Susceptibility to breakouts and melting of makeups characterizes oily and acne-prone skins, which is why you need a primer.
Glowing skin and glossy skin is of much difference from one another; the former enhances appearance, while the latter leaves you with a smudge makeup that won’t last long.
To ensure that makeups last longer on your face and prevent them from causing acne breakout due to clogged pores, you need an excellent primer formula.
They prevent your makeup from slipping off while leaving you with a smooth base for flawless makeup application.
What is a Primer?
In simple terms, primer is a skincare product that helps ensure that your makeup stays in place all day.
This formula conditions the skin for a long-lasting makeup effect and also delivers a mattifying shine-free finish.
Beyond this, the primer offers excellent shine-control while also reducing pore spaces and fine line appearance.
With an Excellent primer, you’re assured of a breathable, flawless, and even complexion, without any form of irritation or side effects.
However, the daunting task lies in getting an excellent primer, especially for oily and acne-prone skin.
Worry less, because our guide has made your task easier. Below are some of the facts to guide you in making a choice, and also a list of some of the top Primers for your oily skin type.
Factors to consider before choosing a Primer
Indicators
There are certain features one should be on the lookout for when choosing primer for oily and acne-prone skin.
Tags like Oil-free, pore-reducing, mattifying, shine-control/shine-free are excellent indicators that a primer formula would be great for oily and acne-prone skin.
Compatibility
Taking a compatibility test and reading through the product’s ingredients list can help you prevent irritation and allergy reaction.
Compatibility tests can be done by applying a small portion of the formula on a discreet part of your body to check if there would be any adverse effects.
To be in safe hands, you can decide to always opt for natural and organic products. There’s less risk of irritation and allergic reaction, using them.
Reviews
Direct users’ reviews and personal experience can give you an insight into the level of quality and efficiency of the primer you choose.
Guides like ours also help you save time and reduce the stress of researching to find the best products that suit you.
Affordability
Another essential factor to consider is your budget/pocket-size. With the aid of this guide, you’ll indeed find an effective product for the least price possible.
Apart from these factors above, we also consider the skin-smoothening effect, pore-blurring ability, and ease of application of these primers before including them in our top list.
Best Primer for Oily Acne-Prone Skin in 2023
Below are our top primers for oily and acne-prone skin type:
No7 Airbrush Away Primer
This is a hypoallergenic primer that works excellently for all skin types, including oily and acne-prone skin. The brand didn’t fail yet again with this highly effective formula.
It is formulated with hyaluronic acid spheres that fill up pore spaces and soften wrinkles while hydrating the skin. The formula offers incredible anti-aging benefits and reduces fine lines and other aging signs significantly.
It ensures that your foundation lasts all day while leaving you with an improved complexion and a flawless finish.
It is indeed an excellent choice of primer that eliminates the makeup retouch once applied beneath the makeup.
Jolie Impeccable Me Oil-free Mattifying Primer
As the name implies, this primer leaves you with an ‘Impeccable’ finish. It is suitable for oily skin and also works incredibly for sensitive & acne-prone skin.
It is formulated with peptides, which helps even out the skin tone while providing you with an all-day, flawless, matte finish.
The skin-smoothing formula ensures your makeup doesn’t smudge, and it effectively blurs blemishes on the face.
It offers an excellent shine-control effect by absorbing excess oil from the skin surface, thereby ensuring your skin stays shine-free.
It is non-toxic and contains no prevalent irritants or synthetic additives. All these make it a safe and pure formula for your skin.
SheaMoisture Mattifying Primer
This formula offers you great hydrating and skin conditioning benefits. It is formulated with organic Shea butter and blends of vitamins, contributing to its highly nourishing effect.
It also contains kaolin clay, which hides pores and imperfections while leaving the skin smooth and healthy. This primer also includes a tea tree, which eliminates excess oil and leaves the skin shine-free.
This primer offers a 12hrs premium mattifying effect, thereby ensuring that your makeup lasts all day. It is free of irritants like mineral oil, petroleum, paraben, phthalates, amongst others.
It is lightweight and appears to be invisible on the skin. It is also organic, natural, non-comedogenic, and hypoallergenic.
Lauda Botanicals Oily Skin control primer and moisturizer
Here’s a multipurpose formula that works excellently as both primer and moisturizer. It is formulated with salicylic acid and tea tree oil, enabling it to offer incredible skin soothing and hydrating benefits.
It is an anti-shine facial primer as it leaves your skin shine-free due to its great shine-control benefit. The oil-free primer clears, conditions, hydrates, and soothes the skin, thereby leaving you with an improved appearance.
It is non-drying and helps conceal blemishes and reduce pores. The lightweight formula is vegan, cruelty-free, non-comedogenic, and free of toxic chemicals.
It reduces inflammation and provides the skin with a silky-smooth, shine-free finish that allows your makeup to stay in place for long.
Elizabeth Mott Thank Me later Face Primer
You’ll indeed ‘Thank Me later’ for including this primer on our list. It is an effective pore minimizer, and it offers you efficient shine-control benefits.
This primer also reduces fine lines and wrinkles appear while conditioning your skin for a long-lasting makeup application.
The cruelty-free formula is sweatproof, waterproof, lightweight, and non-greasy. It helps brightens the skin and leaves you with an even skin tone.
It excellently combats oiliness and sets on the skin with an incredible matte finish, thereby leaving you glowing but shine-free.
Fifth & Skin Better’n Ur Skin Mineral Primer
This formula is lightweight, vegan, and contains no gluten. It is a hydrating primer that reduces pore and fine lines efficiently. The non-greasy primer is suitable for all skin types, including oily and acne-prone skin.
