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Glow Recipe

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops.

About this product

A lightweight serum with niacinamide, watermelon extract, and hyaluronic acid designed to deliver instant glow and hydration while supporting skin barrier health.

Full ingredients

Aqua/​Water/​Eau, Propanediol, Glycereth-26, Glycerin, Niacinamide, 2,3-Butanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Stearate, Carbomer, Acrylates/​C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Polyquaternium-51, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Fragrance/​Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate

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Guru Score

68%

Mixed

21 experts · Strong agreement

What the gurus are saying

This dew drops serum delivers a noticeable, immediate glow that works beautifully as a primer or layered into skincare, though opinions split on whether the effect justifies the price and the formula's thickness. Dermatologists and skincare experts praise the niacinamide and hyaluronic acid for genuine barrier support and calming redness, and many love how seamlessly it blends under makeup or on its own. However, it contains fragrance from natural plant extracts (under 0.5 percent), which may irritate sensitive or reactive skin, and some find the shine too intense or the texture too heavy for all-day wear. Best patch-tested first if your skin is easily triggered, and worth trying on sale.
Synthesized from 21 expert reviews · most recent take August 2026

What they liked

  • Delivers a luminous, dewy finish instantly
  • Lightweight enough to layer under makeup
  • Calms mild redness and supports skin barrier

