Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.
- Product: ILIA Sheer Vivid Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20
- Price: $42 USD
- My Rating: 8/10
My First Impression
I am just so pleased to have received my new ILIA Sheer Vivid Tinted Moisturizer today. My first impressions was the packaging, of course. I love the deep purple box and the lovely gold bottle.
If you are anything like me, I have a hard time recycling the box. I tend to hold onto them because they look so nice…silly maybe, but its the little things 🙂
Besides the box, the product itself is very important too. I chose this product for 3 reasons
- I wanted a foundation
- I wanted a moisturizer
- I wanted an SPF ( great for anti-aging )
ILIA’S Tinted moisturizer gave me all three. So a super bang for my bucks ! This Moisturizer is $50 Canadian. If I bought all three organic products separately, it would have been a heck of a lot more. It is a total win win in my opinion.
What is ILIA’S Sheer Vivid Tinted Moisturizer ?
Ilia Beauty Sheer Vivid Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 is a a semi-matte formula with soothing botanicals to help calm and revitalize the skin.
ILIA Tinted Moisturizer Review
ILIA’S tinted moisturizer feels like whipped cream on your face. It smooths on very soft. It has a light tint, so it does not have coverage like a stand alone foundation provides, however, I am pleased that this tint still gives me enough coverage to hide blemishes and delivers me an even complexion.
The tinted color I am wearing is T2 Belle Mare. It looks like it is a little fair for my complexion on my fingers, but it was a perfect match when I applied it to my face.
It blends wonderfully, without leaving any lines. That is the advantage of a tint. It is more forgiving for different complexions and tends to blend very well.
Right away you can feel the moisturizer. I did not apply anything before the tint as I wanted to see how well it moisturized my face. It feels great! It feels more like a moisturizer than a foundation and has a nice smell.
Ingredients
Active Ingredients (purpose: sunscreen):
zinc oxide 12%,
titanium dioxide 2%.
Inactive Ingredients:
water (aqua), aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf extract*, glycerin, caprylic capric triglyceride, sesamum indicum (sesame) seed oil*, glyceryl stearate, behenyl olivate, chondrus crispus (carrageenen) extract, persea gratissima (avocado) oil, camellia sinensis (white tea) extract*, stearic acid, dimethicone, hydrolyzed jojoba esters, methylcellulose, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil*, butyrospermun parkii (shea butter)*, rosa canina (rose hip) fruit oil*, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract*, jasminum officinale (jasmine) oil, xanthan gum, sodium hyaluronate, tocopherol (sunflower derived), ethylhexylglycerin, phenethyl alcohol, or 2-phenylethanol.
may contain + / – :
mica,
titanium dioxide (ci77891),
iron oxide ( ci77491, ci77492, ci77499 ).
*Certified Organic
This product is vegan and gluten-free.
Questionable Ingredients:
- glyceryl stearate – A naturally derived fatty acid. It helps lubricate the skin. It has a safe rating on Skin Deep.
- dimethicone – A man-made, silicone-based polymer. Used as an anti-foaming and conditioning agent, this ingredient gives a soft texture and helps create a smooth and flawless look. I am disappointed that this ingredient is used in this product. Silicones are not very good for daily use on the skin, as they form a plastic-like coating on the skin, trapping in bacteria, and sometimes leading to skin dryness. Dimethicone has a low-moderate safety rating on Skin Deep.
- methylcellulose – an emulsion stabilizer and binder, this ingredient has a low hazard rating on Skin Deep.
- sodium hyaluronate – helps your skin attract and hold more water, plumping your skin and reducing fine lines. It has a safe rating on Skin Deep.
- ethylhexylglycerin – A natural preservative that often replaces parabens. It is a synthetic compound derived from natural sources. It has a safe rating on Skin Deep.
- phenethyl alcohol, or 2-phenylethanol – a preservative and fragrance ingredient. It occurs naturally in nature. It has a safe rating on Skin Deep.
My Take on The Ingredients
Ok, so a long list of ingredients. I have to say I am mostly happy with this list. I have done my best to identify what each ingredient is for, and if it is on the naughty list.
Dimethicone was an ingredient I wasn’t pleased to see. I have done some digging around and found out that ILIA had to use this ingredient, rather than a natural ingredient like silica, to keep the product from completely absorbing, thus rendering its sun protection factor useless. This seems like a good explanation to me.
So far these ingredients pass the test and stand fair to use on our skin.
Finding organic and natural makeup is tricky. I am OK if there is one or two non-organic ingredients in a product as long as I am using something that is BETTER than what you get at the supermarket. And of course the absolute organic product, I will take over any other. It’s a matter of compromise and awareness.
Most companies are striving to create amazing organic products, and when they can perfect their formula to switch out non-organic ingredients with non-toxic (or organic), they will. ILIA has a reputation to always improve and find better ingredients to switch out the not so nice ones. SO I APPROVE!
Here is a video of the founder Sasha Plavsic talking about the brand’s roots and ethics.
Who is this Product for?
This product is great for anyone who wants light coverage. I use it when I leave yoga or I am out and about, wanting a more natural look.
You would not want to use this product if you desire a full coverage blemish cream. That is where I recommend Jane Iredale’s Glow Time Full Coverage BB Cream, it is also SPF and has great skin care benefits like Ilia provides.
