Our 10 Best Foundations For Oily Skin In 2024 – Reviews And Guide

Updated on August 18, 2024

If your skin is naturally oily, finding the right foundation that fights excess sebum and stays put all day is a challenge. Using the wrong foundation formula can clog your pores and stimulate sebum overproduction, which makes your situation worse. You can avoid this by using foundations that are formulated for oily skin. They contain pigments and ingredients that help to balance oil and leave your face looking matte all day. These formulas are oil-free and non-comedogenic, meaning that they will not clog your pores and cause more acne. Here is a list of the best foundations for oily skin that will keep you looking mate and greaseless all day.

Editor’s Choices

10 Best Foundations For Oily Skin

1. FACE atelier Ultra Foundation Pro (Best Long Lasting)

This is a highly pigmented formula that provides medium to full buildable flawless coverage. It is suitable for oily skin and offers a dewy and natural-looking finish. This cutting-edge silicon-based formula is resistant to moisture, heat, and oil, making it ideal for oily skin.

It has a lightweight coverage that does not clog your pores or leave your skin oily and greasy. The foundation stays in place longer without caking and greasing. It conceals redness and blurs the appearance of fine lines, imperfections, and wrinkles.

Key Features:

• It comes with a built-in primer
• Provides medium to full buildable coverage
• Long-lasting flawless dewy coverage
• Moisture, heat, and oil-resistant

2. Luminess Air Airbrush Ultra Dewy Finish Foundation (Best Alcohol-Free)

This is a water-based, oil-free, and non-comedogenic formula suitable for oily skin. The foundation will not clog your pores, and it is formulated with ingredients that help control sebum production. It offers a shine-free and flawless coverage that lasts for up to 18 hours. 

The foundation is buildable and breathable and offers light to full coverage without feeling heavy on your skin. You use it to cover blemishes, fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, and blemishes. The formula is dermatologist and ophthalmologist-tested, which makes it ideal for everyday wear.

Key Features:

• It lasts up to 18 hours
• Oil-free and non-comedogenic formula
• Water and sweat-resistant
• Buildable and breathable formula

3. L’Oreal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation (Best Perfect Pair)

This is a lightweight creamy foundation that offers a demi-matte finish that lasts up to 24 hours. It conceals all imperfections to give you a smooth, clear complexion. This is a matte foundation for oily skin that offers medium to full coverage with a long-lasting effect.

It helps to control shine and gives you a shine-free face for up to 24 hours. It is oil-free, meaning that it will not clog your pores and SPF protects your skin from harmful UV rays.

Key Features:

• Air light foundation that provides medium to full coverage
• It offers a 24-hour matte finish
• Conceals imperfections to give you a clear complexion
• Oil-free formula with SPF

4. Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation (Best Oil Free)

This is one of the best foundations for oily and acne-prone skin. It is an oil-free formula with mattifying clay. This poreless foundation offers medium coverage that refines pores and has a natural matte finish that lasts all day. 

It is formulated with micro-powders that help to control shine and blur large pores. It feels lightweight on your skin, and it is available in 37 toe-matching shades. It is a dermatologist-tested, allergy-tested, and non-comedogenic formula, making it safe for everyday use even on the most sensitive skin.

Key Features:

• Formulated with clay and micro-powders to stop shine and blur pores
• Lightweight formula
• Offers medium coverage
• It offers a matte finish that lasts all day
• Available in 37 shades to match your skin tone and texture

5. Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup (Best Nonstop Activity)

If you want to look flawless all day, use Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup foundation. It offers a 15-hour staying power where your makeup stays fresh and looks natural through heat, humidity, and non-stop activity.

It is a waterproof formula that withstands sweat even on a sunny day, and your makeup stays intact and fresh without caking, smudging, and streaking. It offers a medium to full buildable coverage that feels light on your face.

Key Features:

• Long-wearing foundation with a 15-hour staying power
• Feels lightweight and comfortable on your face
• Waterproof formula that stays fresh during heat, humidity, and active activity
• Dermatologist-tested

6. Revlon ColorStay Liquid Foundation Makeup (Best Fragrance Free)

This is an oil-free foundation for combination and oily skin. It is a lightweight liquid matte foundation designed to control oil and shine with its oil-free formula. It has a 24-hour staying power offering all-day fresh makeup. 

It also has a broad spectrum of SPF15 to protect your skin from the sun. It offers medium coverage that is easily buildable to full coverage giving a naturally flawless, smooth coverage. With 43 shades to choose from, you are guaranteed to find the perfect match for your natural skin tone. 

Key Features:

• Oil-free formula to control shine and oil
• Available in 43 shades to choose from
• It offers a flawless matte finish with medium to full buildable coverage
• Protects your skin from UV rays with SPF15
• Wears for up to 24 hours

7. Shimarz Liquid Foundation Full Face Coverage (Best Cruelty Free)

This is an all-natural and organic liquid mineral foundation suitable for acne-prone, oily, and sensitive skin. It offers full coverage to conceal your blemishes, spots, dark circles, pimples, acne, and wrinkles.