What they flagged

  • Feels sticky and heavy on skin all day
  • Pricey for the amount of product

Type

Formula notes

Contains fragranceNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
~Nay
"This is Glow Recipe's Watermelon Niacinamide Glow Drops. It's really nice under makeup, [...] I used it before I put my makeup on after doing my skin care because it gave that extra dewiness, but it took me forever to use it up, and there are just other things I like more, so I'm not going to bother repurchasing it."
~Yay
"I'm also a really big fan of the Glow Recipe Watermelon Dew Drops."
All 3 takes from Dr. Mamina
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"I was really a big fan of their niacinamide dew drops. I did think that it left a really beautiful glow on the skin. So I think they did an amazing job with that."
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"They're super hydrating and they make your skin look so glowy. I love these dew drops and they also have niacinamide in it so it's going to help control your oil. It's [...] very hydrating, it has hyaluronic acid and it has watermelon in it which [...] does have some hydrating properties. Niacinamide can help nourish your skin barrier so it can further help add to that hydration to the skin."
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"I'm also a really big fan of the Glow Recipe Watermelon Dew Drops."
~Mixed
"The watermelon extract, sodium hyaluronate, and marula oil make it genuinely [...] excellent for [...] instant glow and hydration, and the niacinamide at that concentration is actively supporting your skin barrier and calming mild redness. It layers beautifully and the glow it gives you is real. It [...] does contain a small amount of fragrance, less than zero point five percent from natural plant extracts, which could be an issue if your skin is sensitive or reactive."
~Yay
"I like the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. I think it's a beautiful primer, though it is a [...] bit expensive and it does have fragrance, which not everybody enjoys. It's a pretty product, that's why I go back to it. I did manage to repurchase the pink version at fifty percent off in one of Sephora's deals, but I only buy it on sale."
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"I like the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. I think it's a beautiful primer, though it is a [...] bit expensive and it does have fragrance, which not everybody enjoys. It's a pretty product, that's why I go back to it. I did manage to repurchase the pink version at fifty percent off in one of Sephora's deals, but I only buy it on sale."
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"The Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops are another one of their most popular products, and I think this is actually worth the hype, though I didn't [...] like it at first when [...] I was trying to use it as a serum. For me [...] this shines as a primer. It gives my skin something extra when I use it before foundation or even just after sunscreen, [...] this healthy glow that isn't glittery or sparkly, just very natural."
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"I actually like the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops as a primer, that's why I use it [...] in my primer step, I think that's where I messed up all along thinking it was strictly a serum. It barely leaves a tint behind and sinks into the skin, though it's a little slower to absorb. [...] I really thought I was going to hate this, I thought it was going to be a lot like the Drunk Elephant, but it works for me, which is very surprising."
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"I think people wanted something easy to throw on that looks nice on your skin, [...] plus it's in the fun Glow Recipe packaging and it smells nice. [...] You might like this product a lot more if you have an oily skin type, [...] but it just didn't do a lot for me as someone with dry skin, I'm always looking for a hydration blast and for me this was just kind of okay. [...] I do feel like I understand the hype, but it never personally applied to me."
~Mixed
"This gives a lot more glow than you'd think, so if you want that glass skin look and your skin is more dry, go with this one. But I feel it's too expensive for skincare, so I'm going to pick Anua instead."
~Yay
"Or basically anything from Cerave or The Ordinary. All these had huge viral moments without any of the brands input. The brands did nothing. But they got so much from this. And that's great, you know, I think that is great, especially for smaller indie brands who might not be able to compete with the marketing budgets of well established skincare brands. [...] Brands whose products just worked tend to go viral so easily."
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"Now I use my Glow Recipe Dew Drops."
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"Or basically anything from Cerave or The Ordinary. All these had huge viral moments without any of the brands input. The brands did nothing. But they got so much from this. And that's great, you know, I think that is great, especially for smaller indie brands who might not be able to compete with the marketing budgets of well established skincare brands. [...] Brands whose products just worked tend to go viral so easily."
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"Glamzilla's post itself was very popular getting millions of views"
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"I use it personally when I'm off camera fairly often. Like if I'm going out, I will apply this and then put a sunscreen over the top and that glow really does shine through. I do think Niacinamide is starting to make my skin flush so I do try and avoid any continued use of it in heavy amounts. But yeah, this has become a purely before going out to an event or going out in public kind of serum. But yeah, it's an icon, a truly viral product that deserves the attention it gets."
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"I'm using the Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops Toner from Glow Recipe. [...] This is just a really nice hydrating, really gently exfoliating toner. It has this thick texture to it that means you can put it in the palm of your hands and apply it to your skin without it dripping down your arms, and it just really nicely hydrates."
~Mixed
"I would find this very suffocating actually to wear all day long. [...] The positives are it's got niacinamide, which is a fantastic ingredient, it's great if you have oily skin, it's also great if you have dry skin. [...] They also put glycerin in, which is good, it's hydrating, although this doesn't feel that hydrating. It sort of feels like it's sitting on the skin a little bit sticky. And it's expensive at £33 for 40 ml."
