The 10 Best Tinted Moisturizers of 2024, Tested by Real People
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For days when you want coverage without the heaviness of foundation
Whether it's the dead of summer and too hot for classic foundation, or you just want your makeup to have a lighter feel, tinted moisturizer can give you good coverage while keeping your skin fresh and hydrated.
"Tinted moisturizers are great for those who want balanced skin coverage and hydration all in one," celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin tells PEOPLE. "These tend to not give you as much coverage as a traditional foundation, but just enough for everyday wear and ease."
Benefits of a Tinted Moisturizer
Tinted moisturizer hydrates your skin and provides just a hint of coverage. It’s the ideal replacement for a foundation for those times when you don’t need full coverage, like a day at the beach or pool. Many of the best tinted moisturizers also include SPF, which doubles as blue light protection as well.
Over the past two years, we have tested 36 of the most popular drugstore and designer tinted moisturizers on the market. Our testers compared each tinted moisturizer and considered how hydrating they were, what the coverage and pigmentation were like, and how the product felt on the skin. We also observed the shade range available for each product since this makeup is tinted and requires a close skin tone match.
Of all the tinted moisturizers that PEOPLE tested, these were considered the best of the best.
Best Overall: Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen
Star Qualities
Layers nicely with other makeup
Suited for long hours of wear without oxidizing
Tester didn’t experience breakouts while using this
Red Flags
Settled into some fine lines around the eyes after several hours
Coverage may fade if you have oily skin
A good tinted moisturizer should be lightweight, feel smooth and creamy on the skin, and provide a hint of coverage while letting your natural texture show through. Our favorite from Rare Beauty hit each of these marks and earned a near-perfect score during testing — even on dry, oily, or acne-prone skin.
With a lightweight feel, this tinted moisturizer initially has a matte finish but settles into giving skin a dewy glow that doesn’t look greasy, even on oily skin. Its ease of use was evident, as the liquid consistency allowed us to easily layer concealer and liquid blush on top of it. While our tester is acne-prone, they didn’t experience any breakouts while wearing this. Although it provides light to medium coverage, it still covers acne scars and dark circles with ease.
This may not be the best for use on mature skin or the under-eye area, because it did settle into some lines around the eyes. While this does have a wide range of shade offerings, we found that choosing the right shade online would have been a lot easier if each shade was shown on a model.
Sizes: 1 oz. | Shades: 24 | Consistency: Liquid, light | Finish: Dew glow | SPF: 20 | Best For: All skin types
Best Overall, Runner-Up: Tarte Maracuja Tinted Hydrator
Star Qualities
Feels lightweight, even when multiple layers are applied
Contains hydrating ingredients, so you may not need a moisturizer underneath
Doesn’t look greasy
Red Flags
Has a tacky texture upon first application
Doesn’t contain SPF
This tinted moisturizer creates medium to full coverage, covers up redness, and has a luminous finish. We love how it provides moisture with hyaluronic acid and maracuja oil without making the skin look greasy.
When applying the moisturizer, the thick texture can feel a bit tacky in some areas, but for the most part, it blends easily. One of our testers blended this with their SPF, which made the texture easier to work with. When wearing many layers of this product, it didn’t cake at all, and it smoothed nicely over pores.
Sizes: 1 oz. | Shades: 20 | Consistency: Creamy, thick | Finish: Radiant, dewy | SPF: N/A | Best For: All skin types
Best Drugstore: L'Oréal Skin Paradise Water-Infused Tinted Moisturizer
Star Qualities
Feels lighter than air on the skin
Sheer formula provides a natural look that's great for everyday wear
Contains aloe vera and witch hazel to reduce inflammation
Red Flags
Formula is sheer, so it doesn’t offer much coverage
Doesn't hydrate well due to thin consistency
Shade range could be expanded upon
A budget-friendly favorite, this L'Oréal tinted moisturizer is lightweight and melts onto the skin. When applied, it didn't feel like the product was sitting on top of the skin but instead sinking into it. As a water-based formula, this moisturizer also contains aloe vera and witch hazel (both known to reduce inflammation and soothe skin). We love the coverage and how the tint seamlessly blends across the skin while still letting some texture show through.
