"New favorite lip gloss alert!"
I posted these words to my Instagram story a few weeks ago after leaving Ulta with a tube of Kopari Lip Glossy, a hydrating coconut lip gloss. As soon as I opened the package and put some on my lips, I was in love.
I hadn't gone into Ulta seeking a new lip gloss. But at checkout, I noticed a display of Kopari products, all made with premium organic coconut oil, and picked up a box of gloss.
Kopari Coconut Lip Glossy
"Is this good?" I asked the cashier.
"I don't know, but a lot of people buy it," she said.
And, as a lip gloss addict, I was sold.
The first thing I noticed about the Kopari gloss, which costs $13 at retailers including Ulta and Sephora, was the shine. I bought the Birthday Suit color, a shimmery nude gloss that looked so natural and pretty on my lips that I did what any beauty product lover would do — snapped a selfie.
But after hitting Starbucks on my way home, I noticed that despite drinking hot coffee for the entire ride to my house, my gloss had stayed on my lips and was still keeping them sleek and soft.
I live in Florida and while it's not cold here, we still get seasons and my skin still gets dry in winter. Could a lip gloss fix that? It seemed so.
So I ordered the other two colors of Kopari gloss — Clear, a transparent version, and Sangria, a wine-red sheer color.
Good news, lip gloss lovers: All three shades of this decadent lip gloss make your lips look sparkling and moisturized. And they stay on even through all-day water sipping or evening glasses of wine.
The Birthday Suit and Clear glosses are available in a bundle with a lip scrub, but the brand also just introduced the Paradise Pout Lip Kit. It includes the Coconut Lip Glossy in Clear, as well as two new flavors — Pineapple and Watermelon, which are both transparent.
Paradise Pout Lip Kit
Kopari glosses are made with coconut oil and squalene, a lightweight oil that locks in moisture and protects skin.
Dr. Julie Russak, founder of Russak Dermatology Clinic, says both ingredients are good for repairing the superficial barrier of the lips when it becomes chapped or damaged.
"The mucous membrane of the lips is extremely sensitive to variations in weather, stress, environment, food that we eat, etc.," Russak told TODAY, adding that the reason people get addicted to chapsticks is that they have to be reapplied so often. "The protective barrier is easily broken down unless it's truly repaired, no matter how much lip balm you put on them."
Russak says the ingredients in Kopari's gloss might help keep lip tissue hydrated, which is a good thing.
"Coconut oil and squalene are much better to actually treat the root of the problem and repair the barrier, so the lips can maintain their own barrier and heal themselves," she said.
For more stories like this, check out:
- Wonderskin's peel-off lip tint remains smudge-free — even when I wear a mask
- TikTok made me fall in love with this $12 lip shine
- This award-winning brand got me out of my work-from-home beauty slump
To discover more deals, shopping tips and budget-friendly product recommendations, download the new TODAY app and subscribe to our Stuff We Love newsletter!
