Picking the best primers for oily skin will help keep your makeup looking shine-free, matte and glowy in all the right places.
Just like discovering the best sunscreen for your face, or the process of layering skin toners with your best moisturiser, finding out what the best primers for oily skin are is so worth your time. Picking a specific primer for oily skin is important to keep your complexion balanced, and shine-free - and they'll be a saviour during rushed school pick-ups to save you from having to blot your way through the playground. Plus, if you struggle with your makeup looking cakey, this is something a good primer can help with too.
"Silicone-based products are great for mattifying and blurring, they make the formulas smooth over the skin beautifully," reveals Brooke Simons, MUA to the likes of Laura Whitmore and Pixie Geldof. Ruby Hammer MBE and celebrity make-up artist, agreed, "you want something that will be mattifying and long-lasting, without being drying and uncomfortable." With that in mind, we’ve rounded up the best the make-up market has to offer and spoke to two industry experts to give you unrivalled application advice too. So, if you're looking to perfect your favourite autumn makeup look, these are the primers worth buying...
What to consider when looking for the best primer for oily skin
Why you can trust GoodtoKnow. Our experienced Consumer Editor & parent reviewers spend hours testing products to help you make the best choice. Find out how we test and review products.
- Star rating: Our in-house star-rating system is based on peer reviews. They’ve tried and tested the hair brushes and awarded stars based on factors such as product quality, ease of use, customer feedback, awards and value for money. Products that have received a 5-star status are rare and considered exceptional, going above and beyond our reviewer’s expectations.
- Active ingredients: Most of the best primers for oily skin will contain ingredients such as salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid and silicone. We looked out for these specific ingredients when testing the products.
- Cruelty-free: More and more beauty brands have realised that testing on animals is not a humane or sustainable practice. We’re keen to select products from brands that follow this ethos.
- The wearability of the formula: The whole point of a primer is to prepare your skin for makeup and to ensure that it stays in place all day. We tested to make sure that the primers we tested would not only prevent shine but also keep your base from budging, melting or slipping.
The best primers for oily skin as picked by our beauty team and celebrity MUAs
Taking anti-shine to the next level, this mattifying primer smooths the look of pores, balances shine and keeps skin looking its best all day long. Gliding onto our skin, this lightweight formula had a lovely cushiony texture that made our skin feel so soft and smooth. It’s designed to help makeup blend better, last longer and stay looking and feeling fresh all day long and this was definitely something we noticed. Our makeup looked flawless for the whole day and really fought off any shine, sweat and oil too.
Brooke Simons also agrees that this is one of the best primers for oily skin; “I use all three of the Fenty primers religiously, but I love using this mattifying one a lot on my clients with oilier skin types and especially on men when I’m trying to keep skin from looking too shiny on camera.”
If you want to give the illusion of smaller, airbrushed pores, then this is the primer for you. Another great contender for one of the best primers for oily skin, this silicone-free formula glides across the skin like butter to create a silky soft veil that provides the perfect base for applying makeup on. Thanks to clever ingredients like Microalgae and blurring powders, it creates a mattified appearance that works all day to absorb excess moisture and oils. This primer worked well for applying on our T-zone areas that are most prone to excess oil and managed to keep us looking shine-free all day long, without the need for touching up with powder.
Ruby Hammer loves this primer and recommends it to her clients with oily complexions. “This primer has a nice, lightweight, oil-free formula that helps control shine and blurs the appearance of pores. It's really good for absorbing excess oil from the skin throughout the day.”
Bridging the gap between skincare and makeup, this formula puts your skin first. The blue-based primer left our skin noticeably smooth and absorbed any surface oil immediately, plus, it left our skin incredibly soft. The lightly fragranced primer reduced the appearance of our pores, mattified oily t-zones, and created the ultimate base for applying makeup on top of. We loved that it was packed with skin-loving ingredients like White Water Lily to combat sebum production and Silca Powder to blur imperfections.
Simons also thinks this is one of the best primers for oily skin. She says that it’s “amazing for mattifying and doesn’t leave a cast over the skin, meaning you can work your foundation into the skin well alongside it.”
Infused with salicylic acid which works to reduce oil and face shine, this primer means business. Beauty Editor, Jess Beech is a big fan. “My skin is pretty oily on the t-zone and by the time I've applied my serum, moisturiser and SPF in the summer it's a slip-and-slide before I've even got as far as makeup.”
She continues, “The formula of this is completely clear (so would work for all skin tones) and has a fluid consistency. It tingles slightly when applied thanks to the salicylic acid and makes this a great option if you are wondering how to get rid of spots. It properly mattifies my skin, making it almost verge on looking flat, but by the time I've applied the rest of my makeup, it looks more natural. I'm normally in a committed, co-dependent relationship with my setting powder for during-the-day touch-ups but find I reach for it less to de-shine my face when I've applied this primer first.”