Due to the formula's thin consistency, this product doesn’t seem to fully hydrate the skin compared to some of the thicker moisturizers on our list. We also think this makeup could have a larger shade range with more inclusive skin tones.
What We Think Now
During our at-home testing, we discovered that the L’Oréal Skin Paradise works best on drier skin, as the moisturizing aspects of this formula may be a tad too much for those with oily skin. It’s great for quick and easy makeup days when you want your skin to look like your skin, just a little better. However, we wish that it was made with a higher SPF.
Sizes: 1 oz. | Shades: 12 | Consistency: Sheer, light | Finish: Dewy | SPF: 19 | Best For: Combination, oily, and sensitive skin types
Best with SPF: PÜR 4-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20
Star Qualities
Didn’t experience any breakouts, even on sensitive and acne-prone skin
Inclusion of shea butter makes it extremely hydrating
Skin-loving, antibacterial ingredients provide a natural finish
Red Flags
May not be ideal for oily skin types
For those with sensitive skin, PÜR’s 4-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer is fragrance-free and made with mineral SPF rather than chemical SPF, which has a tendency to cause negative reactions. It has a high-quality formula and lightweight consistency that spreads smoothly across the skin. We love how natural this product looks and how comfortable it feels after more than eight hours of wear.
The addition of SPF eliminates the need for an extra step, especially given how hydrating the formula is. While it’s a bit more expensive, it also contains almost twice the amount of product than some others on our list. We also love that it contains a lot of natural ingredients like shea butter, aloe vera, and flower extracts, but people with oily skin might find it feels too heavy.
Sizes: 1.7 oz. | Shades: 16 | Consistency: Creamy, light | Finish: Dewy, radiant | SPF: 20 | Best For: Dry or combination skin types
The More You Know
While both a BB cream and a tinted moisturizer provide sheer coverage and even out your skin's appearance, a tinted moisturizer does not contain additional skincare benefits, like the anti-aging ingredients that are found in a BB cream. Additionally, a CC cream can be used in place of a BB cream on days that you need more "complexion correction," as it offers more coverage than a tinted moisturizer or a BB cream.
Best Sheer: Clinique Moisture Surge Sheertint Hydrator Broad Spectrum SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizer
Star Qualities
Infused with SPF
Lightweight formula feels super hydrating from the first application
Natural finish provides a dewy, luminous glow
Red Flags
Shade range is very limited
If you want just a hint of coverage, this sheer pick from Clinique is a good choice. Our team thought it would make the ideal product for running errands or heading to the beach. It's super sheer and lightweight, so it gives a bit of coverage while providing the skin with nourishing moisture.
Despite the sheer formula, this product did blur some of our dark spots and left a glowy natural finish behind. There isn't a huge range of shades, but on the other hand, this moisturizer does have sun protection in the form of SPF 25, which we love.
Sizes: 1.3 oz. | Shades: 7 | Consistency: Liquid | Finish: Natural | SPF: 25 | Best For: All skin types
Best for Mature Skin: beautyblender 12-Hour Always on Radiant Skin Tint with Hyaluronic Acid & Niacinamide
Star Qualities
Wears well under other makeup
No need for setting powder
Improves the look of pores, dullness, and discoloration
Red Flags
Difficult to get product out of the dropper applicator
Feels more like a foundation than a moisturizer
We love the way this product smooths out texture and pigmentation and that it contains quality skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to help hydrate skin while managing oil production. It doesn’t look cakey on the skin, and we even found it to feel soothing after application. Plus, we can easily layer several other products on top of this with a seamless finish.
Despite its thin, liquid formula and hydrating ingredients, the moisturizer has a smooth, powder-like finish that has a blurring effect on the skin and feels more like a foundation than a moisturizer. The product comes in a glass jar with a dropper, so it is sometimes difficult to control the amount of product that comes out.
Sizes: 1 oz. | Shades: 20 | Consistency: Liquid | Finish: Natural | SPF: N/A | Best For: All skin types
Experts Say
Tinted moisturizers are “also fantastic for more mature skin as the coverage tends to be lighter and, obviously, full of more moisture, therefore they don’t pool into fine lines or wrinkles as prominently as a traditional foundation,” celebrity makeup artist Katie Mellinger tells PEOPLE.
Related: The Best Makeup for Older Women of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
Best for Deep Skin Tones: Ami Colé Skin-Enhancing Tint
Star Qualities
Has a blurring, airbrushed effect on fine lines and wrinkles
Absorbs well, which allows skin to breathe
Formula blends and spreads into skin just as easily as moisturizer
Red Flags
Light coverage is not very buildable
It’s no secret that the beauty industry has a long way to go when it comes to inclusivity. This Ami Colé tinted moisturizer was made to cater to a wide range of skin tones, so you have a high chance of finding your shade match. During testing, we appreciated the blurring, airbrushed look this gave the skin and that it dried quickly. Once applied, it felt like a second skin.
Like any moisturizer, this product is super easy to blend. Though it is mostly sheer, it is still good at blurring pores and lines. We suggest pairing this product with another SPF product for sun protection since this one doesn’t have any. It’s so lightweight that you can easily layer a concealer on top of it if you’d like more coverage.
Sizes: 1 oz. | Shades: 6 | Consistency: Cream | Finish: Satin | SPF: No | Best For: All skin types
Best Hydrating: Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint
Star Qualities
Absorbs very quickly
No product transfer
Sheer formula provides a natural look that’s great for daily use
Red Flags
Formula is sheer, so you won't be able to cover pigmentation or breakouts
The ultra-popular Glossier tinted moisturizer is lightweight and feels like a second skin. When applied, it doesn’t feel like the product is sitting on top of the skin and instead provides deeper levels of hydration with a light layer of coverage. It contains glycerin and castor oil to hydrate the skin, while diamond powder helps to blur and minimize the look of pores.
Despite the formula’s thin consistency, it deeply moisturizes the skin, even compared to some of the thicker moisturizers on this list. This product won’t cover intense pigmentation or acne, but we love that the light feel and natural look on the skin make it easy to layer more product on top.
Sizes: 1 oz. | Shades: 12 | Consistency: Sheer, light | Finish: Dewy | SPF: No | Best For: Combination, dry
Best Matte Finish: Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint
Star Qualities
No oxidization, even on oily skin
Creates a matte finish while still letting texture show through
Red Flags
Matte finish turned a bit shiny throughout the day
Formula clings to dry patches, so it’s great for oily skin types
Products with a matte finish get a bad rep for feeling heavy or cakey, but Fenty’s light and weightless tinted moisturizer offers coverage in a formula that feels like you aren’t wearing anything. Its liquid formula blends easily and doesn’t settle into lines or creases. It doesn’t feel tacky, and during our tests, it absorbed into the skin and dried right away. The product is best for oily or combination skin types, but it also contains a small dose of glycerin, so it won’t overly dry out skin.
During testing, we noticed this could cling to dry patches and turn a bit shiny throughout the day. This product doesn’t contain SPF, so you’ll want to make sure to layer some sun protection underneath it.
Sizes: 1 oz. | Shades: 25 | Consistency: Liquid | Finish: Matte | SPF: No | Best For: Oily, combination skin
Best for Sensitive Skin: Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen
Star Qualities
Feels like a moisturizer while also providing sun protection
Provides medium to full coverage with a natural finish
Formula approved by the National Eczema Association
Red Flags
May feel thick on the skin at first
For a smooth, blendable formula and a product that offers medium to full coverage without irritating skin, we love Tower 28’s Tinted Sunscreen Foundation, which even has the approval of the National Eczema Association. Though it may feel cakey within the first 10 minutes, we love how lightweight this feels on the skin once it sets. While most tinted moisturizers are good for daily use, we would even wear this for a night out because of how nice the coverage looks and feels.