All 2 takes from Dr. Vanita Rattan
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"When you press it into my skin, it feels thick, thick on the skin. You do get that glow as soon as you can see with the glow on the skin with the light on the skin, and this is one of the reasons it goes viral because anything that gives you that sort of shine on the skin makes people go into golden hour. However, I would find this very suffocating actually to wear all day long. On the positives, it's got niacinamide, which is a fantastic ingredient."
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"I would find this very suffocating actually to wear all day long. [...] The positives are it's got niacinamide, which is a fantastic ingredient, it's great if you have oily skin, it's also great if you have dry skin. [...] They also put glycerin in, which is good, it's hydrating, although this doesn't feel that hydrating. It sort of feels like it's sitting on the skin a little bit sticky. And it's expensive at £33 for 40 ml."
~Yay
"This side definitely feels more hydrated, it looks more hydrated. Hydrated bouncy skin has like the light reflects off of it in a certain way. [...] It certainly looks good for me. [...] I don't love the scent but there's no denying the hydrated feel of my skin."
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"The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops [...] come in bronze and rose gold so you can put that on and have that luminous [...] skin. You can put it on the planes of the face like maybe the tops of the cheekbones or like a little touch on the tip of the nose. You could also use these as a base for makeup if you wear makeup but if you don't want to wear makeup you can just use it on its own."
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"This side definitely feels more hydrated, it looks more hydrated. Hydrated bouncy skin has like the light reflects off of it in a certain way. [...] It certainly looks good for me. [...] I don't love the scent but there's no denying the hydrated feel of my skin."
~Yay
"I like how it makes my skin look glowy. This is the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. I know a lot of you guys really enjoy that."
All 2 takes from Allie Glines
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"This is the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. I applied that all over as well and I feel like that's what's giving me this glow. Everybody loves this too. I really do enjoy it. I honestly haven't used it as much as I would like to because once I have a solid routine I kind of stick to the same like five things, but it's really nice."
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"I like how it makes my skin look glowy. This is the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. I know a lot of you guys really enjoy that."
~Yay
"You can use it as a primer, you can use it as a niacinamide serum. You can use this one. This basically works in multiple ways, and honestly, why because I just some days I just want that extra glow. I just want to feel get that glass skin effect. [...] The original formula of the Dew Drops is a bit of a thick serum consistency, and this is something that may not work for oily skin."
All 2 takes from Nipun Kapur
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"That is not a pure niacinamide serum, okay, so I don't really recommend it. But if you're wearing makeup then you can use it with your makeup."
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"You can use it as a primer, you can use it as a niacinamide serum. You can use this one. This basically works in multiple ways, and honestly, why because I just some days I just want that extra glow. I just want to feel get that glass skin effect. [...] The original formula of the Dew Drops is a bit of a thick serum consistency, and this is something that may not work for oily skin."
~Yay
"The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops has niacinamide, sodium hyaluronic, neem extract, and Moringa seed oil. They recently came out with a tinted version of it so [...] you can mix it in with your moisturizer or foundation and give it a little bit of a tint. Honestly, niacinamide [...] these days it's in everything, so I'm not exactly sure you need a separate niacinamide product, but yeah, sometimes it's easy to get overloaded with too much of a good thing."
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"The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops has niacinamide, sodium hyaluronic, neem extract, and Moringa seed oil. They recently came out with a tinted version of it so [...] you can mix it in with your moisturizer or foundation and give it a little bit of a tint. Honestly, niacinamide [...] these days it's in everything, so I'm not exactly sure you need a separate niacinamide product, but yeah, sometimes it's easy to get overloaded with too much of a good thing."
~Yay
"Use this kind of like a serum or a primer before you put on your sunscreen and your makeup. It really helps to give my skin a little bit of extra hydration especially during the winter months. It is also very lightweight so you can continue to use it as your primary moisturizer during summertime and it gives my skin a nice glow which I really like. Really versatile, layers well under sunscreen and makeup. [...] This product is viral for a reason."
~Yay
"This blends really nicely into the skin. I don't feel like it's as deep as the drunk elephant bronzy drops, this doesn't have that deep pigment like the drunk elephant, but you can use this multiple different ways. They do recommend to use this as your last step in your skincare routine, but I actually like to put this on before my sunscreen. You can also apply this in with your foundation as well, which I have tried a few times and it is quite nice doing it that way."
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"This blends really nicely into the skin. I don't feel like it's as deep as the drunk elephant bronzy drops, this doesn't have that deep pigment like the drunk elephant, but you can use this multiple different ways. They do recommend to use this as your last step in your skincare routine, but I actually like to put this on before my sunscreen. You can also apply this in with your foundation as well, which I have tried a few times and it is quite nice doing it that way."
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"I chose the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. I love niacinamide because it does so many wonderful things, but I love this formulation. This will give your skin that dewy glowy complexion and it actually acts as a makeup primer as well, so you can use this several different ways. You can use this before your foundation, you can mix a few drops of this into your foundation, but then of course you can just use this in your skincare routine and it's amazing."