It is formulated with natural skin-nourishing ingredients that hydrate and moisturize your skin. Its lightweight and breathable texture gives you a flawless look all day without caking or creasing. It is oil-free, allowing your pores to breathe with full coverage for a flawless look.

Key Features:

• Offers full coverage
• Conceals your skin imperfections
• Lightweight formula with hydrating and moisturizing properties
• Made with natural ingredients 

8. COVERGIRL Clean Matte BB Cream Foundation (Best Lightweight)

This is a BB cream foundation for oily skin. It is an oil-free, non-comedogenic matte formula that will not clog your pores. It prevents breakouts and allows your skin to breathe. This lightweight matte foundation hides blemishes and evens your skin tone for a flawless complexion.

It glides on smoothly and blends easily to offer perfect coverage that keeps you shine-free all day long. It is available in six shades to match your skin tone.

Key Features:

• Hides blemishes and evens your skin tone
• An oil-free, non-comedogenic formula that will not clog your pores
• Formulated for oily skin
• It glides on easily and blends perfectly
• Lightweight water-based formula that keeps you shine-free all day

9. Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation (Best Waterproof Formula)

Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation is a revolutionary formula for oily and combination skin. It offers full coverage that diffuses light to blur acne, scars, skin discoloration, and other imperfections. It features a matte formula that absorbs excess oil to give you shine-free skin all day long.

The foundation is water-prof and transfer-resistant and stays intact by withstanding sweat, humidity, and heat. It is perfect for all-night functions and still comfortable enough to wear during the day.

Key Features:

• Absorbs oil to prevent the look of a shiny face
• Offers superior coverage
• Highly pigmented so that you don’t have to apply multiple layers
• Blurs acne scars, skin discoloration and other imperfections
• Waterproof formula
• It lasts all night and can be worn during the day

10. NYX Professional Makeup Full Coverage Foundation (Best True Beige)

This is a lightweight, waterproof, and highly pigmented foundation that offers full coverage. It is a long-wearing formula that delivers a matte coverage that stays in place for up to 24 hours. It controls shine by absorbing excess oil and mattifies your skin all day.

It is available in 45 carefully calibrated shades to match your skin tone. The formula glides on smoothly covering all your skin imperfections for a flawless complexion. It is non-comedogenic making it suitable for oily skin as it will not clog your pores to lead to more breakouts.

Key Features:

• Available in 45 shades
• Lightweight waterproof formula
• A long-lasting mattifying effect that lasts up to 24 hours
• A highly pigmented formula that offers full coverage

How To Choose The Right Foundation For Oily Skin?

The Coverage

Foundations can either offer sheer, medium, or full coverage. 

If your oily skin has breakouts and you want to conceal acne scars and blemishes, go for a foundation that offers medium to full coverage. If you want a foundation that offers a natural-looking complexion, choose one with sheer coverage.

Ingredients Used

With oily skin, you need a foundation with ingredients like salicylic acid to absorb excess oil and control shine. Also, look for foundations formulated with micro-powders that help to absorb excess oil. Also, choose foundations with SPF to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

The Finish

With oily skin, you should go for foundations that have a matte finish. It will mattify your skin and keep it shine-free all day.

Oil-free

With oily skin, you don’t want to use skin care products that add more oil to your skin. Go for oil-free and lightweight foundations so that they don’t feel heavy on your skin and clog your pores to cause more breakouts. Read the product description and look for words like non-comedogenic.

Wearing Time

Go for foundations that offer a long-lasting effect that will last you through the day. Better, look for waterproof formulas that will withstand sweat and humidity so that your makeup can stay intact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which foundation is best for oily skin?

Any foundation that fights excess oil is good for oily skin. Also, look for oil-free foundations that will not clog your pores to cause more breakouts.

Is liquid or powder foundation better for oily skin?

Powder foundations are great for oily skin because they help absorb excess oil and give you a shine-free face all day. Liquid foundations are great for dry skin because they contain more hydrating properties.

Should you use moisturizing foundations on oily skin?

Yes. Even oily skins need to be hydrated and moisturized. Failure to moisturize oily skin can lead to more sebum production, which will make the skin oilier. Go for foundations with hydrating and moisturizing benefits.

Conclusion

You don’t have to do touch ups now and then because your skin is oily. By using foundations formulated for oily skin, you can enjoy a matte finish and a shine-free face that lasts for a long. From our review of the best foundations for oily skin, our top pick is Luminess Air Airbrush ultra-dewy finish foundation. This oil-free formula helps in controlling sebum production and will not clog your pores. It offers shine-free and flawless coverage that lasts for up to 18 hours.