A lot of products that have SPF can often leave a white cast on the skin, but we found this actually gave the skin a healthy, bronzed glow — even though it has a higher-than-average SPF of 30. The formula contains aloe vera and prickly pear to soothe the skin while also helping to repair and soften it on a deeper level.
Sizes: 1 oz. | Shades: 17 | Consistency: Cream | Finish: Natural | SPF: 30 | Best For: All skin types
What to Know About Tinted Moisturizer
Skin Type
Your skin type will determine what kind of features you should look for when it comes to buying tinted moisturizers. "Think about the kind of coverage you want first, and then consider the best formulation for your skin type," says Martin. "This is important because it allows you to understand how well it'll wear on the skin during the day and evening."
Since there's additional hydration with this kind of makeup, you should consider buying a sheer, oil-free moisturizer if your skin type leans toward oily. With drier skin, you might try a thicker moisturizer for dry skin that acts as a barrier to keep moisture locked in. Combination skin types have a little more flexibility, so a medium-coverage moisturizer in a dewy or matte finish could work equally well.
SPF Content
Using tinted moisturizer is a great way to save time in your morning routine because it allows you to use fewer products — and if SPF is included, that's another step you can skip. If you can find a tinted moisturizer with an SPF of 15 or more, you'll have that extra layer of insurance to keep your skin looking and feeling its best.
Related: The 15 Best Makeup with SPF of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
Shade Range
As beauty influencers have pointed out, some makeup brands, like Bobbi Brown with her Jones Road product line, have succeeded in being truly inclusive with shade ranges, while others have not. Tinted moisturizers aren't as pigmented as classic foundations since they work to even out your natural skin tone rather than cover it completely. So, you'll need a closer shade match. If you don't want to have to mix shades together to get a perfect match, look for brands that highlight inclusivity through a wide (read: more than 10 to 15) range of shades.
Behind the Scenes
We worked our way through 36 of the most popular tinted moisturizers (drugstore and designer) that you can buy. After trying each makeup on our freshly washed faces, we evaluated them for feel, hydration, and coverage while making note of shade range availability.
Feel and Absorption: We blended the moisturizer into our skin, considering how each felt (creamy, sheer, hydrating, greasy, etc.). Products that felt lighter on the skin earned a higher score than those that felt heavier or more like a foundation.
Hydration: We also looked at the hydration of each moisturizer to determine if it was hydrating enough to act as a standalone or if traditional moisturizer should be used underneath.
Coverage: After blending the moisturizers, we judged the appearance of our complexions and whether the makeup made any difference in coverage.
Shade Range: We also considered shade ranges, whether there were enough options to be truly inclusive, and how easy it would be to find a skin tone match using the names and images of each tint.
We ranked each product and narrowed it down to the top 10 tinted moisturizers that delivered in all the key areas.
Why Trust PEOPLE?
Madison Yauger is a commerce editor at PEOPLE, covering beauty, home, travel, and other lifestyle topics. For this article, she compared products based on price, feel, function, shade range, depth of tint, moisturizing effects, coverage, pigmentation, and feel. Neha Tandon is a beauty editor and writer with a background that includes skincare and makeup for publications like Harper’s Bazaar, New York Magazine, Forbes, Women’s Health, Glamour, and more. Neha updated this article with fresh insights from our most recent tinted moisturizers product test.
Our Expert Panel
Daniel Martin is a celebrity makeup artist and Global Director of Artistry & Education at Tatcha.
Katie Mellinger is a celebrity makeup artist who has worked with Sofia Coppola, Emma Watson, and Chloë Sevigny.
What Is PEOPLE Tested?
We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.
But we don't stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we've awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.
In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase.
Related: The 13 Best Face Moisturizers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
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