The One Product You Need to Get a Bikini Model’s Glow

Scoring a bikini-model glow is easier than it seems. (Photo: Getty Images)

The most important part of a bikini is arguably your skin. Whether you’re in a strappy two-piece from Mikoh or an awe-inspiring cut out from Maaji, the fabric-to-skin ratio is vastly weighted to the latter. And while drinking copious amounts of water and eating clean are no doubt excellent modes of upkeep, down at Miami Swim Week this year, models got an extra boost by way of coconut-oil-based skin care products.

Co-founded by Kiana Cabell, Kopari is a beauty company only six months past its official launch date. In that short time, the brand has made a name for itself in the swimwear industry with its best-selling Coconut Body Glow, which has been slathered on the bodies of models at Funkshion Fashion Week shows like Tori Praver, Luli Fama, and more.

“I grew up in Hawaii, and I always loved coconut oil,” says Cabell. But when she left Hawaii to enroll in school at the National Gourmet Institute in New York, she abandoned that love for a bit. Cabell set out to start a food-product company, settling on a “healthier” candy option. She eventually abandoned that idea and returned to her roots. “I was actually reintroduced to coconut through cooking, and I found myself taking it from the bathroom to the kitchen and back and forth, and that’s how I knew how awesome this miracle ingredient was.” Now, sourcing 100 percent organic coconut oil from a family farm in the Philippines, Cabell bases an entire business on the ingredient.

Kopari Coconut Body Glow gets you sun-kissed skin in an instant — no beach required. (Photo: Kopari)

Kopari Coconut Body Glow is made up of organic coconut oil, shea butter, and mica, which are natural pearlescent minerals that create a shimmer effect. “It really gives the skin a nice silky sheen,” Cabell says. “You can use it as a highlighter, and girls have even been tanning with it this week.” The beauty benefits don’t only show up aesthetically, as coconut oil and shea butter are both extremely hydrating. Other ingredients in the product help to speed wound healing and include anti-inflammatory properties, according to the company.

Coconut oil itself has been long touted as a multipurpose product. Couple its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties with its hydration and ability to melt on contact from body temperature, and you can understand why people have used it for everything from taming flyaways to making their feet a little more appealing. Cabell says she used it to tame and eradicate her eczema.

Backstage at Miami Swim Week, teams applied the Body Glow just as you would any lotion: use your hand to rub it onto clean skin — no mitts or gloves necessary. As these were runway-show looks, the product was layered on for a glossy finish, and emphasized collarbones and the calves. Frankie’s Bikinis models even had it applied to their cheekbones as a highlighter.

While the $42 Body Glow may be the best-selling product from Kopari, it’s not the only one. Cabell points to other products, including the unrefined Coconut Melt ($32) and Sheer Oil ($44). “The sheer oil is a great entry product for people who think oils are too heavy for their skin,” she said. That product includes ingredients that protect against sun damage and dark spots, though it does not have an SPF.

For the savvy, a trip to Trader Joe’s or your neighborhood health store can turn up coconut oil that will offer similar skin nourishing benefits. Pair it with a bronzer or blush like Merle Norman Liquid Blush in Tempting or & Other Stories Shimmer Bronze in Moonstone Sheen, and you’ll have a bikini model-worthy glow in a matter of minutes!

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