Beauty and wellness brands gathered at the District at Tustin Legacy on Saturday for the Glow Festival, an outdoor market featuring product sampling, shopping and interactive experiences designed to connect small businesses with attendees.
Hosted by Svn Sundays, the event took place from noon to 5 p.m. It featured a curated selection of beauty, wellness and lifestyle brands, giving attendees the chance to discover new products, connect with brand representatives and owners and participate in giveaways.
Cindy Chou, founder and CEO of Svn Social Agency and Svn Sundays, said the festival aims to offer more than a traditional marketplace by bringing brand experiences typically associated with influencer events to everyday consumers.
“When it comes down to vendor and brand curation, we really try to reinforce just our vision, our overall vision,” Chou said.
Organizing the festival involved selecting businesses that align with the theme, seasonal offerings and overall brand identity. Vendors were able to submit applications for a unique array of hand-selected participants, ensuring the businesses complement one another instead of competing against each other.
Chou said the event also reflects a growing interest in self-care and mental wellness with hopes that attendees use the festival as an opportunity to enjoy a day focused on themselves.
“I hope that they enjoy their day, slow down, and use our Glow Festival,” Chou said. “Use our beauty and wellness pop-ups as a way to treat themselves out to a day of self-care and wellness.”
For participating businesses, the festival also offered an opportunity to introduce new products to potential customers through face-to-face interactions.
Jasmine Torres, a sampler for Naked Life, said the brand previously participated in Svn Sundays’ event in Long Beach. Returning to the market allowed the company to engage with the community while offering customers something different.
Torres, who works in marketing and experiential events for the brand, said meeting customers in person provides a different experience than selling products online, as face-to-face interactions help customers become more familiar with brands and make them more memorable.
“There’s a huge difference and the impact that you get is 100% better,” Torres said.
Sarah Ahmad, founder of URBANTONIX, said the festival gave her a chance to connect with local customers after launching her skincare brand during the summer.
As a former Cal State Fullerton student who grew up in Orange County, Ahmad said participating in the festival was a way to reconnect with the community she lives and works in.
“I’ve always been big on connecting with my local community,” Ahmad said. “I really want to be out there. I want to connect in person with my local community.”
URBANTONIX is a barrier-first skincare brand that focuses on protecting the skin barrier, which helps it retain moisture and protect the skin from external irritants.
Ahmad said the opportunity to demonstrate products and speak directly with customers makes in-person events particularly valuable for a new business. She also added that conversations with customers allow her to learn about their skincare concerns and explain the research behind her products.
Juka Ceesay, founder of Juka’s Clean Beauty, also participated in the festival to introduce her brand to new customers.
Her skincare brand incorporates African superfoods and works with women in villages in Africa, with a focus on villages in The Gambia and partnerships in Senegal. She initially began using ingredients from Africa to create skincare products for herself before growing her business for others to experience.
The brand took five years to develop, including three years of formulation and two additional years of work before its launch in December.
Ceesay said she decided to participate in the festival after learning about the opportunity to connect with other vendors and expand the brand’s visibility. She said direct conversations allow customers to hear the stories behind the products, ask questions and learn about the people who create them.
“Them meeting you also and hearing your story and also what inspires you sometimes, they are curious, they want to ask,” Ceesay said. “It is definitely more personable and it’s much better.”
Ceesay added that meeting customers also creates opportunities to maintain relationships after the event through follow-up messages and further questions about products.
For Chou, those connections are important to the festival’s purpose. By bringing together established businesses and brands, Glow Festival aims to create an environment where customers can explore beauty and wellness products while connecting with the people behind them.