If there’s one brand we trust for a no-makeup makeup look, it’s Kosas. Their skin-loving products double as both makeup and skin care. Since launching in 2015, it’s gained a cult-following for viral products like the Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation (a tinted moisturizer favorite of Glamour associate beauty editor Danielle Sinay) and the Air Brow Lifting Treatment Gel (a 2022 Glamour Beauty Award winner). Which goes to say: we’re big fans of Kosas at Glamour, so of course we had to try the brand’s latest launch, Kosas BB Burst Tinted Moisturizer Gel Cream.
A lightweight tinted moisturizer, the BB Burst features a gel cream formula that hydrates skin with ingredients like collagen-boosting copper peptides, smoothing saccharide isomerate, moisture-retaining sodium PCA, and calming zinc oxide. Basically, the usual hybrid of skin care benefits combined with the pigment and high performance makeup that we’ve come to love. The 24 shade range includes light, medium, medium deep and deep, skin tones with cool, neutral, warm, and olive undertones. Described by the brand as “my skin with a little extra,” the BB Burst promises buildable coverage with a smooth and natural finish.
So what happened when we put Kosas BB Burst to the test? Ahead, five Glamour editors share their honest reviews.
Ariana Yaptangco, senior beauty editor, wearing Medium Tan Neutral Cool 30
BB creams are usually not my complexion product of choice. I had terrible acne as a teenager which meant discoloration and scarring, so when it comes to foundation, I’m full coverage all the way. As I’ve worked on my skin, my texture has vastly improved (shoutout to my dermatologist for prescribing me spironolactone) to the point where I can wear tinted moisturizers without feeling overly self-conscious. However, bad habits die hard and I still feel like I need a good amount of coverage in my skincare-makeup hybrid products.
Kosas BB Burst gives me the best of both worlds. The texture is soft and smooth like a moisturizer, but gives you a good amount of pigment that can be built to something more opaque. The result is very natural-looking finish—it melts into skin and can be applied with just your fingers. The trickiest part was finding a shade match—initially I tried shades in the medium-warm 20s range, but they ended up being way too light and chalky. I finally found my fit with Medium Tan Neutral Cool 30, which blends pretty seamlessly into my complexion. I’ll definitely be using this on days when I need to get out the door in a hurry, or when I’m running weekend errands and want to look a bit more put together.
Danielle Sinay, associate beauty editor, wearing Light + Neutral Warm 14
