It's Amazing How ILIA Skin Tint Looks Like Real Skin

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Wearing ILIA Skin Tint Foundation in Diaz 07.

I’ve been making moves over the past few years to transition all my make-up to clean, non-toxic products. Lipstick was the easiest – I like Bite Beauty’s Matte Lip Crayon in Tatin, and Kosas Weightless Lip Color in Rosewater for a more dewy finish. Foundation has been much more difficult. In the green beauty world, people rave about Kosas Tinted Face Oil Foundation in 3.5, and at first I liked it a lot – it’s pigmented enough to blur imperfections, and goes on easily, but it’s oil based and just doesn’t work for me during warmer weather. I also tried Kjaer Weis Cream Foundation in Weightless. It’s a little heavy with a beautiful finish but clings to dry skin – a formulation that doesn’t work in very dry or very hot weather.

I had almost given up on clean foundation, and had actually just invested in Chanel’s Ultra Le Teint Flawless Finish Foundation in BD21 – a beautiful formulation with impeccable finish, but silicone-based. I tend to break out if I use silicones too often so Chanel is a special-occasion only product for my skin. (But if you don’t have a silicone sensitivity and if you aren’t specifically looking for a non-toxic product, it’s amazing stuff).

Other clean foundations to try

When ILIA’s Super Serum Skin Tint Foundation launched earlier this year, I was quick to snap it up from Credo Beauty, the “Sephora” of green and non-toxic beauty. I was super interested in trying it out because it’s formulated with niacinamide (evens skin tone and prevents breakouts) as well as SPF 40. Working from home, I was looking for something good for my skin, that would get me through Zoom calls and my pup’s daily afternoon walk. But wow did this exceed expectations.

Get $10 off your first Credo Beauty purchase here

About ILIA’s Super Serum Skin Tint Foundation

ILIA markets its Skin Tint Foundation as a clean, light-coverage, SPF 40 foundation formulated with a blend of hyaluronic acids, plant-based squalane, and niacinamide that evens tone, softens fine lines and imperfections, and dries down to a natural, dewy finish. The SPF is achieved with non-nano zinc oxide, which means it safely shields skin from UVA, UVB, UVC, blue light and infrared rays. It’s also silicone-free (yay!), fragrance-free, chemical screen-free, and oil-free.

I’ve been using it every day for the past month, and I’m completely obsessed. Somehow, ILIA engineered this product to be both sheer AND highly pigmented, effectively blurring my sun spots and scars from old breakouts while not making it look obvious that I’m wearing makeup. It’s truly amazing.

Loving ILIA’s Super Serum – photos have been very minimally edited. Shop my picnic look here.

Skin Tint Formulation

This comes out of the dropper looking like a thin liquid, but when you smooth it on (I use my fingertips and apply it all-over) it feels thicker. This is due to the squalane that’s a main ingredient in the serum. What is squalane? Often derived from olive oil, it’s a hydrogenated version of squalene, a compound produced naturally by the skin’s sebaceous glands that mirrors the skin’s protective barrier.

Because the serum is all-natural and doesn’t have unnecessary filler, make sure you shake it well. If you under-shake, it won’t “dry down” to the proper finish and will look shinier then it’s supposed to be.

A bunch of people have also commented on the serum’s smell in reviews. To me it smells a little like a box of crayons, and it doesn’t bother me at all (I even kind of like it). I would always rather smell a product’s clean ingredients than an added, toxic perfume.

Performance & Colors

I was delighted to find that I can wear the ILIA Skin Tint Foundation without powder, which is unheard of for my moderately oily skin. The serum sets to a dewy, but not greasy finish, that holds up all day indoors. On hot sweaty days I’ve been wearing it with a dusting of ILIA’s finishing powder, which sets it nicely and helps keep my oily skin in check. For this look, I also wore a little of ILIA’s Liquid Light highlighter in Nova across my cheekbones.

Best of all, the colors do not oxidize AT ALL. This is so important, because I’ve been burned before by foundation that looked great at 8am, only to be orange by 5pm.

Swatches of ILIA Skin Tint Super Serum Foundation in Bom Bom 05 and Diaz 07.

ILIA Skin Tint Foundation in Diaz 07 (top) and Bom Bom 05 (bottom) in indirect natural light (left) and direct sunlight (right).

I bought two shades because I was unsure of which color would match my medium-light skin best, Bom Bom 05 (light with neutral undertones) or Diaz 07 (light-medium with neutral undertones). I’ve actually decided to keep them both – Bom Bom is slightly lighter and will be my go-to for winter, while Diaz is slightly darker, and perfect for my summer tan.

One important note: when you first apply the foundation it will look a few shades lighter, but don’t freak out! Give it a minute and it will settle into its true color.

The Verdict

This serum is a clear winner. I’ve been looking for years for a non-toxic foundation with SPF that performs this well. I love that it has an SPF over 30. It seriously punches above all other clean foundations I’ve tried; even outperforming mainstream foundations like Dior’s Forever Skin Glow, which I found settled into my fine lines within hours.

I’m so impressed with the skin serum, I’ve been eager to try other ILIA products too. I just got the highlighter and finishing powder with SPF below. And once my mascara runs out, that’s definitely on my list as well!