Curious About the Best Tinted Moisturizers? Our Editors Found 'Em

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As our beauty editor, I've tested and reviewed my fair share of face makeup, which culminated in our inaugural New Beauty Awards. With seven years of beauty writing experience, I can confidently say one complexion product that doesn't get enough attention is tinted moisturizers. They're a classic beauty solution for ensuring the skin is hydrated, even-toned, and illuminated. Some are formulated with mattifying ingredients for oily and combination skin types, while others contain broad-spectrum SPF to guard the skin against ultraviolet A and B rays that cause signs of aging and burns.

Regardless of which tinted moisturizer you gift a loved one or treat yourself to, users can enjoy a lightweight feel and natural-looking coverage for an enhanced, filter-like complexion without the fuss. The best part? There's a tinted moisturizer out there for any skin type, including acne-prone, dry, and mature skin.

Those who are concerned about these products creasing into their fine lines and wrinkles don't have to worry, either. Tinted moisturized doesn't cake or crease like other thicker products might. Keep scrolling for my expert-curated guide to all things tinted moisturizer with recommendations and advice from some of my favorite makeup artists, including award-winning picks the four of us can't stop using.

Best Tinted Moisturizers

• Best Overall: Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Soothing Serum Skin Tint Foundation

• Best Budget Buy: wet n wild Bare Focus Tinted Hydrator

• Best for Oily, Combination, and Normal Skin: bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer

• Best for People of Color: Ami Colé Skin-Enhancing Tinted Moisturizer

• Best for Sensitive Skin: Tower 28 Beauty SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen

Tinted Moisturizers Versus Foundations, BB Creams, and CC Creams

I asked three of my favorite makeup artists — Nydia Figueroa, Bina Khan, and Suzy Gerstein — to explain the main differences between these common face products.

• Tinted moisturizers offer the lightest coverage, allowing you to see your freckles. They also combine pigment, emollients, and oftentimes SPF. You can wear a tinted moisturizer without SPF during the evening if you prefer.

• BB creams — aka beauty blams — provide a bit more coverage than tinted moisturizers, and can help camouflage redness. They also offer more skincare benefits than CC creams and tinted moisturizers, making them great for extremely dry, acne-prone, and mature skin.

• CC creams — aka color correcting creams — are lightweight like BB creams, but offer less coverage than traditional foundations.

• Foundations offer anywhere from a medium to full coverage, depending on the product's formula — powder, dewy, or liquid — and the tools you use to apply them.

Pros and Cons of Tinted Moisturizers

To help you determine if tinted moisturizers fit your makeup needs, we put together a quick at-a-glance view of why tinted moisturizers are worth using.

Pros:

• You'll finally achieve that elusive “your skin but better” finish, says Gerstein.

• They minimize the number of face products you need to get ready.

• Tinted moisturizers are typically hydrating, and leave a pretty, dewy effect on your skin, Khan adds.

• They might contain quality ingredients to provide sun protection and anti-aging benefits like more hydration, less creasing in fine lines, and can minimize the appearance of large pores.

• You can apply them with your fingers, foundation brush, or damp makeup sponge.

• You don't need your exact color match when sporting a tinted moisturizer, according to Gerstein.“Since they are less pigmented than traditional foundations, you can get away with shades that are slightly deeper than your skin tone if you want to warm up your complexion,” she says. “Just remember to blend, and take a little bronzer down the sides of the neck and shoulders.”

Cons:

• Tinted moisturizers are not ideal when you want full coverage.

• They can become sticky throughout the day, cautions Khan. You can minimize this risk by using a setting powder and setting spray to help lock your face makeup into place.

How We Chose

Ready for gorgeous radiant skin that doesn't require a filter on your next selfie? Here are 17 of the best tinted moisturizers everyone needs in their life. My fellow editors and I tested many of these tinted moisturizers to ensure they live up to the hype IRL. We factored in their overall performance, application, shade variety, and feel. Major points were given to tinted moisturizers infused with science-backed ingredients, such as vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and broad-spectrum SPF. Other recommendations include makeup artist-approved products. I also spent hours carefully researching tinted moisturizers to bring you other options worthy of a spot in your cosmetics bag.