It is non-comedogenic — doesn’t clog pores, and effectively reduces rosacea and other conditions characterized by redness.
The skin-smoothing primer prolongs makeup stay while offering excellent anti-aging benefits. It is non-toxic, non-GMO, and safe on all skin types.
The organic and cruelty-free primer is formulated with skin-nourishing ingredients like Aloe, lavender, jojoba oil, green tea, rosemary leaf, Vit E, amongst others.
ELF Blemish Control Face Primer
Elf didn’t disappoint with this awesome formula that offers excellent breakout control and ensures prolong makeup stay. The face primer also conceals flaws perfectly, thereby leaving you with a flawless appearance.
It contains skin-conditioning ingredients like salicylic acid, Vit E, and tea tree, all of which smooth, soothe, and moisturize the skin. It also excellently even the skin tone and leaves you with a luminous, matte finish.
The Vegan and cruelty-free formula come in various forms, which include serum, gel, and putty. It leaves your face ready for makeup application and ensures makeup stays put all day.
Glo Skin Beauty Tinted Primer SPF 30
This multipurpose primer comes with a useful sunscreen benefit that keeps you protected from harmful UV radiation. The lightweight formula features a broad spectrum SPF 30 derived from Titanium Dioxide and zinc oxide.
It is suitable for all skin types and leaves you with a smooth satin finish. It increases makeup longevity, thereby ensuring all-day wear. It also improves skin texture, even skin tone, and conceals blemishes excellently.
The budge-proof formula offers sheer-medium coverage and leaves the face looking flawless. It is a highly beneficial primer, as it ensures you’re protected from aging and burning sun damages and ensures your makeup lasts all day.
Rimmel Stay Mattifying Primer
No more makeup smudge or foundation slipping with this improved primer formula. The pore-minimizing primer offers you adequate shine-control benefit while leaving your skin smooth and hydrated.
It ensures your makeup stays in place for up to 8hrs and leaves you with a velvety matte finish. The ultra-lightweight formula can be used alone or with a foundation, and it offers you optimal efficiency.
It is non-greasy and doesn’t clog pores, making it suitable for oily and acne-prone skin. The skin-perfecting formula is an excellent option for under-eye areas, it helps even out skin complexion and doesn’t cause any irritation.
It is non-toxic, and you’ll surely be satisfied with the positive effects the primer will leave on your skin.
Hyaluronic Makeup Primer by Ellipsis labs
This is a hydrating primer infused with hyaluronic acid for optimal moisture retention, making the skin supple and soft. The water-based formula is also enriched with Vit C, which enhances the skin radiance and improves appearance.
It effectively conceals blemishes and fine lines while leaving you with an even skin tone. The primer also enables your makeup to last all day, thereby allowing a flawless appearance for a long time.
It contains no alcohol, paraben, or other irritants, and it’s also devoid of harsh chemicals. The formula is suitable for oily and acne-prone skin types, and it offers optimum satisfaction due to its wide range of benefits.
W-Airfit Pore Primer
This is an excellent formula for oily skin types, it leaves you with a brighten skin tone and reduces pore spaces. The pore primer protects the skin from UV light, makeup & air pollution, and other things that can cause damage or irritation to the skin.
It offers excellent oil and shine control and contains extracts skin-benefiting ingredients like Lily, rose flower, tea tree, amongst others. It also reduces fine lines and corrects full skin tone excellently.
All these make it an excellent primer formula, especially for oily skin types.
The Porefessional Pro Balm for Women
Here’s a soothing and lightweight primer formula for ladies. It complements all skin tones and works efficiently for oily and acne-prone skin.
The primer can be applied beneath and above makeup, and it leaves you with a translucent smooth finish.
It is oil-free and effectively reduces pore spaces while eliminating the need for constant makeup retouching.
NYX Professional Makeup Pore Filler Primer
NYX is a trusted brand, and you should expect nothing but the best from their products. This pore filler primer is no exception, as it leaves you with optimal satisfaction.
The cruelty-free primer is suitable for your oily skin type, and it leaves the skin with a flawless-looking, shine-free, matte finish. It reduces pores’ appearance and conceals flaws excellently.
It is an oil and talc-free formula and contains Vit E that helps smoothen and enhance your skin. It also ensures prolonged makeup stay and conditions the skin for smooth makeup application.
The formula contains micro-pearls for a shimmer finish effect on the skin.
Neutrogena Shine Control Matte Primer + Serum
This formula leaves the skin shine-free as it contains rice protein that absorbs excess oil and offers great shine control. It is an excellent primer for oily skin type and acts as both serum and primer.
It sets on the skin with a mattifying finish that blurs blemishes and improves skin pores appearance, thereby leaving you with a flawless finish.
The non-toxic formula effectively improves skin’s appearance while ensuring that your makeup lasts longer. It is highly beneficial and combines both the benefit of serum and that of primer in one.
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
This formula comes with SPF 15 that keeps you protected from harmful sun rays. It is vegan, cruelty-free, and oil-free.
It is the recipient of Instyle’s best beauty buy for the best primer in 2014, 2015, & 2016, making it one of the best primers for years.
The silky-textured formula conceals redness and other skin flaws like wrinkles, fine lines, and acne spots. It also effectively improves pore appearance while leaving you with a smooth skin.
The fragrance-free primer contains no artificial additives and ensures that your makeup lasts all day.
Conclusion
Primers are essential to prevent makeup smudge if you’ve got oily and acne-prone skin type. However, it’s not all primers that are suitable for such skin types.
This is why we’ve come up with this guide, and we’re sure it will be useful in choosing the best primer for yourself.