Kosas vs ILIA Beauty: Battle of the Skin Tints

Skin Tints seem to be all the rage these days, and it’s no wonder: they’re light and sheer and encourage dreams of having “the best version of your skin” skin. Kosas and ILIA Beauty offer popular options, but I was curious to see how these would work on my medium-deep brown, combo-oily skin. I hope this review will help you decide whether either of these skin tints are worth it. On to the battle of the skin tints with Kosas vs ILIA Beauty!

FTC: I purchased the Kosas Tinted Face Oil Foundation and received ILIA Beauty’s products as PR samples. There are affiliate links in this post. If you choose to use them, I will receive a small commission that helps me offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thank you for your support!

Products

Kosas Tinted Face Oil Foundation

ILIA Beauty Super Serum Skin Tint

Performance

Finish

Kosas:

This product has a unique oil-to-powder finish that sits beautifully on the skin. Unfortunately, that beautiful finish doesn’t last on my combo-oily skin. After a few hours, I’m left a greasy mess and experience separation of product.

ILIA Beauty:

The finish is light, skin-like, and doesn’t settle into fine lines and wrinkles. The wear is similar to what I described with the Kosas above.

Winner:

Although I enjoyed the Kosas slightly more, neither really ended up working for me.

Formulation

Kosas:

Liquid, with a unique oil-to-powder feel.

ILIA Beauty:

Liquid with SPF 40. I love that this product offers sun protection.

Color Match and Shade Range

I have medium deep brown skin with yellow undertones.

Kosas:

I’m a 7.5 in the Kosas, and surprisingly, it’s a perfect match. Not much more to say here!

ILIA Beauty:

Upon initial application, Shade 11/Matira was far too light for me. Shade 13/Kamari was a close match but oxidized a shade or two very quickly. That said, a combo of these two shades seem to be the best match for me. Even with an SPF of 40, I see no ghostly cast or residue after application.

Winner:

Kosas was a better shade match for me. I’m pleased that I didn’t have to combine several colors to get a perfect match. Both of these lines leave much to be desired in terms of shade ranges. Kosas offers 16 shades while ILIA Beauty offers 18 shades. Is anyone else getting tired of asking for shade equity when brands launch products?

Scent

Kosas:

Kosas’ product smells mostly of its ingredients: it smells oily. This scent didn’t bother me, but I imagine it would probably sour if gone bad.

ILIA Beauty:

ILIA’s skin tint is fragrance-free—huzzah! However, there is a scent to it that I can’t quite place. It reminds me of bread starter, which wouldn’t be my go-to choice for skincare/makeup.

Winner:

Neither

Coverage

Kosas:

Advertised as a buildable coverage foundation, I was pleasantly surprised at the coverage Kosas offered. I have hyperpigmentation that needs significant coverage, and this product did a decent job when paired with concealer.

ILIA Beauty:

Unfortunately, this product doesn’t provide enough coverage for me. The ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint provides less coverage than the Kosas Tinted Face Oil Foundation. If you’re looking for light coverage (akin to a tinted moisturizer), this may work for you.

Price

Kosas:

$42.00 USD

ILIA Beauty:

$46.00 USD

Winner:

Neither. Both of these products are comparably priced with Kosas coming in at $42.00 USD and ILIA Beauty set at $46.00 USD. Unfortunately at these prices, I expect more than what I got.

Conclusion:

In the battle of Kosas vs ILIA Beauty, neither won for me. #unpopularopinion. Sadly, the performance, price, and shade ranges do not inspire me to purchase these products in the future. That being said, if you have skin that’s on the drier side without the need for coverage, this might be for you. Have you tried either Kosas or ILIA Beauty? Let me know in the comments below!