Yummy Skin Soothing Serum Skin Tint Foundation

I'm kicking off this list with my all-time favorite skin perfector from makeup artist Danessa Myricks. I recently bestowed it the coveted Best New Beauty Awards seal because it's everything you can ask for in a complexion product.

Yummy Skin nourishes, smoothes, and hydrates with dermatologist-approved ingredients, like ceramides, cactus extract, vegan squalane, vegan collagen peptides, and sodium hyaluronate. The latter is a derivative of hyaluronic acid, which is a known moisture magnet for parched skin. Speaking of the formulation, it's infused with transparent pigments that conceal an uneven skin tone and redness without needing a color corrector and concealer.

My skin looks and feels supple whenever I sport this product. And, given Yummy Skin's incredibly lightweight feel, blending it across my face with just my fingers is easy.

More: Affordable V-Day Gifts That Make a Big Impact

Bare Focus Tinted Hydrator

If you're shopping for someone new to makeup or you yourself only wear it on special occasions, this affordable tinted moisturizer is the one to buy. The wet n wild tint is solid for such a cheap option. It provides a light-to-medium coverage with a semi-matte finish in 11 shades (though it seems less are available on Amazon), which is a much wider range compared to other drugstore tinted moisturizers.

Bare Focus is also infused with hyaluronic acid and vegan squalane, which ensures you or your giftee's skin is nourished and comfy.

COMPLEXION RESCUE Natural Matte Tinted Moisturizer

The OG COMPLEXION RESCUE is a reader-favorite for its dewy finish, but if you've got oily, combination, or acne-prone skin you were out of luck until bareMinerals created this Natural Matte version.

Although it claims to offer a transparent to light coverage, with an extra layer and a dense stippling brush, I can achieve medium coverage with ease. I adore this tinted moisturizer so much that I was using it over the GOAT of liquid foundations — the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless.

Mineral sunscreens can easily make people of color look ghostly, which is never the vibe. Plus, the combination of light reflective makeup and flash photography can create a flashback, which is when these ingredients, like silica, cause a floury white cast on the skin. But I didn't look like Casper during testing. Instead, it visibly evened my skin tone and helped blur imperfections, such as large pores, breakouts, and post-acne hyperpigmentation.

Skin-Enhancing Tinted Moisturizer

Finding a decent face makeup match for darker skin tones is a real struggle. Ami Colé is for us, by us, so they created six flexible shades with rich to medium people of color in mind. Her 2-in-1 blush sticks are beloved by TikTokers and one of my favorite cream blushers on the market.

The Skin-Enhancing Tinted Moisturizer has a Goldilocks consistency — not thin and runny, or thick and hard to spread — compatible with all skin types. It's buildable, providing as much coverage as a foundation, but with epic skin benefits.

Baobab seed extract hydrates skin, while hibiscus flower extract uses its antioxidant powers to provide environmental protection. There's also pumpkin seed extract, which is loaded with vitamin E to calm irritated skin and prevent moisture loss.

SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen

Caring for sensitive skin is hard AF. SunnyDays is a fantastic option for people who want to avoid potentially irritating ingredients or chemical SPFs. It's made with soothing, science-backed ingredients like aloe vera extract.

Most notably, SunnyDays is the sole tinted moisturizer on our list that earned a seal of approval from the National Eczema Association, indicating it's unproblematic for itchy skin.

I've worn mine during the summer in humid Florida, and the built-in SPF protection is always welcome. Since I have ridiculously oily skin, my complexion becomes shiny quickly when using this moisturizer. However, if your giftee has oily skin and lives somewhere cold, they'll appreciate the formulation.

Best Skin Days SPF30 Whipped Tinted Moisturizer

Most tinted moisturizers are liquid, but Iris & Romeo created a lightweight, creamy, whipped alternative. This pick is ideal for someone looking for face makeup that melts into the skin while providing light-to-medium buildable coverage.