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"This Serum is pretty sticky and tacky. [...] That's why this acts as that perfect makeup primer because your foundation and all of your makeup grips and sticks to this serum and it does a fabulous job for longevity. You will also get this beautiful glow to your skin as well. So if you do like that radiance and that nice glow, you're going to get that with this. This really does perform well and I love that complexion so much."
~Mixed
"This is inspired by dewdrops, but the exact same clinically effective niacinamide and hyaluronic acid base that makes skin glow instantly and brightens over time. The difference? It gives skin a warmer, radiant glow. [...] I was taken aback by the color at first, but it shears out, blending in seamlessly, giving my skin just a subtle wash of healthy looking color with a warm, natural glow. It still feels like it's giving skincare. It's not too makeup y."
~Yay
"It's just a really lovely product, seriously a must-have. The smell is just amazingly addicting if you love watermelon, you will absolutely love the scent. It contains watermelon extract which is rich in various different vitamins including vitamin C, vitamin A, along with other phytonutrients that help to hydrate and plump the skin. The niacinamide is great at soothing the skin barrier, offers brightening benefits, improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles along with hyaluronic acid."
~Nay
"I think the concept is creative but when I used it on my skin I was like oh my God, it looks like I dripped gasoline on my face. It's just shiny and reflective. [...] I know it has such a cult following and I find the concept really interesting because it's a cool formula, but between the experience and the fragrance in it I'm not a huge fan of that, which is a shame because I love Glow Recipe. They have some really good formulas but that is my least favorite formula from their line for sure."
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"I think the concept is creative but when I used it on my skin I was like oh my God, it looks like I dripped gasoline on my face. It's just shiny and reflective. [...] I know it has such a cult following and I find the concept really interesting because it's a cool formula, but between the experience and the fragrance in it I'm not a huge fan of that, which is a shame because I love Glow Recipe. They have some really good formulas but that is my least favorite formula from their line for sure."
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"The other Glow Recipe, the Watermelon Glow Dew Drops, huge pass, I hate that product [...] so much. Maybe it's because I have more oily skin, but the second I used it, it made my skin look so greasy, not even 30 minutes after applying it. Plus I'm just not crazy about face products that have a glittery element to them, because combined with my oiliness, my face will look like a mirror. So huge pass."
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"I've used the Glow Recipe Niacinamide Dew Drops maybe once or twice, and it's not my cup of tea. [...] I love niacinamide, but that product is really a midpoint between makeup and skincare because it has a pearlescent mineral shimmer that gives the face an overall glowy appearance, and since I have oily skin that's not something I need to worry about, my skin is doing more than enough in that category."
~Nay
"It's fun and the popularity is in the fun of this product, but I have to say I'm not that impressed with it. It's not bad, I think it can absolutely be useful, I can see it working, it's not a bad product, but I wasn't super duper impressed with it. [...] Beyond the fun and the packaging and the marketing, which is a big component, I was a little bit confused why it was so popular."
~Yay
"Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewdrops is not something I would usually go for, but I love it. It smells really good and is so nice, dewy, and hydrating on the skin. [...] I actually ended up using this a lot when I traveled because I don't like to do a heavy skincare routine when I travel. It has a [...] dewy finish, rubs in nicely, and smells so good."
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"Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewdrops is not something I would usually go for, but I love it. It smells really good and is so nice, dewy, and hydrating on the skin. [...] I actually ended up using this a lot when I traveled because I don't like to do a heavy skincare routine when I travel. It has a [...] dewy finish, rubs in nicely, and smells so good."
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"I would say this is a hit, but I will say that with a caveat. I like it and I've been enjoying wearing it. I don't think this is going to transform your skin if you are having certain skin issues that you are really trying to treat like damaged skin barrier, acne, excess oil. [...] But if you have a fairly healthy skin barrier and fairly normal skin type, sure you can use this and you probably will love it."
~Yay
"I've also recently discovered this one by Glow Recipe, the Watermelon Glow. It smells so lovely. It is technically a toner but it is more of a watery serum that I would put all over my face, and I'm using it almost like a scented something."
~Yay
"We have the Glow Recipe Niacinamide Dew Drops. It's amazing how many people like that product."
~Yay
"It has hyaluronic acid in it and it's just very hydrating and brightening for the skin. So if you want to wear it with or without makeup, I find that I've been using this under my makeup like even today it's like this dewy look to your skin but it's natural looking. I don't know how to explain it but it is so pretty when you put it on and it's very light so it just gives you this nice sheen, this healthy glow to your skin."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops?

A lightweight serum with niacinamide, watermelon extract, and hyaluronic acid designed to deliver instant glow and hydration while supporting skin barrier health.

Is Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops worth it?

The gurus are split. 14 of the 21 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 3 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 68%.

What is Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops's Guru Score?

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops holds a Guru Score of 68%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 21 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

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