A Lock-It-In Setting Spray is the Key to Smudge-Proof Makeup

We updated this article in July 2022 to ensure all picks vetted by the Good Housekeeping Institute were available, in stock and correctly priced. We also included a new pick from Make Up Forever as Best Setting Spray for Oily Skin.

Whether it's a big event or a hot summer day, making sure that your eyeshadow, lipstick and foundation last from day to night is a serious feat. Enter setting spray: If you want your makeup to stand up against the elements, tears and everything in between, a makeup setting spray is necessary. According to celebrity makeup artist Tobi Henney, a setting spray is a liquid mist, usually alcohol-based, that's applied as the last step in a makeup routine to help lock it in. Just spritz on to keep makeup looking and feeling fresh through warm weather, vacay hotspots and sweaty workouts. And yes! Setting sprays work on all skin types, though Henney recommends a light hand on sensitive skin.

Our Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab experts and chemists regularly test makeup products of all kinds, from primers to face mists to drugstore cosmetics and airbrush kits. We consider the skincare benefits, application process and effects to get a sense of whether the ingredients hold up over time. We also try them in real life to make sure they perform just as well. The setting sprays ahead are either picked by our editors and staffers, come highly recommended by verified online reviewers or are regularly stocked in the kits of professional makeup artists.

No matter if you've got oily skin or sensitive skin, we rounded up the 17 best setting sprays you should introduce to your makeup routine: