From cult-favorites like Milk’s Hydrogrip to Korres Pomegranate Mattifying Primer, here are the best face primers to add to your beauty routine.
Whether you are wearing makeup or not, the quality of your face primer makes a difference. The condition of your skin, whether you are using a hydrating moisturizer or a makeup primer, can make or break your look.
While professional makeup artists use skin-care products as face primers, they say that “some makeup primers work like a miracle when addressing specific skin type or challenges.” You can choose what you use to prep the skin based on the results you want. Each person’s skin type and personal preference will dictate how their makeup looks, feels and performs. Fortunately, there are so many great products available for every skin type and texture.
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer
The new Hydro Grip Primer is a hydrating, gel primer created by Milk Makeup that grabs your makeup and hydrates it at the same time. The cult-favorite primer is formulated with blue agave extract, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, providing long-lasting hydration.
The reason beauty insiders love this award-winning primer is that it hydrates dry skin like no other. Hemp-derived cannabis seed extracts and blue agave extracts are responsible for its hydrating properties and makeup-holding abilities, which help soften and smooth skin, as well as provide healthy antioxidant benefits. Also, it includes aloe water, hyaluronic acid, sweet cherry, and vitamins B3 and B5. Additionally, it’s vegan, silicone-free, and oil-free, making it suitable for everyone’s skin type and preference.
Hydro Grip is an oil-free, silicone-free primer that contains hemp-derived CBD, blue agave extract, aloe water, hyaluronic acid, and B vitamins to help hydrate, smooth, and seal in moisture to the skin. In spite of being a makeup product, it has some skin-care benefits. When you apply it, it feels like a smooth gel that absorbs almost instantly.
It works as a nice primer for those with dry skin and dry, indoor heat (or who just have dry skin). This will act as an extra hydrating step while holding on to your makeup all day. It’s a refreshing change from the typical makeup primer’s spackle-like texture. As trendy as CBD is right now, I can’t say whether the inclusion of this compound contributed or not.
MAC Studio Fix Mattifine 12hr Shine Control Primer
With MAC’s Studio Fix Mattifine 12hr Shine Control Primer, you can avoid shiny skin for more than 12 hours. Salicylic acid and astringents such as witch hazel absorb excess oil to keep your skin looking fresh, even after moving and sweating for several hours. Furthermore, dimethicone (a type of silicone) aids in its glide onto the skin.
It is lightweight and long-lasting, but it is not too sticky or heavy when applied, says makeup artists, who use it for clients with oily skin. In addition, it has a silky finish so you can use it without makeup to disguise enlarged pores and fine lines on your T-zone. “Utilizing it alone will keep your skin looking fresh during summer months,” she says.
Shiseido Synchro Skin Soft Blurring Primer
In 2021, Shiseido’s Synchro Skin Soft Blurring Primer won a Best of Beauty Award due to its oil-absorbing powders (including mica) that produce an airbrushed look on oily skin. As it applies with a lightweight texture, it can be used all over your face to keep your foundation looking flawless longer, or targeted areas like your T-zone to control shine.
Using advanced light diffusion technology, this water-based primer blurs imperfections to refine pores, erase shine, and refine the appearance of pores for a soft-focus finish. Synchro Skin Soft Blurring Primer absorbs oil and sweat to keep makeup looking fresh all day long. With light-diffusing Snowflake Powder, mattifying peptides, and Sebum Catch Powder. Using a patented formula, Natural Correcting Powder conceals uneven skin tone and gives skin a youthful glow.
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base Priming Moisturizer
The powerful combination of shea butter and vitamins B, C, and E found in Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin Enriched Face Base Priming Moisturizer smooths and nourishes dry skin.
Featuring a subtle grapefruit and geranium fragrance, its smooth, creamy texture melts neatly into the skin, creating an even, soft surface for makeup application. Additionally, it improves your skin’s appearance and texture over time with daily use.
Reyn Base Serum
The Base Serum is a hero product in your minimal skincare routine, designed with therapeutic doses of active ingredients. Plant-based ingredients in this molecularly advanced formula are recognized by the body as its own, so cellular repair and barrier support are stimulated. The Reyn Base Serum is infused with a proprietary Intelligent Delivery System that delivers this active ingredient deep into the skin to mimic the body’s regeneration and repair mechanisms.
Base Serum is recommended for every consumer, regardless of their skin type, age, gender, or ethnicity. Reyn relies on a low temperature, pressurized extraction technique, and traditional fermentation techniques for the ingredients in its universal formula. These include botanicals, ceramides, peptides, and hyaluronic acids. Unlike other serums, Base Serum does not contain added fragrance or dyes. Its base isn’t made from basic water, but rather from a hydrosol blend of bergamot, neroli, and vanilla. Other ingredients include glycerin, squalane, marula oil, marine algae, and CBD full-spectrum.
Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Pore Diffusing Primer
If you’ve ever wondered how Selena Gomez manages to keep her skin looking so glowing, now you know the secret (or at least a part of it).
Introducing Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty Pore Diffusing Primer. Its lightweight, cushiony gel formula with hyaluronic acid, green tea extract, and vitamin E hydrates your skin instantly and keeps it feeling soft and supple throughout the day. The vegan, cruelty-free formula minimizes the appearance of pores and fine lines, revealing a plump, soft-focus complexion.
For a flawless, better-than-your-skin finish that stays put without fading, creasing, or flaking, wear it under Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation.
E.L.F. Cosmetics ELF+ Matte Oil-Control Primer
As you go about your day, this ELF+ matte oil-control primer by E.L.F. Cosmetics helps control any excess oil and sebum. Its oil-absorbing properties come from kaolin clay. The primer is also enriched with tea tree oil, an antimicrobial known for its antibacterial properties.
An oil-controlling primer infused with clay for a mattified complexion. Kaolin Clay and Tea Tree combat excess oils while reducing the appearance of pores.
Tatcha The Silk Canvas
With Tatcha’s multitasking Silk Canvas primer, you can smooth uneven skin texture, minimize pores, and reduce fine lines. This silky formula, which contains the brand’s Japanese superfood trio, Hadasei-3, will blur, prim, and protect your skin from pollution, makeup, and environmental stressors. Additionally, its compact design makes it a great travel companion.
This best-selling Primer is based on Tatcha’s long-lasting Silk Canvas Protecting Primer, but it is less velvety and mattifying than the original, making it ideal for dry or combination skin. This oil-free formula is formulated with thin layers of silk and a unique blend of botanical extracts to provide a protective barrier between makeup and skin, preventing irritation and reducing redness, dullness, and pores. Whether you wear makeup or not, your skin will feel and look silky smooth.
No7 Airbrush Away Primer
Testers report that No7’s powerful primer reduces the visibility of pores and fine lines along with prepping skin for makeup. Additionally, they raved that it “made skin look smoother” and “made skin tone look a bit more even.” Of course, it’s an obvious point, but the primer blended seamlessly with foundation, so there were no blotches or smudges.
Since this primer is silicone-based, it does leave the skin feeling smoother after applying it. The product has a rather slippery texture, but it is light and easy to apply. This primer has a light texture, so I find it doesn’t clog my pores or cause me to break out like some other primers. Light-diffusing particles are present in the primer, which results in the slight shimmer visible when it is applied to the skin. The primer itself is white and opaque but blends seamlessly into the skin. In any case, it is very subtle and doesn’t make your skin look shimmery, which is the opposite of what you want from a primer.
Korres Pomegranate Mattifying Primer
For a lightweight prep finish, this smooth-to-the-touch primer from Korres is heaven on earth. Featuring a smooth application and a dewy finish without being oily, this moisturizer glides on smoothly and sits nicely underneath any tinted moisturizer or foundation.
My ideal primer during the summer months is one that will prevent my makeup from sweating off my face, give me hydration, and keep my pores hidden. All of these expectations have been met by this primer, and it worked perfectly in extreme humidity. It has a slight nude tint, but it applies sheer in my case. Despite the pomegranate scent, I can’t detect it at all. The scent reminds me of a spring rain scent, which makes my skin feel and look amazing. I’ve been reaching for it every day for two weeks now!
This product contains no parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs, or triclosan.
Maybelline New York Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer
Maybelline New York Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer, which falls under $6, is a great choice if you’re looking for a budget-friendly drugstore primer. This primer has a matte, powdery finish. It is also noncomedogenic, which means that it won’t clog your pores.
Leaving the skin smooth and matte, this lightweight primer blurs pores and hides pores.
When Maybelline says that it’s Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser will give you baby skin, it does not lie. As well as feeling smooth, my skin looked smooth as well. If you’re looking for a new primer, I encourage you to add this to your cart as soon as possible.
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter is another face primer that gives you a healthy glow from within. Right now, the formula is making waves for its ability to blur, lighten, and smooth under foundation or on its own.
Hollywood Flawless Filter is a multitasking formula that illuminates, blurs, and smoothes skin while mimicking Hollywood lighting effects. The all-arounder product can be applied alone, underneath, mixed-in with, or on top of your favorite foundation to keep your complexion looking fresh.
Airbrush polymers give the liquid gold its poreless, seamless finish on the skin, and it is conveniently housed in a glass container with a doe-foot applicator, allowing it to easily glide over the face. Additionally, finely milled powders blur the appearance of lines and pores (thereby creating a youthful, smooth base), while porcelain flower extract brightens the complexion for an incomparable glow.
Clé de Peau Beauté Long-Lasting Hydrating Veil SPF 21
Want a skin-perfecting primer that also provides sun protection? Make Clé de Peau Beauté’s Long-Lasting Hydrating Veil SPF 21 a part of your daily beauty routine, a dewy, radiant formula that adapts to your skin’s needs, protecting your skin against internal and external stressors.
The Long-Lasting Hydrating Veil creates a seamless canvas for flawless makeup application. Designed with a fresh, dewy, essence-light texture, the lightweight primer prevents makeup from deteriorating for up to eight hours while hydrating and creating a flawless makeup finish. As a result of continued use, the primer improves skin conditions such as roughness, dryness, and dullness.
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Face Primer
You’ll never see dull skin again with Touche Éclat Blur Face Primer by Yves Saint Laurent. Skin’s radiance will be instantly enhanced, pores will be blurred, and skin will be even-toned immediately with this lightweight, serum-like primer.
With Touche Éclat Blur Primer, you can improve your skin’s appearance by minimizing pores, enhancing skin texture, and evens out your skin tone before applying foundation. This nourishing moisturizer contains four nourishing oils—corn oil, apricot kernel oil, passiflora oil, and rice bran oil—that leave skin feeling silky soft without leaving a greasy residue.
The universal primer is formulated with blur technology, providing a subtle, golden shimmer for ultimate luminosity. The skin’s texture feels smoother and skin’s tone appears more even and luminous immediately after application. Unlike other formulas, it is free from dulling opaque fillers.
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer
Making the skin smoother and less prone to pores is one of the benefits of the Fenty Pro Filt’r Retouch Primer, according to makeup artist Keka Heron. She says the formula is super smooth and gives you a retouched finish. It’s also cruelty-free as a bonus.
With her hydrating primer, Rihanna proved that she knew what she was doing. An ultra-blended formula rich in grapeseed oil and sodium hyaluronate cools and hydrates dull, dry skin with an instant dose of hydration. As well as being lightweight and breathable, this product also locks in your makeup, extending its wear times. Pair it with the equally moisture-rich Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation for an additional boost of dewy coverage.
Chanel Base Lumière Illuminating Makeup Base
Excellent addition to everyone’s makeup kit, especially those with drier skin types, is this hydrating gel primer by Chanel. The thin, white gel feels wet on the skin but absorbs quickly to leave the skin smooth and silky. It has a light floral smell. Users praise its ability to smooth skin and keep makeup in place for hours.
It is this primer that makes the difference between good skin and skin that is glowing. It revitalizes the complexion and keeps makeup looking fresh throughout the day. You only need a few drops to cover your entire face, so you won’t run out as quickly as you think. One word of advice: Dab, don’t rub, or the product may pill.
MAC Prep + Prime Moisture Infusion
MAC’s Prep + Prime Moisture Infusion Primer helps you prep and set your makeup. With this lightweight serum, you’ll receive an instant boost of hydration, which restores, rejuvenates, and replenishes your skin for a long-lasting plump, dewy look.
Applied as a hydrating serum or as a primer, it helps lock in your foundation for flawless coverage all day long.
Lancôme La Base Pro Perfecting Makeup Primer
Light-reflecting primer La Base Pro from Lancôme gives your skin a soft satin finish boosted by Lancôme’s Softfocus technology to help refine skin texture and blur imperfections. Providing long-lasting makeup results with its oil-free, quick-absorbing formula that looks smoother and softens the skin to create a clean, smooth face base.
This long-lasting face primer with Elasto-Smooth™ technology blurs the appearance of imperfections for a smooth makeup base while refining the look of skin texture. It is oil-free, allowing makeup to last all day, whether you have oily, normal, or dry skin.
Intensely smooth and soften, Lancôme Elasto-Smooth™ delivers a longer-lasting satin-finish with visibly reduced imperfections. Makeup glides on easily with this primer, while colors stay more true and vibrant for an airbrushed glow that lasts all day. It also reduces the appearance of pores and smooths skin’s texture.
Dermablend Insta-Grip Jelly Primer
A quick-absorbing formula and sticky texture make this Dermablend Insta-Grip Jelly Primer provide a natural finish while holding makeup in place for 24 hours. As a 3-in-1 product, the silicone-free primer moisturizes and tightens skin in an instant. It’s formulated with plant extracts to ensure skin looks smooth and tight.
The quick-absorbing makeup primer formulated with plant extracts smoothes, moisturizes, and tightens the skin, so you can apply your foundation better. A jelly texture for all skin tones ensures the formula is safe for sensitive and acne-prone skin types alike, while the formula is 100 percent clear to match all skin tones.
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
Its name suggests that this Hourglass primer promises to create a veil on your skin similar to the one you would find with your favorite filters. Although its silky-feeling formula is a strong selling point, the product also reduces the appearance of pores and wrinkles as well as providing broad-spectrum sun protection.
