The Best Face Primers (2022 Reviews)

What’s one of the biggest frustrations when it comes to makeup?

Keeping it on!

You work so hard to give yourself that perfect contour and coverage; it’d be a shame for it to come off midday! So, what’s the key to keeping it on? Primer, of course. But not just any thing will do. You need one of the best face primers on the market today, and we’ve got them all right here!

The 5 Best Face Primers For 2022

Now that you’ve had the chance to take a quick look at each of the best face primers, you’re probably curious to know more about some of them. Take a scroll a bit further down, where you’ll find detailed, unbiased reviews of each one!

E.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer – Best Budget Product

About the Product

e.l.f. is a brand that is known all around the world for creating beauty products that are not only inexpensive, but are actually worth using. Their Mineral Infused Primer is definitely one of our favorites from them, and we’re about to tell you all about it.

This makeup primer creates a flawless base to use before you apply your foundation or any other products. It feels weightless and silky and works to smooth and refine pores as soon as you rub it onto your skin.

No matter the skin type, it is made to work for you. It’s made to fight excess oil, dry skin, enlarged pores, as well as fine lines and wrinkles to help give you an impeccable look even before you add on the makeup.

You’ll need to make sure to apply it to clean, well-moisturized skin, and only use a tiny drop, to begin with, blending evenly across the face.

It’s probably the most affordable primer we’ve come across, which makes it great for just about anyone’s budget. Not only that, but it comes in various colors: Clear, Brightening Lavender, Tone Adjusting Green, and Radiant Glow, which is like a fleshy pink color.

Our Experience

As the instructions indicate, you really do only need a tiny amount to cover your entire face, well. You don’t want to apply too much, as it will end up having the reverse effect. The product itself does feel very gel-like, but soon after applying, it started transforming into this powdery feeling.

This works to help control any excess oil you may have going on.

Not only that, but it also helps keep foundation on much longer. If you have dry or particularly oily skin, you might encounter this problem frequently. Now you can save money and time by not having to reapply your makeup every couple of hours!

With the tinted primers, you should expect it to change the color of your skin a bit, so if you don’t want that, then it’s best to just stick to the clear version.

What does it smell like?

Honestly, not really anything. There’s a very slight “silicone-y” smell, but you’re not going to notice it at all once you put it on.

We loved that it also didn’t make our skin break out. If you have sensitive skin and are worried that this is just going to clog your pores or irritate your skin, don’t. It is great for those who are prone to breakouts or adverse reactions with new products.

So, what didn’t we like about this top-rated primer?

Honestly, the only thing is that the first couple seconds after applying it to our skin, it did feel a bit greasy. As previously mentioned, it does quickly turn into a more powdery feeling, so it’s not too concerning, but it’s good to keep in mind.

What We Loved

• Extremely affordable
• Works to refine and smooth skin
• Helps increase wear time of makeup
• Comes in various tints/colors

What We Didn’t Like

• Can feel greasy the first few seconds of wear

LORAC I’m So Sensitive Soothing Primer

About the Product

If you’re searching for a good face primer that’s also free of substances like silicone, then you’ll have to give LORAC’s I’m So Sensitive Soothing Primer a go.

If you have sensitive skin, this one should also be on your shortlist.

They’ve gone ahead and made this top-rated primer because they know that not all complexions are alike, and not all skin types are the same. This skin-perfecting primer is very gentle and is free of oil, silicone, parabens, as well as any artificial fragrances.

In turn, it’s made with much healthier ingredients:

Antioxidants, vitamins, and plant extracts. They work to nourish, soothe, and smooth the skin. The primer is made super-light and works to hydrate the skin, as well as help extend the wear time of makeup.

Our Experience

This facial primer is…interesting. It definitely stands out among the crowd, but not every reason is necessarily a good one.

First of all, the primer does feel very lightweight, but instead of feeling like a lightweight gel or silicone, it feels like a light moisturizer. This made us have some doubts about how well it would keep our makeup on.

We did find that it performed best when the tube was shaken a bit beforehand. Otherwise, it would almost separate. We’re assuming this is probably due to the fact that they’ve created the product with as few artificial additions as possible, in an effort to make it more healthy/natural for the user.

You will find that the packaging is good-sized and that it will last you a while, as you only need a tiny amount to cover the entire face.

One thing we would like to remark is the smell.

Many users were confused, or expecting the top primer to be completely unscented. However, when looking back at the packaging, it does in many cases state that it doesn’t include artificial fragrances; not fragrances, altogether.

