Beauty Boss: Kat Burki, Founder of Kat Burki Skincare

Kat Burki.

Our latest Beauty Boss is Kat Burki, Founder of Kat Burki Skincare—a pioneering beauty brand that is powered by cutting-edge nutritional science to deliver cold processed and nutrient-dense formulations. Each of her products is packed with Super Nutrient Complexes for maximum potency and free of unnecessary fillers such as water, silicone, and alcohol, in addition to being cruelty-free.

Burki was drawn to the science behind wellness from a young age and fueled her fascination by reading her mother’s books and magazines, later on enrolling in nutrition classes during college, and ultimately pursuing a degree in Health Law. She paid close attention to how functional medicine can meet nutrition in order to provide an effective alternative to healing, and her skincare line utilizes Applied Nutritional Sciences to deliver the most effective formulations for skin through technology, nutritional research, and concepts.

All Kat Burki formulas are pharmaceutically compounded and cold process to create potent advanced anti-aging therapies, and are intelligently mixed using ingredients to form Super Nutrient Complexes which deliver effective and instant therapies for youthful and healthy skin.

We chatted with Burki, who shared the inspiration behind the brand, best advice, wellness tips, and more.

When was Kat Burki founded?

I launched the Kat Burki brand in Henri Bendel, NYC in August 2013 to record-breaking results and critical acclaim. We then expanded into Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, and prestige beauty independents. We continued to grow the brand and expand internationally in 2015, and continued to do so throughout 2019. It’s exciting to say that today, Kat Burki skincare is sold worldwide.

What inspired the creation of the brand?

Personally, I’ve had a lifelong interest and curiosity for wellness and beauty. My education in nutrition and health care law led me into a career as a health care attorney, where I joined scientists and epidemiologists in researching the rise of environmental and food-related diseases. This awareness and training led to a deeper understanding of how our bodies rely on and utilize vital nutrients. I started to experiment and formulate Super Nutrient Complexes based on applied nutritional sciences by deliberately aligning ingredients that once combined, heighten each ingredient’s efficacy creating “super ingredients” with maximum potency.

Do you have a hero product?

Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream is the cornerstone of the brand and has grown to have a large loyal following. I receive so many messages and the testimonials online from customers saying how they love the results on their skin. I believe the Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream is highly regarded because it’s lightweight and the results are immediate. It initially grew through word of mouth among the makeup artist community as it works well under makeup and gives an instant runway glow.

What’s your favorite product from the brand? 

My daily skincare routine includes double cleansing with our KB5 Calming Gel Cleanser and Vitamin C Nourishing Cleansing Balm, then applying the PH+ Enzyme Essence to rebalance skin, followed by Goji Essence to instantly resurface skin. I complete my skincare ritual by moisturizing with our complete Bio-Correcting Face Cream and matching Eye Crème Complex.

Where are your products sold?

Our products are sold on our website and also at prestige and specialty stores within North America, UK, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Thailand, and China.

Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream ($75) is formulated with 15% STAY C, a stable form of vitamin C powered by the anti-aging powerhouse reishi mushroom, for greater absorption and to provide deep nourishment to skin.

What inspires you?

Our customers. I know that may sound cliché but it's true. I really love them and want to give them what they deserve.

Secret to success?

For me, it’s organization. I organize what I want to attack and know my priorities for every day and overall for the year. I move pretty systematically through my internal list.

Beauty secrets?

Make sure you are giving your skin what it needs for its own repair including complete nutrition and oils. Remember the skin cells are constantly renewing themselves and our body repairs itself at night! Sleep is extremely important for skin care. Avoiding toxic chemicals (which can be found in sunscreens and makeup), pollution, and sunburns—which all reap havoc on the skin, of course should be avoided.

Wellness tips?

Nothing you can ingest will directly impact your skin as immediately as topical skin products can. This makes skin care wonderful as you can directly impact skin’s health and renewal by applying the right formulas directly to your skin. In general, food is usually the root of most health and wellness issues. You want to begin by avoiding foods that are inflammatory. It’s important to first make sure that you are not eating anything that your particular body finds inflammatory—a good rotation elimination diet will help you determine this. Common food groups that are inflammatory are wheat, nightshade vegetables, dairy products, and eggs.  I always recommend beginning with an anti–inflammatory elimination diet.

Equally as important for your skin is water hydration. Your skin can immediately show obvious signs of dehydration. Be sure to drink enough water and use a hydrating moisturizer. Additionally, be sure to include a complete nutrition plan  in order to boost good protein support healthy skin, hair, and nails. Be sure to choose vegetables that are rich and multi-colored so you are eating a thorough variety. Also ensure that you are including plenty of healthy fats in your diet such as avocados, salmon, almonds, and walnuts. 

Best advice?

Take care of yourself first, your health and well-being is paramount.

For more information, visit katburki.com and follow on Instagram: @katburki @katburkiskin

[Images courtesy of Kat Burki]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk