There are such a lot of issues to like about summer season: backyard barbecues, warm-weather actions, and longer days within the solar. However as an individual with mixture pores and skin that leans on the oily facet, I get the summer season scaries on the considered placing on make-up that may, by the tip of the day, soften into a large number. Regardless of my light-weight summer season lineup of pores and skin tints and sheer protection, my pores and skin can’t appear to carry onto a search for expensive life. And who needs to cake on the powder in the summertime? That’s why the very best primers for greasy pores and skin have turn into my go-to resolution.
However after all, I at all times wish to be working with the very best of the very best. And with new merchandise releasing on a regular basis, it’s necessary to do my analysis and check out what’s out there. So, after plenty of deep dives and scouring by skincare social media accounts, I gathered collectively a number of the finest primers for greasy pores and skin and put them to the take a look at.
How We Determined the Best Primers for Oily Skin
There are a lot of primers on the market. For oily skin gals, not simply any primer will do. Whether or not you’re a fan of matte or dewy seems, your oily pores and skin can sabotage even your most low-maintenance seems. So discovering the proper primer for greasy pores and skin is vital.
To find which primers are literally well worth the hype, I examined them based mostly on:
- Texture: What does it really feel like?
- Maintain: How effectively does it maintain make-up all through the day/night time?
- Key Elements: What’s in it? Does it include different skincare substances I like?
- Pores and skin Sort: Is it made for greasy pores and skin?
- Measurement: How a lot bang you get to your buck
The Best Primers for Oily Skin
Read on to discover which of the best primers for oily skin are worth buying for all occasions and every type of look.
Every product is curated with care by our editors and we’ll always give an honest opinion, whether gifted or purchased ourselves. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Rare Beauty never disappoints. This weightless texture is not to be underestimated. It hydrates and plumps your skin with soothing skincare ingredients while providing a radiant, smooth canvas for your makeup. The pearly finish will give you that lit-from-within glow while the hydrating ingredients address all skin types.
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, Sunflower Seed Oil, Lotus Extract, Gardenia Extract, and White Waterlily Extract
- Skin Type: All
- Size: 0.94 oz/ 28 mL
This is a serum-first with serious priming benefits. When summer comes around, it’s pretty much all I wear under my sunscreen. The lush, gel texture makes it a refreshing serum that intensely hydrates summer skin. Any irritation or sun damage feels instantly soothed as this serum goes to work repairing my skin barrier. But it’s also my secret weapon for priming my skin. It creates a smooth canvas for makeup. For anyone who likes that dewy look, this primer is for you. If you prefer a more matte finish, save this for your nighttime routine to hydrate after a day of being out in the sun.
- Key Ingredients: Antioxidants, Glycolipids, Linolenic Acids, Vitamin E
- Skin Type: All
- Size: 1 fl oz
Another hit and run from Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, this mattifying primer stops shine in its track to keep skin looking fresh for longer. If you’re a fan of the original Fenty primer, this True Matte version has the same cloud-like texture with an even stronger hold. If you have combination skin, you can apply it on your oiler areas. But for full-on oily skin, a thin layer all over will keep you matte all day.
- Key Ingredients: Blue Agave Extract, Blurring Powders
- Skin Type: Oily & Combination
- Size: 1.08 oz/30 mL
This hydrating primer attracts moisture to the skin with a silky, thick texture that spreads easily and improves your complexion over time. Glycerin also helps plump the skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines and texture, making your skin look smoother while blurring powders create a light-reflecting canvas. The hydrating hold and blurring effects give you the best of both worlds: a dewy finish without excess shine.
