📌 What exactly is glow?
From a scientific perspective, glowing skin is the result of how its different layers interact with light, together with moisture balance, cell renewal and barrier health.
South Korea’s gift to the beauty world, “glass skin,” brought a whole family of variations with it. Wet skin, dewy skin, honey skin, latte skin: over the past few years, we have met countless versions of what we now call “glow.” When world-renowned makeup artist Pat McGrath used a special technique to turn models into glass-skinned porcelain dolls at the Maison Margiela show during Paris Haute Couture Week in January 2024, the look became an iconic expression of the trend and sent the internet into a frenzy. That was glass skin in its purest form: a visual spectacle, rather than something we see in everyday life.
Once we all agreed that flawless glass skin had little connection to reality, skin radiance became skincare’s new currency. Serums, essences, foundations and highlighters now greet us with the same promise: “Healthy, glowing skin.”
But what is this thing we call glow, and where does it actually come from? Why does some people’s skin look naturally radiant, while the rest of us struggle to find our glow? Let’s go a little deeper: why does bright, radiant skin look so beautiful to us, and why do we want it for ourselves?
Let’s explore the science behind glow, a concept at the heart of Like Weekend, and shed some light on what makes skin radiant.
1. What does our brain see when it sees glowing skin?
Light that reaches our skin has three possible paths:
- Specular reflection (the mirror effect): Some light bounces straight back from the surface, just as it would from a mirror. This is what gives skin its immediate shine and that “wet” finish.
- Subsurface scattering (the glow from within): Most of the remaining light does not immediately bounce back from the surface. Instead, it travels deeper into the epidermis and upper dermis, passes between skin cells, bounces off internal structures and eventually emerges in multiple directions. This gives skin a sense of depth and translucency, creating the impression of a natural light coming from within.
- Absorption (color and tone): A small portion is absorbed by chromophores such as melanin and hemoglobin, the natural pigments that help determine our skin tone. By interacting with light and absorbing or reflecting particular wavelengths, these molecules play a major role in shaping the skin’s color and clarity (Anderson & Parrish, 1981).
Our brain does not analyze these three processes separately. It brings them together into a single impression, which we read as radiance and an even appearance.
According to studies in evolutionary biology, visible capillaries, uneven texture and differences in skin tone create contrast that makes our brain read skin as both “dull and tired” and older (Fink, Grammer and Matts, 2006, 2007). This is also why foundation or concealer can make skin look instantly more radiant: it reduces contrast and creates optical uniformity.
The fresh, radiant appearance we perceive in skin comes from more than surface reflection. It emerges from a balance between light absorption and scattering.
2. The first condition for glow: a smooth surface
Just as a dusty mirror cannot reflect a clear image, the skin’s microscopic surface structure directly determines the quality of specular reflection. The more even and smooth the surface, the more smoothly it reflects light. When the surface is rough and dry, light scatters unevenly in every direction, leaving skin unable to take in light and looking dull and lackluster.
Behind a smooth skin surface are two essential biological processes:
- Desquamation: During the regular shedding of dead surface cells, enzymes break down the corneodesmosomes that hold those cells together. For these enzymes to work, they need an acidic pH and enough moisture (Rawlings & Voegeli, 2013). With age or barrier damage, this process slows down. Dead cells accumulate on the surface, making skin less smooth and more dull.
- Hydration: Increasing the skin’s capacity to hold moisture allows corneocytes to retain enough water to swell. As the cells become plumper, microscopic gaps in the surface close, creating an even optical plane that reflects light smoothly.
The glow strategy: When these two mechanisms work well, they create the foundation for surface radiance, allowing an average of 5% of the light reaching the skin to reflect back seamlessly. To support this process, a routine should combine exfoliating actives that gently loosen the bonds between cells, such as AHAs, PHAs and enzymes, with humectants, or moisture-attracting ingredients, that provide lasting hydration.
3. Light’s journey beneath the surface: the truth about “glow from within”
If surface reflection accounts for only around 5% of skin radiance, what controls the remaining 95%, the “glow from within” that the beauty world loves to talk about? The answer is the collagen network in the dermis.
Healthy skin tissue allows light to travel into its deeper layers. As light waves pass through the dermis, they meet a dense network of collagen fibers. These fibers act like microscopic prisms, scattering light back toward the surface. This interaction and dispersal of light can be explained by Mie scattering, associated with larger molecules and forward scattering, and Rayleigh scattering, associated with smaller molecules and scattering in all directions (Jacques, 2013).
The more orderly and firm the collagen network, the stronger and more vibrant the scattered light. With age or factors such as UV damage, however, this structure breaks down, becoming disorganized and weaker. As a result, the damaged dermis absorbs and traps light instead of scattering it, and that “lit from within” appearance fades.
4. Chromophores: the skin’s natural light filters
As light bounces off the collagen network and travels deeper through the dermis, it encounters the skin’s main chromophores before reflecting back out: melanin, its pigment, and hemoglobin, the red protein in our blood. Keeping these in balance is essential to a healthy glow:
Melanin: When melanin is unevenly distributed, areas of melasma, sun spots or marks left by trauma such as acne absorb light like little black holes, leaving dark, dull patches. This is why skin prone to pigmentation can look more lackluster and tired.
Hemoglobin: Good circulation delivers blood with well-oxygenated hemoglobin to the skin’s surface, giving it a naturally pink undertone. Just as we read a baby’s plump, rosy cheeks as a sign of health, improved subsurface scattering makes us perceive that soft pink light from within as fresh, healthy skin.