Well, this one does have a light, floral scent. When we went back to the ingredients list, it did state “Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract and Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract”. These are both fragrances, but they are not likely to irritate even sensitive skin.

One thing that did surprise us?

The inclusion of Acetyl Alcohol!

For a brand that raves about it being so great for sensitive skin, as well as being so hydrating, this seems like a pretty odd decision. Acetyl Alcohol can be highly comedogenic and irritating to skin that’s not even normally “sensitive”. While we luckily didn’t experience any issues, just know that it could cause some if you are prone to these sorts of things.

What We Loved

• Doesn’t contain oils, parabens, or silicone
• Generally good for sensitive skin
• Very lightweight and hydrating
• Works to increase makeup wear time and smooth the skin surface

What We Didn’t Like

• Contains acetyl alcohol

Suntegrity Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen and Primer – Best Product for Sun Protection

About the Product

This top face primer is truly one-of-a-kind, and it’s one that we think you should definitely keep in mind! Marketed as a 3-in-1 product, it features both the obvious priming aspect, along with a moisturizer and sunscreen, complete with SPF 30 protection!

Not only that, but it’s perfect for those with dry and even flaky-dry skin! Many with dry skin may have experience with their previous sunscreens making them break out or dry their skin out even more, but this one features plant-based emollients and fatty acids to avoid that.

What else does it include?

Citrus oils. The citrus oils work to create a pleasant, fruity scent that’s not overwhelming to the user; just enough to give a fresh feeling.

The rich, non-greasy, UV chemical-free sunscreen offers Broad Spectrum Protection against damaging UVA and UVB rays. Not only that, but you’ll also find hyaluronic acid, astaxanthin, red algae, along with aloe vera, jojoba, sunflower, pomegranate, cucumber, and green tea to give even more protection, nourishment, and hydration.

Don’t just take our word for it.

It’s also received EWG’s 2017 Best Moisturizers with SPF rating and a 1 Rating in the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety database.

It’s made for all skin types, and doesn’t contain any parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oils, synthetic dyes, sulfates, PABA, titanium dioxide, and more. It is vegan, so for those who are, or just care about what they’re putting on their skin, will love this.

Our Experience

The top makeup primer did impress us in many ways, however, there were a couple things that we weren’t huge fans of. Let’s talk about that, first.

The first point has to do with the inclusion of citrus oils. While they undoubtedly smell great, they can also cause an allergic reaction among those with very sensitive/allergy-prone skin. While it didn’t happen to us, note that it is possible.

The second?

Due to the high (20%) amount of zinc oxide in the face primer, it does leave a slight white shimmer/cast when it’s applied. While it is mostly just a bit of sheerness, the first couple minutes may look a bit dramatic, especially if you have a very pale skin tone.

How does it work as a primer?

Honestly, it’s good, but we’ve seen better. The reason why we liked this one so much was more due to the overall benefits, such as SPF protection, rather than just the primer functionality.

What We Loved

• Has SPF 30 protection against the sun
• No parabens, phthalates, and more. Vegan.
• Great for all skin types
• Works as a moisturizer for dry skin

What We Didn’t Like

• Isn’t the best primer we’ve seen in terms of makeup wear time
• Contains citrus oils, which can irritate sensitive skin

Make Up Forever Skin Equalizer – Editor’s Pick

About the Product

Easily one of the top makeup primers on the market today, the Make Up Forever Skin Equalizer Primer is our editor’s favorite for many reasons.

The primer works to help balance the skin’s texture and help tone the skin to provide a smoother, even, more durable makeup wear time while overall just looking better. It works by prepping your skin, but making sure any imperfections are smoothed out a bit to help give you the best-looking face of makeup you can have!

The best foundation primer has a lightweight, yet creamy texture, which helps to even out the skin and give it a smoother, more soft appearance. Not only that, but it helps to increase the wear time of makeup by increasing its hold.

It is ideal for all skin tones, so it doesn’t matter which type you have; it will work!

Here’s where it really starts to stand out:

It comes in 10 different formulas that are bound to work flawlessly for your needs.

As far as texture goes, they’ve created a: Mattifying Primer to diminish shine for oily skin, a Smoothing Primer to even skin texture, Hydrating Primer to restore balance in normal skin, Nourishing Primer to moisturize and soothe, and a Redness Correcting Primer to neutralize any redness in the skin.

