Oil-free foundations are a God-send to many. Listen: as someone with combination skin, I am certainly familiar with the post-lunch foundation slide. You know that horror when you look in the mirror around 2pm at work and see your base has somehow slipped right off and needs all the touch-ups? Well, that’s a thing of the past when you finally find the perfect oil-free formula for you.
With a plethora of benefits (more on those later), oil-free options can really help prolong the life of your entire makeup look, meaning less blotting/powder application and more immaculate vibes. And luckily, the heavy, thick, ultra-matte formulas of yesteryear are out, replaced by lightweight, buildable oil-free foundations with radiant finishes.
Best oil-free foundations at a glance:
- Best oil-free foundation overall: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation
- Best oil-free foundation with a skin-like finish: Il Makiage Woke Up Like This Foundation
- Best affordable oil-free foundation: Maybelline Fit Me! Matte and Poreless Foundation
- Best oil-free foundation for everyday wear: Everyday Beauty Pie Great Skin Foundation
How do oil-free foundations work?
Oil-free foundations work on many levels. First, they offer a blurred and smooth finish that many others cannot. They are also the heroes of long-wear in the base world; absorbing oil and keeping excess sweat and shine at bay, these foundations have serious longevity, making them great for desk-to-dancefloor moments, or long events and occasions.
This also makes them ideal for oily skin or combination skin, as well as people who may experience the odd blemish or more regular breakouts. The new era of oil-free options is also far more evolved than heavy, super matte bases of years past. These days, you can find longwearing, non cakey, natural matte formulas that still boost radiance and allow skin to still naturally shine through (while still being largely shine-free on the T-zone).
Many of them even come with skin-loving ingredients like hydrating hyaluronic acid to maintain moisture levels without encouraging excess oil production. In short: you can still achieve a (non-greasy) glow with oily skin. A win, win, one might say. Want to find the best foundation fit for purpose? Read on…
Scroll to view our edit of the best oil-free foundations to add to your makeup collection:
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Best oil-free foundation overall
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation
Why we love it: Sometimes, particularly with foundations targeted at oily skin, it can be difficult to find a formula that’s not super matte. Charlotte Tilbury’s offering bucks the trend and provides a natural, velvety satin finish that’s part-matte, part glow. Instead of using oil, it harnesses the power of Tilbury’s bestselling Magic Serum, meaning it also boasts skincare benefits, and the shade range is solid. A great all-rounder.
Save big when shopping for oil-free foundations using these Cult Beauty discount codes
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Best oil-free foundation with a skin-like finish
Il Makiage Woke Up Like This Foundation
Why we love it: Il Makiage’s iconic foundation not only comes in ample shades (we’re talking 50), it also does what some other brands fail to: offers a detailed online colour matching service. The formula itself doesn’t feel heavy, with a matte finish that still looks natural and streak-free. It has a medium to high coverage, and also features hyaluronic acid and vitamin E on its ingredients list for added skin-boosting properties.
See our full Il Makiage Woke Up Like This Foundation review here.
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Best long-lasting oil-free foundation
Fenty Beauty PRO FILT’R Soft Matte Longwear Foundation
Why we love it: Another foundation with a brilliant shade range (the OG, many would say), Fenty’s PRO FILT’R has been a favourite since Rihanna’s brand first launched. As well as its shade range, the biggest benefit of this one is its staying power; the longwear formula is sweat and shine-resistant, absorbing oil and thus making it brilliant for those with combination to oily skin types. Fenty’s foundation is also widely available, meaning you can even now pick it up on your local Boots run.
Make sure to bookmark these Boots discount codes when shopping for oil-free foundations.
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Best oil-free foundation for everyday wear
Everyday Beauty Pie Great Skin Foundation
Why we love it: We think the world of Beauty Pie, and its foundation offerings are unsurprisingly top notch. If flawless, healthy, natural-looking skin is the goal, this is the antidote; the formula is infused with high-tech micro-pearls for a natural-matte finish and it has a medium-high coverage formula that’s buildable. While amazing for oily-combination skin types, this really is suitable for all.
Save big when shopping for oil-free foundations using these Beauty Pie discount codes.
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