Welcome to I Swear By This, an interview series where we chat with our favorite fashion and beauty insiders about the beauty products they use down to the last drop. This week, we asked Chanel Tyler, part-time glow guru and full-time beauty partnerships lead at YouTube, to share all the products she's obsessed with right now.
Chanel Tyler's online alias wasn't self-appointed; when asked how the title "glow expert" came about, she says "that's just what people started calling me." Though she didn't coin the name herself, it's proven to be a perfect fit. "I never wanted to be an influencer. I got pushed into it by a former boss who ran influencer and content marketing at the Estée Lauder Company. She was like, 'Chanel, you need to do this. You know too much and the market is wide open.'"
Last year, Tyler moved on from her marketing role at Estée Lauder and transitioned into tech. She now leads partnerships at YouTube's burgeoning beauty vertical. "What that means is that I'm putting tactics and strategies in place that can help YouTube make an impact for creators and users," she explains. Pre-maternity leave–she welcomed her first child this year–her day-to-day at YouTube included working through partnerships with the platform's leading beauty aficionados or developing YouTube's first BeautyFest with Derek Blasberg. "It's a dream job. All of my passions get merged into one thing."
Though beauty has been at the core of her career, when she's off the clock skin care has been the key to building her own community. After experiencing a bout of adult acne and going through six months of intense peels, treatments, and medications, she wanted to wean herself off and take a more natural approach. "I wanted to be able to treat my skin myself, so that's what jumpstarted me being obsessive and super curious about skin-care ingredients and the best products out there," she says. While still at Estée Lauder, her newfound interest in skin care helped solidify her status as a skin pro for women of color and laid the foundation for what is now the Glow Community. "I started sharing what I know on Instagram and that's how that community was built," shares Tyler. Below, she shares her reigning skin faves that are Glow Expert-approved.
Bloomrise Sativa Serum
"This serum has helped rebalance my skin chemistry [postpartum]. It's super hydrating and it reduces inflammation in the skin, so that's where the stabilization element comes in. I was gifted this a couple of months ago and didn't want to use it right away because I was breastfeeding and it has CBD in it. Now that I'm no longer breastfeeding, I can't put it down. I use it in my nighttime routine."
Active Botanical Serum
"Now that we're going into colder weather, this will be on my face every single day. I love it because it's very nourishing, very hydrating, and basically treats any skin condition you have. On top of that, it has great anti-aging benefits. If you want to keep your skin supple and plump, it delivers."
Resveratrol Lift Instant Firming Serum
"A lot of people are sensitive to retinol and I've noticed that especially in my community, not everybody's skin can handle it. What I like about Resveratrol is that it's a retinol alternative that has the exact same benefits and outcomes as retinol, but it's also uber hydrating. If you're over the age of 30, this is a thing you should own."
Hydra Beauty Camellia Repair Mask
"If you're struggling with any sort of irritated, dehydrated or dull skin, this is the truth. I probably use this once a week, usually on Sundays, and the level of hydration that's penetrated through this product is next-level. To me, this is something to always have on deck. It's a skin savior and it's luxurious."
Bitter Green Essence Toner
"This is essentially an essence and a toner in one. It's a two-in-one product, so it not only gently exfoliates your skin, but it's almost like a serum and a toner mixed together. If you're a skin minimalist, you can reduce the number of steps that you have with this product."
Molecular Silk Amino Hydrating Cleanser
"I have four of these stocked because I never want to run out. A lot of brands haven't mastered the balance between cleansing and moisture but this one nails it."
The Concentrate
"I will never stop using this product for the rest of my life. This is a spot treatment, this is an instant skin soother, and this is your hyperpigmentation treatment. When I was pregnant, I would put it on my stomach to reduce stretch marks. It's like a home remedy for me."
Brightening Night Balm
"I learned about Epara three or four years ago because they were the first Black-owned luxury brand to enter into the U.S. and be sold at Barneys and other high-end department stores. I love luxury products and brightening is one of the biggest benefits that skin of color needs. We over-index in things like hyperpigmentation and acne and when you have acne that is almost always correlated with hyperpigmentation afterwards—even if you leave the blemishes alone! Your skin naturally needs brightening agents to get your radiance back and even out your complexion. This has a very thick, salve-like texture and I used it a lot postpartum because I broke out a lot during my pregnancy."
Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@buymechanel
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