[4] Reflection has since been certified Platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales, streaming and track equivalent units of 1 million.

Lauren Jauregui also told Billboard during an interview that the album's recording was set to begin in April 2014,[5] and said its sound would be less pop than their earlier work on Better Together.

[12] Jaycen Joshua mixed the song, assisted by Ryan Kaul and Maddox Chhim, at Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood, California.

[12] The group also worked with Tommy Brown who recreated a '90's R&B sound for the song "Everlasting Love" with Travis Sayles and produced the stripped-down track "We Know".

[12] Singer Meghan Trainor contributed vocals on "Brave, Honest, Beautiful" and co-wrote the songs "Sledgehammer" and "Suga Mama".

As noted by Matt Collar, of AllMusic, the album spans "electronic-infused dance music to synthy, rhythmically bumptious hip-hop to retro-'90s R&B.

As well as finger snaps,[13] it features tottering beats and a horn riff in the hook, which critics compared to Ariana Grande's "Problem".

[20][24] Christina Garibaldi from MTV commented that the group "proudly sing about the fact they don't need a man as they "pledge allegiance to my independent girls in here".

[20] Jeff Benjamin of Fuse expands this notion by writing the song can inspire "young girls to truly believe they're 'Worth It' and can own Wall Street or any other place on which they set their sights".

[20][29] The Dr. Luke-produced track, "This Is How We Roll", is a pop rock and electronic dance music fusion,[13][16] with the chorus driven by guitar chords that drop off during each EDM-influenced hook.

[13][16] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard commented that in the song, "Fifth Harmony admirably pulls off the sunny R&B vibe and falsetto runs of the pop icon they're honoring on the track".

[13] "Them Girls Be Like" lyrics also feature cultural references, as noted by Lipshutz who wrote, "like 'Boss', the song oozes self-assuredness, this time swatting down female rivals instead of tongue-wagging males.

"[13] Meaghan Garvey of Pitchfork commented that the track is a "celebration of self-love without the somberness and pedantry that often comes with the topic, purring flirty coos to their own mirror images and breezily refuting the idea that women dress up for male approval.

"[22] The eleventh track "We Know" is a stripped-down song in comparison to the rest of the album[31] and begins with Kordei singing the first verse followed by Camila Cabello.

Jauregui performs the pre-chorus accompanied by a simple piano melody,[13] member Dinah Jane then sings the hook with the second verse sung by Ally Brooke.

[13] Garvey of Pitchfork praised the vocal's division in the song writing that it "serves as the album's most impressive showcase of each member's solo talents.

[38] The song's accompanying music video, choreographed and directed by Fatima Robinson, was released on the band's Vevo page showed the group performing with chairs, interacting at a photo shoot, and in an arm wrestling contest.

[57] Fifth Harmony appeared as guests on VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live for the entire week of February 16, 2015, doing interviews and performing on the show.

Writing for Time, Jamieson Cox, in a positive review, said the group is "agile, and have intuitive understanding of how their differences in vocal texture and range can impact their songs by introducing surprise and tension".

"[22] Matt Collar, of AllMusic, gave the album four out of five stars saying that it "is a slick production showcasing the group's multi voiced approach to contemporary R&B".

[60] Artistdirect's Rick Fiorino gave the album five out of five, saying that each song feels "massive" and has potential to be "blaring out of radios for years to come".

[61] Brittany Spanos, of Rolling Stone, gave the album three and a half stars out of five, calling the lyrics "infectious" and the track "Like Mariah" a standout.

Lipshutz also compares the group's message to Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Katy Perry's, noting that "the back half of Reflection is basically a misandrist constitution, with the 5H ladies brushing off lazy dudes on 'Suga Mama', game-players on 'We Know' and the flight-before-fight bros on 'Going Nowhere'".

[63] Writing for Spin, Brennan Carley gave a rating of seven out of ten, calling the album "cohesive and modern," and "self-aware fun".

[16] Glenn Gamboa, of Newsday, gave the album a grade of B (the highest being an A+), highlighting how the track "Brave, Honest, Beautiful" could be an "anthem for the group".

Gamboa finished his review by raving about the many pop culture icon references on the album, and how the group offers a "particular brand of multicultural girl power".

[64] Writing for Idolator, Christina Lee gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying that Fifth Harmony "nails every song with absolute precision, as if its members had known each other for far longer than just three years since The X Factor".

[31] Rebecca Mattina, from Andpop, gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying that "the lyrics are fun, strong and full of swagger, and their vocals are always on-point.

She noted that "Boss" "might just be one of the best female empowerment songs since Destiny's Child's 'Independent Women'" and called the lyrics of "Brave Honest Beautiful" some of the group's "most powerful".

[75] Outside the United States, Reflection made an appearance in Canada, where it charted at number eight, becoming the group's first top ten entry there as well as in countries such as Brazil and New Zealand.