In addition, they’ve also created tone-correcting formulas: a Radiant Primer Blue which adds radiance to light skin, a Pink which adds radiance to lighter/medium skin, a Yellow, which works for light-to-medium skin as well, a Peach for medium-to-tan skin, and a Caramel which is great for darker skin tones.

Our Experience

We didn’t get the chance to try every single formulation, but from what we did try, we loved! The product comes out feeling very lightweight, yet creamy.

You know how some primers feel slimy and full of silicone?

This one doesn’t. It actually feels hydrating, while not feeling like a greasy lotion or anything like that. It goes on easily and blends quickly and easily spreads and is absorbed into the skin. All you need is a tiny bit to cover the entire face, so it does last for a good amount of time.

Right after application, you can tell it’s hydrating the skin as well as improving elasticity in the skin. This is due to the vegetable sugar they’ve included in the formula, which helps boost cellular renewal as well as regenerate the upper layers of the epidermis for a smoother, more even texture and feel.

What does it smell like?

Honestly, not like much of anything. If you really put your nose close, you can smell a kind of mineral-y scent, but again, it really takes effort to smell any distinct scent.

How did it do with increasing wear time?

Wonderfully. It, on average, extended the wear time of our foundation up to around 9 hours, more or less depending on the foundation. If you’re looking to keep your foundation on all day long without having to touch up or worry about your skin looking rough or harsh, then we highly recommend this one.

So, was there anything we didn’t like about it?

Yes, but it’s nothing big. We did notice that it worked much better with the Make Up Forever foundations we’d had on hand, so if you want to use it with another brand, it may not look as bright and smooth (however, still great).

What We Loved

• Works for all types of skin
• Comes in various formulations
• Brightens and improves complexion
• Smooths and evens skin texture
• Improves the wear time of foundation

What We Didn’t Like

• Doesn’t work as well with non-Make Up Forever

Marc Jacobs Undercover Perfecting Coconut – Best Smelling Primer

About the Product

As one of the best face primers out there, the Marc Jacobs Perfecting Coconut Face Primer is definitely one you need to pay attention to if you haven’t already.

Putting coconut on your face may sound a bit odd, but trust us; once you try it once you won’t want to stop!

The primer works to perfect the skin while simultaneously extend makeup wear time with its hydrating, nourishing formula that works well for any skin type. If you’re looking to improve the surface and texture of your skin while taking minimal action.

So, where does the coconut come in?

It’s made with five different forms of coconut, including cold-pressed coconut water, juice, as well as the pulp of the coconut.

The formula is created with concentrated coconut extracts that come together to form a natural, vitamin-rich barrier between your skin and makeup. This means that there is less damage taking place from the makeup coming into contact with your skin. What’s more, is the coconut water-derived polysaccharide complex has the effect of synthetic priming ingredients, which lets your skin breathe easier without sacrificing looks.

Our Experience

We actually really loved the coconut face primer, and it was at times, difficult to decide between this one and the previous primer in terms of which was our favorite. It smoothed over perfectly and absorbed quickly; seemingly filling in any fine lines or little holes in the skin to help create a more even surface.

If you have dry skin, you’ll really appreciate how well it works to hydrate the skin and work to keep flakes and unevenness away. We noticed a huge difference in smoothness and moisture just after the first use.

Not only that, but it also works to help minimize the appearance of pores, further helping to create a perfectly smooth appearance.

Does it actually smell like coconut?

Of course! While the smell isn’t overpowering by any means, it undoubtedly does smell like coconutty, tropical vibes! If you’re looking for the perfect summer primer, take this one on!

So, was there anything we weren’t pleased with?

Really, the only thing was the fact that it does contain silicone, among other ingredients that may not be all too desirable for some consumers.

What We Loved

• Made of 5 coconut forms
• Works to even skin tone and texture
• Smooths skin and helps minimize appearance of pores
• Hydrates and nourishes skin

What We Didn’t Like

• Includes silicone, among other ingredients that could be undesirable

Summary

Now that you’ve had the chance to learn all about each of the best face primers, you may still be on-the-fence about which one to purchase. If that’s the case, then allow us to recommend once again, the Make Up Forever Skin Equalizer.

Make Up Forever is known for generating consistently high-quality products, and this one is no exception.

It works to even skin tone and texture, brightens complexion, available in a wide assemblage of formulas, and improves the wear time of your foundation immensely. Don’t just take our word for it; try it for yourself!

So, which one of these best face primers will be making its way into your makeup bag?