Best Skin Days does just that — beyond the cosmetic enhancements, it's jam-packed with some impressive skincare ingredients like sodium hyaluronate for massive hydration, elasticity, and bouncier skin.

It's the only option on this list that provides reef-friendly broad-spectrum sun protection and guards against blue light from tech and pollution. Plus, including vitamin C adds a skin-brightening effect, which is always appreciated in winter when our skin is usually duller.

Tinted Moisturizer

Score the no-makeup makeup look with this product from Laura Mercier. This illuminating moisturizer features just the right amount of pigment — plus SPF 20 — so it's an easy swap for a foundation to save your busy self or giftee time in the morning.

This long-wearing tinted moisturizer is deeply hydrating, thanks to a combination of beloved moisturizers — squalane and hyaluronic acid — paired with macadamia oil, kukui seed oil, and tamarind seed extract.

A guaranteed glow comes every time this tinted moisturizer is used, too. The secret lies in the silica-treated pigment that promises to blur their imperfections, similar to a pore minimizer.

It's a great tinted moisturizer for anyone with dry, normal, or combination skin. If your loved one has oily or acne-prone skin, however, they'll gain the most from a different option on our list.

BB Tinted Treatment

Expect great things from this pretty little tube from Tarte. Offering a lightweight formula, it provides flattering full coverage with the hydrating benefits of a traditional skincare treatment.

The BB Tinted Treatment works well under makeup, but it can also be worn on its own. It's made with two mineral sunscreen protectors that are safe for anyone with sensitive skin.

The long-wearing tinted moisturizer is designed for all skin types, but given its matte finish, I think it's especially great for anyone with combination or oily skin.

Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint

Rihanna's Fenty face product earned snaps from Khan, who notes that it has great coverage and is beautifully smooth. The product also earned more than 2,000 glowing reviews on Sephora — not too shabby!

Riri's Eaze Drop is available in 25 shades, making it the most shade-inclusive product in this guide. What's more, the lightweight feel and long-wearing transparent coverage it provides is unmatched.

Notably, it's formulated with a hydrablend complex that will last against humidity and sweat. Plus, it's transfer-resistant on all skin types, ranging from oily and dry to mature and acne-prone.

Slip Tint Dewy Tinted Moisturizer

Gerstein usually rotates between tinted moisturizers from Shiseido and Chantecaille, but currently, she's gravitating toward Saie’s clean option. “The texture is very light and luminous without feeling tacky or greasy, as some tinted moisturizers can,” she says.

This option is infused with a Hydrablend complex of hyaluronic acid and pansy flower to ensure your face is well-moisturized throughout the day. There's also pansy licorice root extract to brighten your skin. Given its glowy finish and deeply moisturizing ingredients, this one is best suited for dry, normal, and mature skin types who appreciate a more emollient base.

Saie's tinted moisturizer also boasts the Clean + Planet Positive seal from Sephora, indicating it's made from natural ingredients that won't harm you or the planet.

BFF Rebalance

When senior editor Eunice Lucero-Lee wants to enhance her complexion, she opts for Trinny London's splurge-worthy tinted moisturizer.

“There’s just something about this transparent yet perfecting tinted serum, like it hasn’t seen the ravages of time or anxiety these past few years,” she says. “In fact, it’s literally in the ingredients list: Neurophraline helps balance the effects of stress on skin, and it works! I’m glowing, and my skin looks fresh and even.”

Rebalance is best suited for oily, combination, or acne-prone skin. If your loved one has dry or normal skin, consider BFF De-Stress for a noticeable hydrating feel and lit-from-within glow.

Skin Enhance Luminous Skin Tint

Thanks to its radiant finish, light coverage, hydrating formula, and clean ingredients, it's easy to see why Rose Inc's tinted moisturizer has become a favorite for Lucero-Lee.

