The 16 Most Hydrating Tinted Moisturizers
For some days and for some people, foundations and concealers just feel like way too much work — and way too much coverage. While there's certainly a time and a place for a full-coverage face, there's no denying the effortless and hydrating properties of a tinted moisturizer. But although the concept of a tinted moisturizer sounds pretty simple, there are tons of specific ingredients that make the difference between an OK tinted moisturizer and an amazing tinted moisturizer. And by "amazing tinted moisturizer," we really mean one that actually — well, you know...moisturizes.
So we asked makeup artists, cosmetic chemists, and Allure editors to break down what they think are the best tinted moisturizers out there. If you love makeup that comes with added skin-care benefits for plump, dewy, and hydrated skin, try one of these 16 picks.
Whether you end up loving an older staple from a brand like Laura Mercier or an experimentative new take like Ilia Beauty's pigmented serum, you'll find your skin is in much better shape for it.
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BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream
Many tinted moisturizers have powder pigments that soak up skin's oils, zapping some of the natural moisture from your face. To fix this, BareMinerals coated its pigments in lauroyl lysine, an amino acid derived from coconuts.
"Because the pigments are cocooned, they won't dry out your skin. Instead, the formula feels very soft and silky," says cosmetic chemist Ni'Kita Wilson. When you mix those pigments with glycerin and squalane, you get a formula that "actively promotes hydration." In addition to containing moisturizing ingredients, the light, cooling gel evens out skin tone and minimizes redness, which means all you're left with is a soft, dewy glow.
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No7 City Light Tinted Moisturizer
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Ilia Beauty Super Serum Skin Tint
Squalane, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide join forces for Ilia's Super Serum Skin Tint. With the added benefit of sun-protective SPF 40, this thick, hydrating serum offers up light but buildable coverage you can rub in quickly and easily with your fingertips.
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Saie Slip Tint Dewy Tinted Moisturizer
Saie's Slip Tint Dewy Tinted Moisturizer gives skin tons of hydration and sheer, yet buildable coverage. The ingredient list includes hydrating hyaluronic acid and brightening licorice root extract. Plus, there's SPF 35 in the tube so skin is protected and dewy.
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Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer
Selena Gomez knew what she was doing when she launched Rare Beauty, specifically the Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer. This lightweight formula comes in 22 shades and features a radiant vitamin E-infused finish.
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Maybelline Fit Me Tinted Moisturizer
The Maybelline Fit Me Tinted Moisturizer is a great drugstore snag. Coming in at only $11, this base product comes is weightless and conceals blemishes (without being too heavy). Plus, the formula holds glycerin to hydrate the skin.
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Tarte Maracuja Tinted Hydrator
Tarte's tinted moisturizers have always been an Allure editor favorite, and its latest version is no different. The Maracuja Tinted Hydrator combines the skin-nourishing properties of maracuja oil with plumping hyaluronic acid and collagen, plus brightening turmeric, for skin that glows well after you've taken this off.
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Cle Cosmetics CCC Cream
This combination of BB and CC cream from K-beauty brand Cle Cosmetics isn't technically a tinted moisturizer — but it sure hydrates skin like it were one. Allure staff writer Nicola Dall'Asen reaches for it almost every day, thanks to its sheer yet effective coverage.
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Erborian BB Cream Tinted Moisturizer
Even though its only available in a few light shades, Allure associate beauty director Sarah Kinonen loves this BB Cream Tinted Moisturizer for its hydrating ginseng and brightening fruit extracts. For those who are extra prone to redness, you can also turn to the brand's Best of Beauty-winning CC Red Correct.
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Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Skin Perfector
Ask any beauty fan and they'll likely tell you that Laura Mercier's is the first tinted moisturizer they ever used — and fell in love with. With its sheer, buildable coverage and moisture-packed formula, there's a reason this product is a cult favorite and four-time Allure Best of Beauty winner. It's noncomedogenic, but those with acne-prone or oily skin may benefit even more from the upgraded oil-free version of the formula.
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Beautycounter Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer
This tinted moisturizer is free of pthalates, parabens, and 1,500 other ingredients that the cruelty-free brand has identified as potentially harmful or irritating, so you're left with only tried-and-true elements, like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate.
"Both of these ingredients are humectants, meaning they draw moisture to the surface of the skin to keep cells hydrated," says Wilson. The creamy formula is more pigmented than most tinted moisturizers, so it does a great job of covering imperfections. One catch: Its thick consistency makes it a little difficult to spread, so you'll likely end up using more product than usual.
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Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer
Sensitive-skinned girls, Nars has got one just for you. The silky-smooth Radian Tinted Moisturizer has a formula that's both oil-free and made without parabens or synthetic fragrances, so you won't have to worry about irritation or clogged pores.
"This is a really great product to apply with your fingertips; it's super sheer and easy to blend," says makeup artist Ashleigh Ciucci. "Or you can tap it on with a sponge to build subtle coverage." Its barely-there coverage might be a little too light for those with post-breakout redness or discoloration, though, so have a concealer on hand for touch-ups.
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Iris & Romeo Best Skin Days
Allure contributing editor Marci Robin says that although the price tag on Iris and Romeo's Best Skin Days might be intimidating, it's still worth every penny. "I've been moving away from full-coverage foundation, but even lighter formulas still read as cakey and obvious on me recently," she says. "Best Skin Days somehow — I'm convinced by magic — simply makes my skin look confidence-boostingly better: glowy, awake, and with just enough coverage, all while moisturizing and protecting with SPF."
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Neutrogena Healthy Skin Radiant Tinted Moisturizer
It's not shocking at all that a brand that Neutrogena could deliver one of the best tinted moisturizer formulas out there with ingredients like vitamins A, C, and E. On top of all those antioxidants, Healthy Skin Tinted Moisturizer also contains small pearlescent pigment that provide a glowing, dewy sheen.
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Clinique Moisture Surge Sheertint Hydrator
Just like Clinique's beloved Moisture Surge cream, the Sheertint Hydrator penetrates deep beneath the skin to hydrate and calm the skin — that's thanks to its strong concentration of cucumber extract, aloe, and hyaluronic acid.
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Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer Tinted SPF 47 Protect + Perfect
Josie Maran's Protect + Perfect is less of a tinted moisturizer and more of a tinted sunscreen, and we'll take all the sun protection we can get. Alongside its SPF 47, this formula is very lightly tinted with pigments in one tan shade, giving it just enough color to mask slight skin imperfections and give its wearer and warm, sun-tanned look.