Chronic inflammation or dilated capillaries can have the opposite effect. By increasing blood volume and concentrating hemoglobin in one area, they disrupt the skin’s clarity.
5. The path to radiant skin: what belongs in your routine?
So far, we have explored skin radiance through biology and optics. Now let’s look at how to find our glow and help it last.
Products that promise glow often target an optical effect rather than biology. Reflective pigments such as mica, surface-smoothing silicones and temporary film-forming ingredients frequently take the lead. Naturally, this gives a short-lived optical effect that disappears when we wash it off. Fresh, healthy-looking radiance, on the other hand, does not come from using a single “glow serum.”
Sometimes glow is reduced to the skin’s surface, with the focus going no further than removing dead cells. That is a good first step, but it needs to be followed through.
Lasting, real radiance means supporting five mechanisms at the same time:
- A smooth surface: Support desquamation and accelerate cell turnover with gentle acids or enzymes.
- A strong barrier: Prevent moisture loss and maintain the acidic pH needed for enzymes to work, without disrupting the golden 3:1:1 ratio of the barrier’s building blocks: ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids (Mao-Qiang et al., 1996).
- Good microcirculation: Optimize blood flow and cellular nourishment with actives that stimulate microcirculation, such as caffeine, niacinamide or peptide complexes.
- An even tone: Keep melanin production balanced and well managed with brightening serums that help control pigmentation.
- A firm collagen network: To help light reflect smoothly, protect the dermal structure with antioxidants during the day, then stimulate nighttime repair and rebuilding with retinoids and strengthen it with peptides, in harmony with the circadian rhythm (Lin, 2003; Matsui, 2016).
In the philosophy of smart skinimalism, skincare is not a miracle. It is the art of supporting the skin’s natural biological function. When the right steps remove the obstacles in the way of its defense and repair mechanisms, skin will naturally begin to glow. Radiance is not an unrealistic goal; it is healthy skin function made visible.
Like Weekend’s Glow Approach:
We see radiant skin as the result of its mechanisms working properly and in harmony, rather than an instant effect or a cosmetic promise. That is why Like Weekend products are designed to work layer by layer and in tune with the skin’s natural rhythm.
SKINRAVE Nonstop Glow Serum lives up to its name by supporting all five mechanisms of radiant skin in one formula. GlowActive AHAs, postbiotics and humectants contribute to surface radiance, while Rootness™ Awake supports microcirculation. The special Clodessine™ peptide and Liposomal Adenosine 2.0 support repair and firmness in the collagen network.
FUTUREGLOW cream works toward up to 48 hours of hydration with its Waterin Plus complex and other humectants. Its rich lipid ingredients preserve the barrier’s golden ratio, allowing light to enter the deeper layers unhindered. Peptide complexes also provide long-term support for the dermal collagen network.
W.JUICE GLOW ON THE GO mist creates a shield of biotechnological antioxidants against free radicals triggered by UV exposure, pollution and blue light. W.JUICE REPAIR ON THE GO mist targets chronic redness and dilated capillaries, reducing inflammatory signals and balancing microcirculation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the difference between oily shine and a healthy glow?
Shine caused by sebum is concentrated in areas such as the T-zone, makes pores more noticeable and reflects light unevenly. A healthy glow comes from skin that is fully hydrated. It is evenly distributed and goes hand in hand with a firm, smooth skin surface.
Do products that give an instant glow deliver lasting results?
Products containing reflective pigments such as glitter or mica, silicones or film-forming ingredients create an optical illusion. For lasting radiance, the skin’s barrier integrity and cellular renewal mechanisms need support.
Can you achieve glow without exfoliation?
For light to reflect well from the surface, skin needs to be free of dead cell buildup. Instead of using high doses of aggressive acids, daily applications at micro doses can give us a much more lasting glow without weakening the barrier.
SOURCES
Anderson RR, Parrish JA. (1981). The optics of human skin. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 77(1):13-19.
Jacques SL. (2013). Optical properties of biological tissues: a review. Physics in Medicine & Biology 58(11):R37-R61.
Fink B, Grammer K, Matts PJ. (2006). Visible skin color distribution plays a role in the perception of age, attractiveness, and health in female faces. Evolution and Human Behavior 27(6):433-442.
Matts PJ, Fink B, Grammer K, Burquest M. (2007). Color homogeneity and visual perception of age, health, and attractiveness of female facial skin. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 57(6):977-984.
Rawlings AV, Voegeli R. (2013). Stratum corneum proteases and dry skin conditions. Cell and Tissue Research 351(2):217-235.
Mao-Qiang M, Feingold KR, Thornfeldt CR, Elias PM. (1996). Optimization of physiological lipid mixtures for barrier repair. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 106(5):1096-1101.
Lin JY, Selim MA, Shea CR, Grichnik JM et al. (2003). UV photoprotection by combination topical antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 48(6):866-874.
Matsui MS, Pelle E, Dong K, Pernodet N. (2016). Biological rhythms in the skin. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 17(6):801.
AUTHOR
Begüm Güzel Güngör
Begüm Güzel Güngör founded her own consultancy by bringing together ten years of experience in editorial work and strategic marketing communications with a professional makeup artistry diploma from Make Up Designory in Germany, followed by an international skincare consultant license from Skinmasterclass PRO and further training in skin health. For the past six years, she has provided personal skincare consultancy and makeup training, advised beauty brands on communications and created content on @mind.on.beauty.