“Plumped, glowing, and like I had a full 9 hours of sleep is what I get to look forward to every time I swipe this on,” she says. “It’s a transparent formula — you can literally see the tinted beads inside the clear serum — but has enough integrity to take you from ugh to wow in seconds. Want more proof? I used it when I had my DMV photo taken: That’s trust!”

Given the luminous finish, this one is best for someone who likes a glow, which is typically dry, normal, and mature skin types. Those with combination skin can use this product, but if your skin leans more oily, you'll likely need to touch up your T-Zone mid-day. Its non-comedogenic formulation is safe for acne-prone skin.

Like Saie's offering, Rosie Huntington-Whitely's tinted moisturizer also earned the Clean + Planet Positive seal from Sephora.

Perfecting Skin Tint

If you’re loved one is looking for a barely-there tinted moisturizer, look no further than Glossier’s Perfecting Skin Tint.

They can smooth on this transparent, breathable makeup to enhance their skin's natural, dewy glow with the brand’s not-so-secret ingredient — diamond powder. This luxurious ingredient will also help brighten their skin and blur the appearance of their pores, kinda like a beauty filter IRL. Given its unique, glow-enhancing ingredient, someone with oily skin might not enjoy this tinted moisturizer as much as someone with normal and dry skin types.

The cruelty-free tinted moisturizer is also infused with glycerin to help hydrate their face throughout the day, which is especially appreciated during the brutal winter season.

Dream Tint Tinted Moisturizer

Truly living up to its name, Jane Iredale's tinted moisturizer glides on like a dream, providing hydration, coverage, and sun protection all at once. The oil-free tinted moisturizer also works to calm and soothe the skin, thanks to its formulation of weightless minerals.

As the only water-resistant tinted moisturizer in our guide, it's the perfect product for upcoming beach and pool days because makeup enthusiasts can camouflage imperfections without worrying about goopy makeup running down the face while swimming.

This hard-working tinted moisturizer is also mom-approved. Senior parenting editor Cat Bowen swears by this excellent tinted moisturizer during the summer when she doesn't have the bandwidth to do a full face of makeup while juggling work and familial duties. “I can just slather this over my SPF, throw on some blush and mascara, and go. It stays put all day, even when I’m sweating like an ox. It gives me just enough coverage without settling into my fine lines, and yet it still covers my rosacea,” she says.

Prevention+ Daily Tinted Moisturizer

IMAGE Skincare's Prevention+ is one of the best tinted moisturizers our former beauty editor has tried. “Its smooth formula allows you to wear it effortlessly under makeup if you choose to, but it’s also pigmented enough to wear alone for a lighter-coverage look,” says Katie McBroom.

It provides broad-spectrum sun protection to keep skin healthy and protected from the sun's harmful rays and the blue light emitted from our digital screens.

We appreciate that Prevention+ is safe for all skin types, including sensitive, dry, and oily. However, this tinted moisturizer is only available in a single color, so if your loved one is darker than a three on the Fitzpatrick Scale, you'll probably want to gift a different tinted moisturizer in our guide.

Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

You or your giftee will only need a few drops of this weightless product to help cover up dark spots and hyperpigmentation. This smoothes skin instantly for a flattering, natural illumination that leaves the complexion ultra-hydrated and protected from the sun.

Made with skin-brightening vitamin C and French Polynesian kopara, this tinted moisturizer is oil-free and leaves your loved one's skin healthy and hydrated.

As its name implies, Pure Radiant brings on luminosity, so if you're gifting someone with oily skin, they'll prefer something different unless they don't mind touching up with oil blotting sheets and powder throughout the day.

FAQ

Q: How should I apply tinted moisturizer?

Khan recommends applying tinted moisturizer with your fingers, and then buffing out any harsh lines with a soft, flat brush.

For a cost-effective solution, she likes the Real Techniques Mini Expert Foundation Brush. Khan also considers the Artis Palm Brush Elite an indulgence, but says it provides a beautiful coverage that justifies the price.

Gerstein alternates between an $85 Sonia G foundation brush or a $20 damp Beautyblender to perfect the finish.

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