ingredients can still be irritating, allergenic, or less effective for skin health.
When terms aren’t clearly defined, brands can interpret them however they want. This not only creates confusion for customers but can also lead to ingredient swaps that aren’t always better for skin health. A good example is what happened when parabens fell out of favour. The industry moved quickly toward new preservative systems, some of which haven’t been studied for as long or don’t have the same depth of data on safety, stability, and performance. While these alternatives may meet consumer demand for “paraben-free” labels, they don’t always have the same proven track record in protecting formulas and keeping skin safe from contamination over time.
How Glow Jar Beauty Evolved
Our goal always has always been the same: to create skincare that’s safe, effective, and respectful of your skin for life. But over time, I realized that chasing labels or trends wasn’t helping our customers and it wasn’t helping our retail partners either.
That’s why today, Glow Jar Beauty is Research-Focused, Barrier-First Skincare, and yes, it’s another unregulated term, but one we define transparently so you know exactly what it means.
What Research-Focused, Barrier-First Means to Us:
Every Glow Jar Beauty product is:
Allergen-aware: no added fragrance, essential oils, phthalates, or dyes.
Backed by current research: ingredient choices guided by the latest peer-reviewed studies, research and no outdated myths or soley relying on ingredients sheets from suppliers.
Made in Canadian labs: developed and manufactured in facilities that prioritize safety, stability, and performance. THIS WILL NEVER CHANGE.
Formulated to work with your skin’s natural barrier: supporting long-term health, not just short-term results.
Why This Matters for You
Your skin isn’t a problem to fix. It’s something to support, protect, nourish, and celebrate at every AGE. By focusing on research, transparency, and barrier health, we remove the confusion so you can make confident choices for your skin without fear-based marketing or empty buzzwords.
The Future of Skincare Language
As the beauty industry evolves, I believe we’ll see a shift away from vague, unregulated terms and toward clear, research-informed standards. Until then, the best thing we can do as brands and as consumers is ask better questions:
What does this term actually mean?
Is it backed by credible evidence?
Does it support my skin long-term?