With this state-of-the-art primer, your foundation will perform at unprecedented levels, giving you a flawless complexion all day long. This unique oil-free primer creates not only a smooth, even canvas for makeup, but also conceals redness, minimizes pores, minimizes fine lines, and protects from the sun’s rays, all in an incredible, incredibly airy, silky, cloud-like texture.
The lotion glides on easily, conceals redness while minimizing the appearance of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. It also provides broad-spectrum SPF 15 protection.
Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer
A favorite of makeup artists, Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer provides a matte finish that minimizes large pores while leaving a smooth surface.
A derivative of salicylic acid (capryloyl salicylic acid) is infused in the formula to gently sweep away dead skin cells. The hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic formula is infused with red clover flower extract, which “heals inflamed skin” without clogging pores.
Smashbox The Original Photo Finish Primer
Its lightweight gel formula gives you an instant blurring effect with Smashbox’s The Original Photo Finish Primer.
It contains antioxidants such as vitamins A and E, which nourish the skin and protect it from environmental stressors, as well as grape seed extracts, which are known for brightening the skin. This formula also contains complexes derived from desert plants that act as moisturizing and cooling agents.
Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Hydrating Makeup Primer
It is easy to prepare skin for makeup or achieve a radiant glow with Armani Beauty’s Luminous Silk primer. This hydrating cream is enriched with shea butter, rice bran, and glycerin, leaving you with an unbelievably dewy and supple complexion.
This ultra-lightweight skincare primer is a longtime favorite of makeup artists looking to achieve softer-looking skin with a gorgeous glow. A potent blend of shea butter, rice bran, and glycerin delivers a powerful hit of moisture to your skin, wrapping it in a luxurious layer of long-lasting comfort and hydration. While softening and visibly plumping skin at the same time, it will also help blur pores and imperfections, making your makeup last longer after your mid-day coffee break.
Hello FAB Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer
It may look more like the ingredient list for this primer in your Whole Foods shopping basket than your makeup bag, but these superfoods will do a lot more for your skin’s hydration levels than the post-workout smoothie.
Using coconut water and quinoa protein, this cream replenishes and strengthens your skin’s barrier against moisture loss as you go about your day. Boosting the skin’s strength is another benefit of these nutrient-rich ingredients, which is why it’s great for improving wrinkles and fine lines. The primer’s light-reflecting micro-pearls also give your skin a radiance boost. “This is my all-time favorite priming moisturizer,” one reviewer said. “It leaves my dry skin feeling so hydrated. I also love the smell.”
Ilia True Skin Radiant Priming Serum
Who can resist a serum formula that’s fragrance-, oil-, and silicone-free? The True Skin Radiant Priming Serum by Ilia combines hibiscus extract, aloe, and beta-glucan for a tightening effect that improves the overall appearance of skin while delivering a luminous glow.
With the versatility of serum and primer in one, this multitasking product is a must for dry skin. Infusing your skin with soothing hydration and leaving it looking naturally radiant, this lightweight formula absorbs quickly. It has a silicone-free, oil-free, and fragrance-free formula, as well as botanical extracts that refine the skin, boost its defense barrier, and reduce the look of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. You won’t want to put makeup on without it again.
Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Face Primer
You’ll love the Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Face Primer if you want a weightless formula to moisturize your dry skin.
An illuminating primer inspired by K-beauty balances your skin tone and enhances your makeup. This foundation is infused with pearl powder, which illuminates and illuminates while providing a smooth base for your makeup. It is sweat and oil-resistant and controls the production of sebum while combating the oiliness.
Tom Ford Illuminating Primer
Use Tom Ford’s Illuminating Primer prior to applying your favorite foundation to revive dull skin. Dual-use as a primer and skin-care product, this product works overtime to create a flawless complexion.
There is a pearly texture to the primer, which is thicker than many primers. It feels like a hybrid of primer and moisturizer. It appears white at first, spreading to a transparent layer that leaves the skin glowing with an iridescent glow. I think it is the type of glow that is truly unique and worth trying out. It does not have a shimmery or glittery effect. I think those who prefer not to use silicone-based formulas will find this product really pleasing.
A hybrid primer, Tom Ford Illuminating Primer works as both a primer and a makeup base. It increases cellular vitality, contours facial features, improves texture, tones and significantly brightens the complexion. The primer provides a luminous and flawless canvas for comfortable and long-lasting make-up application.
Sisley Instant Eclat Instant Glow Primer
It is no secret that dryness and dullness often go together, which is why Sisley’s Instant Eclat Instant Glow Primer is so effective. Including nourishing botanical extracts, this non-greasy, non-comedogenic formula moisturizes, energizes, tones, and plumps skin, helping it appear healthier and more radiant.
As well as hiding shadowy areas and signs of fatigue, it gives your makeup a second-skin look by evening out the texture of your skin.
