I first discovered Glycelene during a visit to Meadowood shortly after it opened, and immediately fell in love with the skincare line’s gentle formulations. Years later, founder Kim Borio joined me as one of my handpicked exhibitors at Discover Green, a special section devoted to green beauty at Cosmoprof North America. Earlier this year, she joined me once again, this time as an expert panelist at Premiere Spa & Wellness Talks. I’ve long wanted to share her story, and recently, we finally had the chance to catch up.
MB: First, share a bit about your background with our readers—where are you from and how did you get into beauty?
KB: I’m from Dana Point, California, and I’ve been fascinated by beauty for as long as I can remember. I was playing with my mom’s makeup as a toddler and enamored by pictures of women wearing a lot of makeup. I always knew I wanted to be a makeup artist. Halloween was my favorite holiday because I could go all out with makeup, do all my friends’ makeup, and win costume contests.
At the same time, I struggled with eczema my entire life. We tried everything, and nothing seemed to work. Many of the creams I tried would actually cause me to break out in a rash. The one thing that helped was a mysterious yellow ointment my mom would bring back from Holland. It had no label and came in a big jar. I remember thinking, “One day I’m going to make this myself and finally get rid of my eczema for good.” I had no idea then that it would eventually inspire me to create The Beauty Ointment, The Eczema Ointment, and ultimately Glycelene.
I got my first real break as a makeup artist when I was 18. I had been babysitting for a celebrity makeup artist, and when she couldn’t make a job for ESPN in San Diego, she told me to grab her kit, drive down there, set up, and do the makeup. I did, and that opportunity opened the door to a career in sports, politics, entertainment, red carpets, fashion, magazines, news, soap operas, commercials, and more. I also worked for Clarins between jobs, which taught me so much about skincare. Then high-definition makeup changed everything. Under HD cameras, you could see every detail of the skin, and I realized that beautiful makeup really starts with beautiful skin.
That’s when my curiosity about skincare became much deeper. I didn’t just want to make skin look beautiful. I wanted to understand it.
MB: When did you launch Glycelene? What was the inspiration behind the brand, and which spas were among your first accounts?
Glycelene’s Peri-Menopause skincare collection
KB: I officially launched Glycelene in January 2014, but I spent all of 2013 developing our very first three products, which we launched at the ISSE show in January 2014. The inspiration behind Glycelene came from two very personal places: my lifelong struggle with eczema and my years traveling the world as a solo female traveler filming my show, Beauty Secrets from Around the World™.
My own skin had taught me how frustrating it can be to have reactive, sensitive skin, and through my travels I became fascinated by the different beauty rituals, aromas, ingredients, and traditions I discovered around the world. The name Glycelene comes from glycerin, an ingredient that had been incredibly important in helping my own eczema-prone skin. I wanted to bring all of those experiences together with modern, results-driven skincare that was gentle enough for my own skin but effective enough to deliver beautiful results.
I also knew from the beginning that I wanted Glycelene to be 100-percent vegan and cruelty-free. I wanted to create a line without animal-derived ingredients or animal testing because I believe beauty shouldn’t come at the expense of animals. Our first spa partner was Meadowood Resort in Napa, California. From there, we went on to partner with Sahra Spa & Hammam at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, and Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico.
MB: Tell us a bit about your products and treatments in the spa environment—hero products and popular treatments.
KB: We create 100-percent vegan, clean, biology-based skincare designed to work in harmony with your skin. We combine high-quality organic and naturally derived ingredients with advanced skin science and results-driven actives like peptides and liquid crystal delivery systems. In the spa, our treatments are designed to be both a beautiful sensory experience and highly effective for the skin, leaving it deeply hydrated, strengthened, rejuvenated, and visibly luminous. Our signature facial focuses on hydration, strengthening, and rejuvenation, and some of our biggest spa favorites are our Beauty Serum, Rejuvenation Creme, Cucumber Cleansing Water, The Beauty Ointment, Seatox Mist, and Femme de Rose Lip Remedy.
MB: What do you think is missing in today’s spa treatment rooms and in spa beauty in general?
KB: I think clean, multitasking products are something we’re missing in the treatment room. I’ve also noticed that there’s a real need for more variety in masks. At Glycelene, we’ve created products that can do more than one thing depending on what the skin needs. For example, Our Kalahari Cooling Collagen Mask doubles as a serum, revitalizing mask, and purifying, calming gel treatment.
I love creating products that give professionals more flexibility in the treatment room while still creating a beautiful experience for the client.
Our Minerals Firming Mud Mask starts as a detoxifying, firming mask and transforms into a deep-pore mud cleanser when reactivated with water. Our Rose Recovery Beauty Balm can be used as a beautiful moisture mask or sleeping mask to help improve the skin barrier. We also have an amazing enzyme peel that’s used in the treatment rooms.
I love creating products that give professionals more flexibility in the treatment room while still creating a beautiful experience for the client.
MB: Do you have a favorite product, and if so, why—what makes it special to you?
KB: I would want to say they are all my favorites, but I always say that if I were stranded on a desert island, I would have my Glycelene Beauty Serum and The Beauty Ointment. I just can’t live without those two. I use the Beauty Serum twice a day and The Beauty Ointment all day and night. I’ve been using them that way since the day those two products were born. The Beauty Serum keeps my skin hydrated, plump, and glowing, and The Beauty Ointment is what I reach for whenever my skin and lips need extra moisturizing, comfort, or repair.
MB: I know that you and your husband Eric work very well together. Tell us about the unique working relationship you two share.
Eric and Kim, co-founders of Glycelene
KB: We’ve been together 24/7 since we started Glycelene in 2013. We’re truly yin and yang; we fill in each other’s missing pieces. I knew the first second I saw Eric that he was the man for me. I’m the visionary and creator, and I come up with all the aromas. I come from the celebrity makeup artist and skincare world, so I see what I want a product to do and how I want myself and others to experience it.
Eric comes from cosmetic chemistry, R&D, and cellular biology, and he figures out how to bring that vision to life. I’m great at giving direction, and he’s an incredible problem solver. We create and brainstorm together every day, and somehow, after all these years, we’ve just grown together. I hear so many stories about couples who can’t work together, so I think it’s pretty amazing that we actually can. We’re very different, but those differences are exactly what make us work. We work seven days a week, and I think what makes us unique is that we don’t experience burnout. We truly can’t wait to get to our lab every day and create. It’s our passion, and I think when you’re truly passionate about something, it doesn’t feel like work.
MB: What are you working on now, new product-wise?
KB: We’re just launching two beautiful new products, and I’m incredibly excited about both of them. The first is our Rose Recovery Barrier Repair Mist for the face. It focuses on barrier repair and has the most beautiful steam-distilled rose aroma I’ve ever experienced. The second is our Mind-Body-Muscle Magnesium Mist with Grounding Aromatherapy. It’s a gemstone-infused magnesium mist that doubles as aromatherapy. It’s already being used in spa resorts, and I absolutely love it.
I spray it on my neck and shoulders every day, and at night I mist it around our bedroom. Eric and I both love how grounding and relaxing it feels. It helps us unwind and sleep. These two products are very different, but they both represent what I love about creating Glycelene: beautiful products that make you feel something while also caring for your skin and body.
MB: What keeps you up at night? What are you most passionate about?
KB: Right now, besides inflation and all the misinformation surrounding skincare, finishing my book has been keeping me up at night! Eric and I are writing a book about skin and skincare, and it’s nearly finished. I just haven’t been able to find the time and energy lately to get it across the finish line.
My goal is to have it completed by the end of the year. Beyond creating skincare and aromatherapy, teaching and speaking about skin and feeling more confident in your skin is a huge passion of mine. I love taking something complicated and making it simple so people can understand what their skin actually needs. Once the book is finished, I’d love to get back to speaking more often at events and tradeshows and continue educating people about their skincare and skin.
MB: What does luxury mean to you?
The line’s two newest products
KB: I think luxury can mean many different things, but in the skincare and spa world, I believe it’s about quality, craftsmanship, and the experience. It’s discovering something truly unique, something you don’t find everywhere. It’s the story behind the product, the care that goes into making it, and the sensory experience of using it.
But I also think luxury doesn’t always have to be visual, it’s the experience. In a spa treatment room, your eyes are closed and the room is often dark. You’re experiencing everything through your senses: the aroma, the textures, the touch, and, ultimately, how your skin looks and feels afterward. To me, that is true luxury. It’s about how something smells, how it feels, and, most importantly, how it makes you feel.
MB: Any words of advice for truly caring for one’s skin today?
KB: I think one of the most important things we can do for our skin is to start thinking about skin longevity rather than quick fixes. Healthy skin is really about consistency—protecting the skin barrier, supporting healthy cell turnover, maintaining hydration, and understanding what your skin needs as it changes over time.
The reality is, our skin doesn’t stay the same throughout our lives. Whether you’re a man or a woman, your skin’s needs can change with age, lifestyle, environment, and different stages of life. For women, for example, perimenopause and menopause can bring significant changes to the skin, which is one of the reasons we recently introduced products specifically formulated to support peri- and menopausal skin. But that’s just one example of why it’s important to pay attention to what your skin is telling you.
Sometimes your skin may need more hydration, particularly during the drier months. You might benefit from incorporating a face oil, or perhaps your skin needs gentle exfoliation when things feel a little dull or congested or when products don’t seem to be working anymore. I think the key is really learning to understand your skin rather than following every trend. Give it what it needs at each stage of life, be consistent, and protect it from damage. When you take that long-term approach, you’re not just chasing how your skin looks today, you’re supporting its health and longevity for years to come.
Mary Bemis
A pioneering voice in spa and wellness journalism, Mary Bemis has spent four decades chronicling, championing, and helping shape the modern spa industry. As Founder and Editorial Director of Insider’s Guide to Spas, she brings a distinctive editorial perspective informed by a career that has helped define the language and landscape of spa media. Mary launched American Spa magazine in 1997, co-founded Organic Spa, and helped launch Luxury SpaFinder and NewBeauty. Her industry leadership extends to board service with ISPA, NYSPA, and WSPA, the latter two organizations she helped establish. She has also served as Special Advisor to the Balneology Association of North America. Today, she serves as Special Advisor to Global Wellness Day and sits on the board of the International Sauna Aid Foundation. Recognized among Medika Life’s Top 30 Influential Voices Transforming Wellness, Mary is also a recipient of the prestigious ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award, an inaugural Folio Top Women in Media honoree, and an American Spa Wonder Woman of Wellness. Her mission remains as steadfast as ever: to keep spa culture alive and relevant, honor its roots, challenge its shortcomings, and inspire an industry to live up to its promise.
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