About Glow Ledger

Glow Ledger is an independent beauty publication. It exists for one reason: to give readers honest, well-researched answers about skincare and makeup — without the sponsored content, undisclosed partnerships, and hype that fill so much of beauty media.

Who Writes This Site

Glow Ledger is written by Alex Carter, the site's founder and editor. Alex researches beauty products the slow way: by reading ingredient lists, comparing formulations across price ranges, checking brand claims against published dermatology guidance, and testing how products behave in real daily routines. He has no background in selling beauty products and no financial relationship with any brand covered on this site.

How Products Are Researched

Every guide on this site follows the same process. First, the question is defined precisely — not "what is the best moisturizer" but "what does dry skin in winter actually need, and which ingredients deliver it." Second, the evidence is gathered: ingredient lists from manufacturers, guidance from dermatology organizations, and independent testing where it exists. Third, products are compared across price ranges, because a recommendation that only works at seventy dollars is not a useful recommendation for most readers. Fourth, the guide is written in plain English, with claims kept to what the evidence supports and uncertainty stated openly where it exists.

Brands discussed on this site — including L'Oréal Paris, Maybelline, e.l.f., Dove, Clinique, CeraVe, The Ordinary, La Roche-Posay, Sol de Janeiro, and Rare Beauty — are covered editorially because readers ask about them, not because of any partnership. Glow Ledger is independent of every brand mentioned here.

Author Background

Alex Carter came to beauty writing as a reader first. For years before founding Glow Ledger, he was the person friends asked when a moisturizer stopped working, when a foundation turned orange by lunchtime, or when a gift set looked too good to be true. He answered those questions the same way he writes now: by reading the ingredient list, by comparing the formula with products at other prices, and by checking the claim against published dermatology guidance rather than against the advertising. He has no background in selling beauty products, no employment history with any beauty brand, and no financial relationship with any brand covered on this site. His expertise is that of a careful, persistent amateur who learned to read labels, to test shades in daylight, and to keep notes on what actually worked — and who decided that the notes were worth publishing.

That background shapes what Glow Ledger is. It is not a laboratory, and it does not pretend to be one. It does not run clinical trials, and it does not publish test results it has not measured. What it offers is the next best thing for most readers: a clear explanation of what is known, what is uncertain, and what is marketing, written by someone who has done the reading and who has no reason to steer you toward a particular product.

Editorial Process

Every guide on this site follows the same process from question to publication. First, the question is defined precisely, so that the guide can be answered with evidence rather than with opinion. Second, the evidence is gathered: ingredient lists from manufacturers, guidance from dermatology organizations, and independent testing where it exists. Third, products are compared across price ranges, because a recommendation that only works at seventy dollars is not a useful recommendation for most readers. Fourth, the draft is checked against its own claims: every factual statement is traced back to a source, every price is given as a typical range as of November 2026 rather than as an exact figure, and every claim that cannot be verified is either removed or labeled as opinion. Fifth, the guide is published with its author, its date, and its sources of method, and it is reviewed again when the underlying information changes, when a product is reformulated, or when a reader reports an error. Significant corrections are noted on the affected page. The full method is described on the How We Research page.

Images on This Site

All photographs on Glow Ledger are real photographs from free stock libraries — Pexels (pexels.com) and Unsplash (unsplash.com) — used under their free licenses, which allow commercial use. They show generic, unbranded beauty products and routines, never a brand's actual products, packaging, or logo, and no photograph is presented as a picture of a specific brand's product. No product photographs have been taken from any brand, retailer, or other website, and no image on this site is AI-generated.

Photo Credits

The same photographs are reused on the home page, in guide cards, and on brand review pages; each photograph is listed once here, with its photographer and source page.

• Home page hero — flat lay of makeup brushes, lipstick, and mascara — via Unsplash.
• L’Oréal Paris — colorful makeup assortment — photograph by MART PRODUCTION via Pexels (photo page).
• Maybelline — red and nude lip gloss swatches — photograph by Shiny Diamond via Pexels (photo page).
• e.l.f. — makeup brushes in a jar — photograph by Suzy Hazelwood via Pexels (photo page).
• Dove — white soap bar — photograph by Tara Winstead via Pexels (photo page).
• Clinique — pastel skincare bottles and jars — photograph by Kaboompics via Pexels (photo page).
• CeraVe — light-blue moisturizer tube — photograph by Anete Lusina via Pexels (photo page).
• The Ordinary — hand holding a serum dropper — photograph by Los Muertos Crew via Pexels (photo page).
• La Roche-Posay — applying sunscreen on a beach — photograph by Kaboompics via Pexels (photo page).
• Sol de Janeiro — woman holding a jar of body cream — photograph by SHVETS production via Pexels (photo page).
• Rare Beauty — lipsticks and lip pencil flat lay — photograph by DS stories via Pexels (photo page).

Editorial Independence

Glow Ledger accepts no payment from brands for coverage, no sponsored posts, and no free products in exchange for reviews. The site currently contains no affiliate links at all. If affiliate links are ever added, they will be disclosed clearly at the top of every page that contains them, and they will never influence which products are recommended or how they are described. Editorial decisions are made by Alex Carter alone, and no advertiser or brand has any say in what is published. The full policy is on the Editorial Policy page.

What This Site Is Not

Glow Ledger is not a medical resource. Guides on this site are general information, not medical advice, and they are not a substitute for a dermatologist — especially for diagnosed skin conditions, persistent reactions, or anything that does not improve with basic care. Prices mentioned on this site are typical ranges as of November 2026, not exact prices, because prices vary by retailer and change over time. No review scores, star ratings, or test results are published on this site, because this site does not run laboratory tests and does not invent numbers.

If you have a question, a correction, or a topic you would like covered, please get in touch. Corrections are welcomed and are noted openly when they are made.