- Key Ingredients: Microalgae, Glycerin, Blurring Powders
- Skin Type: Oily & Combination
- Size: 1.7 oz/50 mL
I’ve been a Milk Makeup stan since I first started wearing makeup. As someone who doesn’t love wearing a ton of products, Milk has always offered lightweight, skincare-focused options that feel like you’re wearing nothing. This primer is a perfect example. I keep it in the fridge and drench my skin in its hydrating, soothing formula when I want a dewy look. Hydrating ingredients fuel my skin while blue agave keeps a tight grip on my makeup. Pro tip: Let it dry for a minute or so before applying makeup for the most effective hold.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Blue Agave Extract, Hemp-Derived Cannabis Seed Extract, Aloe
- Skin Type: All
- Size: 1.52 oz/45 mL
What can’t this primer do? This super serum doesn’t just blur pores and diminish shine, it works to improve your skin every time your wear it. We’ve all experienced those pore-clogging primers that leave you with breakouts and blemishes. For oily skin, this is a constant struggle. But this primer prevents breakouts with natural AHAs and niacinamide to sweep and minimize pores while you wear it, stopping breakouts before they happen.
- Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, AHA-Fruit Blend
- Skin Type: Combination & Oily Skin, Blemish-prone Skin
- Size: 30ml
This classic lightweight gel is a favorite of makeup artists for a reason. The “photo finish” is no joke—wearing it makes my skin look instantly smoother in photos. A little bit of the gel goes a long way, and its vitamin E and A-enriched formula helps skin look smoother over time. You can also use it over makeup to touch up your look during the day. (Psst… You can also apply it to your hair to tame flyaways or refresh your slicked-back style.)
- Key Elements: Nutritional vitamins A and E
- Pores and skin Sort: Oily & Mixture
- Measurement: 1 oz/30 mL
As an alternative of packing on the powder, this multi-tasking serum can act as a primer beneath your make-up, or layered on prime of your look to soak up oil and forestall shine with out cakey residue. The gel-texture additionally makes it straightforward to mix with basis to create a light-weight pores and skin tint for summer season. Full of unpolluted magnificence substances and no oil, it’s a pure technique to maintain and grip your make-up look nonetheless works finest to your pores and skin.
- Key Elements: Niacinamide, Blue Spirulina, Prickly Pear Extract, Aloe, Glycerin
- Pores and skin Sort: All
- Measurement: 1.1 oz/35 ml
With a balm-like texture, this nourishing primer masks pores and creates a smooth, texture-free surface for your makeup. Suitable for all skin types and tones, it’s a quick solution to wear under or over makeup. Throw it in your bag for on-the-go fixes and midday touchups. It instantly mattifies shine, like a balmy blotting solution that controls excess oil production all day. For the strongest hold, apply under and over your makeup look to double down on its priming effects.
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin E
- Skin Type: All
- Size: 0.75 oz/21 g
If I didn’t already love the Glowscreen, the fact that it doubles as a primer makes me love it more. To keep my routine minimal in the summer, combining my SPF with my primer is a godsend. Plus, the radiant finish gives me a dewy, pearlescent look. The light tint (available in four shades) also provides a little bit of coverage that blends with any product you layer on top. Reapplication is easy since it fortifies the matte look while helping bolster your sun protection.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, and Vitamin B5
- Skin Type: All
- Size: 1.7 oz.
This primer was recommended to me by the board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Loretta Skincare, Dr. Loretta. “The Ilia True Pores and skin Radiant Priming Serum goes on fantastically and absorbs shortly into the pores and skin. It’s aloe based mostly so it hydrates with out clogging pores and might even soothe redness and irritation in acne-prone oily pores and skin.”
- Key Elements: Hibiscus extract, Aloe, Glycerin
- Pores and skin Sort: All
- Measurement: 1 oz/30 ml
Dr. Loretta additionally advisable this reasonably priced primer from cult-favorite model, The Ordinary. “The Odd Excessive Adherence Silicone Primer can be an incredible choice. The silicone distributes the formulation very evenly and can assist to entice in moisture in addition to give a reflective profit to reduce pores and different imperfections on oily pores and skin.” Whereas silicone primers aren’t for everybody, this one gives a powerful grip and an easy-to-apply texture, making it an incredible staple.
- Key Elements: Silicone
- Pores and skin Sort: All
- Measurement: 1 oz/30 mL