- People on the go
- Skin in need of moisturizing
- Skin in need of SPF
- Dry skin
- People looking to have a fast effective makeup routine
- If you want a consistent complexion
Final Thoughts
I am satisfied with my purchase. I love that I am getting all three advantages in one product. I am feeling like I will wear this tinted moisturizer a lot in the summer, giving me SPF protection, moisture, a nice tint to conceal blemishes and an even complexion.
I don’t like a heavy foundation as the weather warms; I think I will really love this during a heat wave. As for the winter months, the hydration is essential.
It feels velvety and very smooth during application. The smell is nice and not overwhelming in any way. The texture rocks, the application works and the product lives up to its name. I will continue to buy this product when my bottle runs out 🙂
This product is not available on Amazon (bummer) but you can get it from a very trusted source, The Detox Market. An online store that specializes in top-of-the-line organic skin care. They only buy their products in small batches direct from manufacturer’s to ensure freshness.
Get it At The Detox Market (USA) – Free Shipping over $80
Get it At The Detox Market (Canadian Store) – Free Shipping over $100
Have you tried ILIA’s Tinted Moisturizer? What did you think? Leave a comment below and let us know!
To a Bright and Beautiful you,
Maria.
*post contains affiliate links *This full sized product was purchased by me
Aimee says
January 14, 2015 at 5:19 pmJust found your blog and love your organic beauty product reviews.
xoxo Aimee
http://bowsandbeau-ties.blogspot.com/
Maria says
January 14, 2015 at 5:48 pmThanks Aimee ! we are glad you are here 🙂 Thanks for the kind words !
Jackie says
November 16, 2015 at 2:42 pmLove the fact that Ilia uses all organic and natural ingredients but the price seems kind of high; almost just as high as Nars and the Laura Mercier tm.
Maria says
November 16, 2015 at 5:37 pmHi Jackie, Thanks for the comment. I do agree, the price point is high. Ilia’s Tinted Moisturizer has lasted me a long time and I love that it is a great, natural tint. I struggle with price a lot of the time, and that is why I try and do my best in choosing where to spend my money. It does take research and a lot of thought, but in the end I am satisfied and have been able to justify the price. Have you tried Nars and Laura Mercier? I would love to here your thoughts!
Sara says
April 6, 2016 at 6:15 amHi Maria,
Great and interesting review. I spotted this in an organic hairdressers in London. And wanted to purchase but wasn’t sure if it will work on my combination skin. At the moment I am using a light and gentle foundation, but full of nasty chemicals and is proven difficult to see which organic make up will suit my skin type.
Do you know of anyone with combination skin has use this before?
Many thanks!
Maria says
April 6, 2016 at 9:35 pmHi Sara, so lovely that you stopped in!
I would for sure recommend ILIA’s Tinted Moisturizer for combination skin. First of all, I would like to see you switch over to a light organic foundation and see if it helps your skin concerns. Sometimes the harsh chemicals in our products are the cause of our skin conditions. ILIA is a safe transition and gentle enough that it would be a great start. If you find that your skin is a bit oily in places with your organic foundation, use a light mineral powder. You should be able to manage your combination skin with just these two products. I would love to hear back from you to see if switching to a natural product helps improve your skin concerns. If you have more questions just drop me a line!
Isabel says
June 29, 2016 at 5:07 amHi, I just came across your review as I was looking at opinions of this Tinted Moisturizer. I see it’s over a year old, so maybe your opinions have changed?
And by that I mean about the silicone you were disappointed about. I just feel like you should change your text to not keep spreading misinformation. You wrote that they should have used silica instead, but silicone (like dimethicone) is a substance derived from silica. And not to mention there’s no research that supports the claims of silicone suffocating the skin or even being pore clogging. It can’t be when it’s very much used in the acne and scar industry! You do wash your face right? Well, anything you put on your face and don’t wash away, will potentially be pore clogging whether it’s natural or not. The dimethicone is very safe in other words. 🙂
Take care and thanks for a very informative review, I’ll be probably buying this Tinted Moisturizer and try the other products from Ilia xx
Andrea says
June 29, 2016 at 8:10 amThanks for your comment Isabel. While Maria wrote this article, I am going to do my best to respond to your concerns. Here is a quote from an online shop that states why ILIA uses dimethicone: “ILIA Beauty’s Sheer Vivid Tinted Moisturizer is not 100% natural, because they used a tiny amount of Dimethicone (a silicon) in the formula. According to ILIA this particular product – especially because it has sun protection – was impossible to make with a natural alternative like silica, because then the product would be absorbed fully into the skin after about 5 hours. As usual ILIA’s goal is to make the safest cosmetics possible, without compromising on performance. Therefore they choose to add this ingredient, which is of course completely safe, but not natural.” Maria never said that they “should have used silica”, she was just addressing her concern about this particular ingredient.
Dimethicone has been approved safe by the FDA and it has a low hazard rating on EWG’s Skin Deep Database. Most people can use products with silicone and have no problems, but there are some people who do not like it and find it irritates their skin.
I have learned more about this ingredient since this article was written and it seems that dimethicone is safe to use. It has not been proven to clog pores or create a suffocating layer on the skin. I have read that the molecules are too large to get into pores and that the protective barrier it creates is still breathable.
Thanks for your comments 😀