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 shown in medical studies to improve skin quality and reduce signs of aging, or is the brand a waste of money? Do the products contain any unhealthy additive ingredients? What retailer sells JLo Beauty for the best price? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of JLo Beauty?
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 to give our take on whether or not they’re likely to be effective: That JLo Glow (a hydrating and tightening facial serum), and Smooth + Seduce (a body cream).
We’ll also provide a cost breakdown showing which retailer has JLo Beauty for the best prices, and feature real, unsponsored JLo Beauty user reviews.
That Jlo Glow Review
The ingredients in That JLo Glow are shown above. Some of these ingredients have been proven in research studies to improve skin quality.
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 has been shown in a 2004 medical review to help protect the skin from damaging UV rays and 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.
Clearly there are a number of effective ingredients in JLo Beauty.
Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative shown in a 2020 clinical trial to be toxic to human cells. This formulation contains three other preservative ingredients: sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and ethylhexylglycerin.
The latter two preservatives are some of the better options in regard to toxicity in our opinion, but four individual preservatives seems like a lot for a facial serum.
Overall we consider That Jlo Glow likely to reduce wrinkles, improve skin moisture and protect skin from UV rays. It’s one of the most effective and most impressive skincare formulations we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health, especially for the price. We don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of four preservative ingredients (especially phenoxyethanol).
Annie Mak Vitamin C Serum is our top anti-aging serum pick. It contains hyaluronic acid which was described as a "skin-rejuvenating biomedicine" in a medical review due to its ability to reduce wrinkles and signs of facial aging. Topical vitamin C is also clinically shown to improve skin hydration and reduce wrinkles, and this serum is free of questionable additives.
Interested consumers can check out Annie Mak Vitamin C Serum at this link to the product page on the official brand's website.
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, which has over 680,000 views:
Smooth + Seduce Review
The ingredients in JLo Beauty Smooth + Seduce are shown above. This body cream is described by the brand as “delivering all-day hydration with an instant glow.”
Like the facial serum, this product contains a number of research-backed ingredients.
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 found 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 another product containing this ingredient called Touchland hand sanitizer.
This body cream also contains some of the preservatives we covered in the previous ingredient analysis like phenoxyethanol.
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 the product due to its fragrance ingredients and preservatives.
ClearStem Body Glow is our top pick for a cosmetic product that hydrates the body. It’s entirely free of questionable additive ingredients, is naturally fragranced with essential oils like cedarwood oil and rose oil, and contains Argania spinosa (Argan) kernel oil which is clinically shown to have an anti-aging effect on skin.
Interested consumers can check out ClearStem Body Glow at this link to the product page on the official brand's website.
Real, Unsponsored JLo Beauty User Reviews
A YouTube creator called “The Freckled One” has a review of JLo Beauty that includes live product demos, her thoughts on multiple products and her overall take on whether it’s worth the money or not:
A YouTube creator named Jenn Rodriguez shares her thoughts on whether the brand is a good choice for skin with higher melanin content:
Where to Find JLo Beauty for the Best Price
JLo Beauty products are sold at a variety of online retailers. Here’s a price breakdown for the two products we reviewed in this article at the time of publishing:
That Jlo Glow
Brand website: $79
Sephora: $79
Revolve: $56 (link)
Smooth + Seduce
Brand website: $60
Sephora: $60
Revolve: $41 (link)
JLo Beauty products are currently around 30% off on Revolve compared to other retailers.
Real Customers Review JLo Beauty
JLo Beauty is sold on Amazon, which is a better resource for honest customer reviews in our opinion than a brand’s website.
The most-reviewed JLo Beauty product on Amazon is the Starter Kit which contains the serum we reviewed along with a facial cleanser and a neck cream. The kit has been reviewed over 900 times with an average review rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Amy GR” who claims it's effective and affordable when used in modest amounts:
“I love this stuff. I wash my face with the face-wash every morning and night, I use the serum (liquid gold) both times and in the morning I use the SPF moisturizing cream and at night the blockbuster. I don't go over board with the amount I use of everything so it last me quite a while. I'll be buying more when I run out and I'd recommend these products.”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Rayn Rose” who claims the products are not good for people with dry and sensitive skin:
“Unfortunately, it did nothing for me. I just returned from the UK, where is very cold and my skin is more dry, itchy and sore after using products for 3 days. I found the cleanser cracks my skin. My eyelids are sore and have broken skin after using products.”
There are a number of complaints about billing practices on the Jlo Beauty Better Business Bureau (BBB) page, and there’s actually a warning on the page about the company’s billing practices. Apparently the brand auto-enrolls people who sign up for a free trial and many consumers like this anonymous reviewer:
“we requested to return the product. Been dealing with for the past year...now they say the return is past there return policy. Would not recommend buying or using products. Still waiting to resolve. All we want is to return the products and return our money.”
The business does not respond to or try to resolve the majority of the complaints which is a red flag in our opinion.
Pros and Cons of JLo Beauty
Here are the pros and cons of JLo Beauty as a brand in our opinion:
Pros:
- Highly effective formulations
- Many research-backed ingredients
- Mostly positive online reviews
Cons:
- Some products contain fragrance
- Products contain synthetic preservatives
- Doesn’t appear to be clinically proven to work
- Some customers complain of poor billing practices