One of the best-known base products that’s renowned for its suitability for oily skin, this face base keeps your complexion looking balanced from AM to PM. Boasting an impressive amount of plant-derived oils, plus aloe water, cherry blossom, and hyaluronic acid, this primer packs a punch. After leaving the formula for one minute to fully absorb we noticed how mattified our skin looked. The blue agave extract worked to form an invisible layer of grip to ensure that our makeup stayed in place all day and didn’t budge no matter what the day threw at us.
Hammer sings this primer's praises by stating that it “glides onto the skin really nicely, and creates a transparent hydrating layer. It also helps plump the skin and leave it feeling soft and supple.” Proving just why you shouldn’t be concerned about adding extra moisture to your skin just because you have an oily complexion, the ingredients in this primer work in harmony with your skin to produce a balanced complexion.
“I absolutely adore anything from Hourglass and this primer is no exception, it really works to smooth the skin and give an airbrushed finish while controlling shine, absorbing excess oil, and blurring any skin imperfections,” Simons tells us.
And we were excited to try this primer, having heard that it's a contender for one of the best primers for oily skin. The refreshingly lightweight gel formula glided onto our skin and instantly helped to smooth uneven skin texture, blurring the pores on our nose and chin. The formula worked hard to absorb any excess oil on our face and also left it looking shine-free and mattified for hours. Our makeup also didn’t budge, with the tacky primer keeping everything looking fresh and as if we had just applied it. We had a gorgeous glow in all the right places and our base remained looking airbrushed and well-balanced. It’s an expensive product but the travel size one is so ideal for carrying in your handbag or holidays.
The popular putty primer has had a rebrand and now comes in a liquid form and we couldn’t have been more excited to get our hands on it. Beauty Editor Jess praises the formula and said it worked well for her oily complexion. “I really like all the elf primers and do think that you can't go wrong for the price. This feels more elevated than smooshing the original primers out of the pot, and I think that having it in the tube makes it easier to use without getting too much or too little out.”
She continues, “I wouldn't say it's super mattifying, but it's satisfyingly sticky and grips tight to my base, helping to keep it in place for longer than it would normally survive before my oily skin evicted it from my complexion.”
This affordable option might not be the most effective for balancing out oiliness in your skin but it does a great job at keeping makeup from slipping, so it's still worth adding to your beauty portfolio and touching up with some powder in your t-zone.
Despite being one of the most expensive primers for oily skin in this round-up, this is worth the spend if your budget allows. Hammer explains, “A little goes a long way with this primer. It has a silky-smooth texture that blurs the skin’s surface, creating the perfect base.”
This super lightweight formula is packed with amino acids, antioxidants, and green tea extracts to really care for your skin needs. Upon application, this refreshingly silky milk left our skin looking and feeling amazing, ready for makeup application. It did a good job of minimizing pore size and balancing out any visible oil on the surface of our skin. Once makeup was applied on top it managed to keep it looking fresh and flawless for most of the day and also left our skin plump and juicy. Overall this was another product we would definitely add to our list of best primers for oily skin and would recommend to people with combination and oily skin types.
We love a beauty bargain and they don’t get much better than this offering from The Ordinary. This cult favourite from the skincare brand is a silicone-based primer that works to hydrate, mattify and smooth the skin ahead of makeup application. The non-greasy formula features adaptive silicone particles that create a high-definition finish with long-lasting wear, effectively working to blur the look of imperfections including fine lines and enlarged pores.
Beauty Writer, Annie Milroy says, "I loved this as soon as I applied it onto my skin. I luckily don't have dry skin so this kept it looking plump and hydrated all day long. It definitely made a difference in terms of shine levels on my forehead, nose and chin, but by the afternoon I did need a little powder touch-up. For the price, I cannot recommend this enough to everyone."
Don’t be put off by the black colour of this mattifying primer, the oil-free formula absorbs into the skin after working in and leaves no cast. Designed to create a smooth and completely matte base for makeup application, this primer works hard to offset shine and prolong foundation wear. The refreshing formula is infused with Vitamin E, which deeply hydrated our skin to keep it looking fresher, plumper and nourished for longer. Any oil and shine was kept at bay and we didn’t need to touch up with powder as much as we normally do.
Beauty writer Annie was pleasantly surprised by this product. "I won't lie, the black formula of this scared me at first but after a minute of working into my skin, it disappeared. This primer was one of the best for keeping shine at bay all day and didn't show any signs of excess oil. It did sit in my pores slightly but wasn't too much of an issue. I think if you suffer with a shiny complexion then this would perform as one of the best primers for oily skin."
