Bobbi Brown on the Viral Foundation That Makes Mature Skin Glow

We’ve all encountered the odd, wacky, or downright weird trend on TikTok. But when Bobbi Brown logged on and saw almost an entire pot of her new foundation—Jones Road What The Foundation—being slathered liberally over TikToker Meredith Duxbury’s face, she was slightly taken aback.

“My first thoughts were, ‘Oh no! Someone posted a negative review of a product I love.’ But when I watched the video, I saw that she was definitely not someone who would love the finish of this product, and on top of that, she used it in a ridiculous way that didn’t make sense,” Brown tells me. “I posted a silly response just to have fun with it.”

In true Bobbi style, she responded with a video that poked harmless fun at Duxbury’s application technique. The foundation subsequently went viral and sales quadrupled. In contrast to what the original video might suggest, it’s a lightweight wonder that delivers gorgeous skin in seconds.

“It’s a tinted moisture balm but it adds coverage in the places where you most need it,” explains Brown of the formula she claims is ideal for those over 50. “It’s infused with some beautiful oils, so it gives a nice, glowy, skin-like finish.” An excellent foundation to try if you have mature skin, or simply prefer light-to-medium coverage, it may not be for you if you’re super oily, since it contains a number of oils.

Brown has always worked to help women feel like their best selves, and this launch from Jones Road chimes with that ethos. It’s not designed to mask the natural skin texture or features, but rather work with the skin to impart a beautiful no make-up make-up look—and what could be better than that? “I wanted to reinvent traditional foundation because it makes you look like you’re wearing foundation or a mask,” she tells me. “I want it to look and feel like you weren’t wearing anything—your skin, but better.

“What I hope is that people will—and I’m saying people because men wear makeup too—find what works for them, and what makes them feel their most beautiful, rather than [focusing on] how it makes them look. And to me, ultimately, that should lead to confidence—confidence just means that you feel good in your skin.”

While traditional foundations, she says, can be aging on mature skin, What The Foundation makes the skin look alive and fresh. It contains sodium hyaluronate, a humectant to hydrate, alongside ginger root and castor seed oil to nourish and impart a dewy finish. Not only that, What The Foundation is also an easy product to apply.

“It’s a one-and-done product because you also don’t need to use a moisturizer beneath it,” she enthuses. “It’s for anyone that wants an amazing lit-from-within glow—and quickly.” The foundation itself is super moisturizing, so it doesn’t require additional hydration underneath, and it can be paired with face powder on the T-zone if your skin needs it. You can build it up or keep it minimal: “Applying with a brush will create the most coverage while using your fingers will result in a more lightweight finish,” adds Brown.