JLo Beauty is the cosmetics brand founded by celebrity and actress Jennifer Lopez. The brand sells products for the face and body in beautiful gold packaging.
But do JLo Beauty products contain ingredients proven to enhance skin quality and reduce signs of aging? Do they contain any unhealthy ingredients? What is the controversy surrounding the brand's marketing? And is JLo Beauty better or worse than popular skincare brands like Maelys Cosmetics?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of the most popular JLo Beauty products (That JLo Glow and Smooth + Seduce) to give our take on whether or not they're likely to be effective, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll also feature a video discussing the JLo Beauty marketing controversy, and compare JLo Beauty to other popular skincare brands to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Contains active ingredients for anti-aging
- Contains inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend JLo Beauty
That Jlo Glow Review
The ingredients in That JLo Glow are shown below:
Cannabis sativa seed oil was shown in a medical review published in the Pharmaceuticals journal to be “a great skin protector, reducing dryness and slowing skin’s natural aging process.”
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 which was shown in a 2004 medical review to help protect the skin from damaging UV rays, and to restore the skin barrier if damage is present.
Galactomyces ferment filtrate was described as a “functional ingredient” in a clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine because of its anti-inflammatory effect on skin cells.
Camellia sinensis leaf extract is an effective skin moisturizer, as we documented in our review of the anti-aging Disco Stick.
Honey was described as a “therapeutic agent for disorders of the skin” in a 2016 medical review because of its favorable effects on tissue repair and bacterial balance.
Tetrapeptide-14 is a peptide, and this class of compounds (which are the building blocks of protein) has been clinically shown to reduce wrinkles when applied topically.
There are two inactive ingredients in this formulation that we consider to be unhealthy when used in combination.
Phenoxyethanol is a common synthetic preservative that was shown in a clinical trial to be toxic to human cells.
Ethylhexylglycerin is a synthetic preservative shown to potentiate the toxic effects of phenoxyethanol in a 2016 medical review.
Overall, we consider That Jlo Glow likely to reduce wrinkles, improve skin moisture and protect skin from UV rays.
We don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
MindBodyGreen Best Skin+ is our top anti-aging skin supplement.
It contains orange extract which is clinically shown to increase skin moisturization, skin elasticity and skin radiance.
This supplement also contains astaxanthin which is clinically shown to cause "wrinkle formation reduction."
JLo Beauty Controversy
A popular beauty influencer named Cassandra Bankson who’s a medical esthetician has a video suggesting JLo Beauty is marketed in a deceptive way:
Smooth + Seduce Review
The ingredients in JLo Beauty Smooth + Seduce are shown below:
This body cream is described by the brand as “delivering all-day hydration with an instant glow.”
Shea butter is clinically shown to have an anti-inflammatory and skin-barrier-repairing effect.
Caffeine is an effective and natural anti-cellulite ingredient.
As we documented in our review of Maelys B Tight cellulite cream, caffeine is clinically shown to prevent excessive accumulation of fat in skin cells.
Ceramide NP can help support a healthy and functional skin barrier according to a 2022 clinical trial.
Turmeric root extract is shown in a medical review published in the Phytotherapy Research journal to have “antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-neoplastic properties” when applied to skin.
This cream also contains ingredients like sodium hyaluronate, niacinamide and peptides, which we’ve already determined to be effective in the previous ingredient analysis section.
Unfortunately, this product also has some questionable additive ingredients, and has more than the facial serum in our opinion.
Fragrance may “impose serious risks to human health” according to the study authors of a 2016 medical review.
Citronellol, geraniol, hexyl cinnamal, hydroxycitronellal and linalool are also fragrance ingredients, and it seems like overkill to us to have all of these ingredients in addition to fragrance in one product.
Some of these ingredients are clinically shown to be allergenic.
Benzyl salicylate is another fragrance ingredient that’s classified as a hazard by a Japanese regulatory agency due to its potentially endocrine-disrupting effects, as we referenced in our review of Touchland hand sanitizer.
Phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin are included in this formulation, and we explained in the previous ingredient analysis section why we recommend avoiding this combination for health reasons.
Overall, we believe JLo Beauty Smooth + Seduce is likely to improve skin quality and skin hydration due to its numerous effective active ingredients.
However, we don’t currently recommend this product due to its fragrance ingredients and preservatives.
MBG Postbiotic Body Lotion is our top body lotion pick.
Squalene is an active ingredient in this lotion, and is clinically shown to hydrate the skin.
Shea butter was described as having moisturizing effects in a medical review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
JLo Beauty vs. Popular Skincare Brands
Here's how JLo Beauty compares to other popular skincare brands in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Maelys Cosmetics
Some formulations contain synthetic dyes which are clinically shown to be contaminated with carcinogenic compounds in some cases.
The JLo Beauty formulations we reviewed were free from synthetic dye, so JLo Beauty wins from a health perspective.
Winner: JLo Beauty
RMS Beauty
RMS Beauty is one of the cleanest cosmetic brands we've reviewed to date.
The brand's makeup line contains research-backed active ingredients and is free from unhealthy additives, and makeup often contains even more harmful additives in our experience than skincare serums or oils like JLo Beauty sells.
Winner: RMS Beauty
Il Makiage
Similar potential efficacy to JLo Beauty.
One formulation we analyzed contained BHT, which is a synthetic preservative clinically shown to have toxic effects.
JLo Beauty gets the (slight) edge from a healthiness perspective.
Winner: JLo Beauty
JLo Beauty Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Research-backed active ingredients
- Formulations are impressive from efficacy perspective
- Positive Amazon reviews
- Great packaging & branding
Cons:
- Some products contain fragrance
- Products contain synthetic preservatives
- Doesn’t appear to be clinically proven to work
- Some customers complain of unfair billing practices