How we tested the best primers for oily skin
For the purpose of finding the best primers for oily skin, we made sure that proper testing was conducted. We wanted to try options at all price points, so tried products from budget brands all the way through to high-end, luxury picks.
We tested each product over several days, to get a good idea of how they each felt on the skin and how well they performed alongside our normal makeup routine. We've also looked at the ingredient list, checked the prices and our shine levels, and then considered our thoughts on the application and how well it lasts.
Lastly, we consulted the experts - a team of trusted make-up artists - who recommended the best primers for oily skin on the market as well as the products they're most loyal to.
How to use the best primers for oily skin
Wondering if it's the way you apply your primer rather than the formula letting you down? These MUA top tips will help you ensure that your primer is performing the way it should.
“You don’t need to use a mattifying primer all over your face if you only have targeted oily areas such as your nose, chin, or cheeks," recommends Simons.
She continues, “Prime your skin everywhere else with a normal primer and then you can target the oiliest areas with a mattifying primer - your overall look doesn’t need to be fully matte and you can still maintain a natural glow on other areas such as your cheekbones.
“Don’t forget to mattify eyelids as this area can get very greasy. This will also help with make-up application on the eyelids, so your eyeshadow won’t crease.”
Can you wear primer without makeup?
You absolutely can wear a primer without makeup! There's no need for you to feel like you have to apply makeup on top if that's not what you want.
The best primers for oily skin will still work to minimize oil and keep your face looking shine-free all day, with or without makeup. Primers are a great last step in your skincare routine and make the ideal accompaniment for no-makeup days.
Top skincare tips for using the best primers for oily skin
We couldn't speak to the experts without getting their inside knowledge on the top tips for using the best primers for oily skin.
MUA Brooke Simons says it's all about the skin prep ahead of primer application that matters. “Really look after the skin prep first before applying your make-up and make sure you give yourself a hydrated base." She tells us to "then apply your mattifying primer, and dust a bit of powder before applying foundation if you’re super oily.”
Meanwhile, Ruby Hammer also warns that "the drier you make your skin, the more oil it has to produce to compensate - it is a vicious circle. Avoid alcohol-based products and don’t over-exfoliate the skin," she recommends.
Looking for more product recommendations? Check out our guides to the best long-lasting perfumes, and the best red lipsticks.
With over a decade of experience in the beauty industry, Brooke Simons is a renowned fashion and red-carpet make-up artist based in London. As one of the industry’s pioneers, Brooke has built an impressive portfolio working with celebrities, publications and global brands. Brooke’s signature method promises to give glowing, natural and flawless results that last, using only the highest quality, and most importantly, cruelty-free products. As a trained photographer, Brooke is known for her unique and exceptional insight for editorial make-up, a skill that has helped her understand how to bring out the best in every look. Her core values have gained her an army of loyal clients, brands and publications that she has worked with as a global make-up expert. Brooke’s clients include Laura Whitmore, Pixie Geldof, Amy Jackson, Ed Westwick, Sadie Frost, Lennon Gallagher, and Leonie Hanne among many more.
Awarded an MBE in 2007 for her long-standing contribution to the cosmetics industry. Ruby pioneered the movement towards inclusivity in beauty in the UK. A global makeup artist, brand founder and beauty expert, Ruby has used her 30 years experience within the beauty industry, working across editorial, commercial shoots, haute couture catwalks and TV to teach people to embrace and enhance their natural, unique beauty. Launching her eponymous beauty range in 2019, Ruby has distilled her knowledge and expertise into a succinct line of routine-enhancing releases designed to simplify beauty.
Jess Beech is our Beauty Editor, working across Goodto.com, Woman & Home, Woman, Woman’s Own, Woman’s Weekly and Chat. Joining just after she graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BA in English Literature back in 2013, Jess has been a part of the team for over 8 years. Over that time she’s tried her hand at most subjects – covering diet, health, cookery and even a stint on real life crime before settling on beauty and fashion a couple of years ago.
Annie Milroy is the Beauty Writer for Woman & Home and other publications. After being inspired to work in magazines as a result of bingeing Ugly Betty at the age of 12, Annie knew a life working at an esteemed publishing house was her dream job. She spent three years studying Journalism and English Language at the University of Portsmouth, alongside balancing (many) nights outs and hungover 9am lectures. During her career she assisted on numerous fashion and beauty shoots, interviewed the likes of Claudia Winkleman, Nadia Hussain and Rochelle Humes. Plus, getting to speak to the industry’s finest experts in skincare, makeup, hair, body and health.
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