Top 10 Best Primers For Combination Skin In 2024

Updated on August 18, 2024

Combination skin is one of the complicated skin types. This is because it has dehydrated cheeks and continuously oily T-zones. Sometimes your makeup may slide off with shine, while other days, your makeup may feel so dry that it starts flaking off. Using the right primer, your makeup can look dewy in the right places and still get a matte complexion everywhere else. It would help if you used a multipurpose primer that can combat both flakes and shine on your face. The best primer for combination skin should be non-comedogenic and oil-free so that it does not clog your pores. Here is a list of primers that are designed to suit a combination of skin.

Editor’s Choices

10 Best Primers For Combination Skin

1. Rimmel Stay Matte Mattifying Primer (Best Skin Perfecting)

This ultra-lightweight formula is designed to give you smooth, flawless skin with a long-lasting velvety matte finish. It never feels greasy or heavy on your skin, and it controls shine for up to 8 hours. This formula minimizes the appearance of large pores and does not clog them.

If your skin is dry with some oily patches, this formula will moisturize the dry areas and control your T-zone’s shine. It evens out your skin to give you a flawless look all day. This primer can be used alone or with a foundation to create a velvety base that prolongs the wear of your makeup.

Key Features:

• Ultra-lightweight formula
• Minimizes the appearance of large pores
• Controls shine for up to 8 hours and hydrates dry areas
• It can be used alone or with a foundation
• It does not feel heavy or greasy on your skin

2. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (Best Wrinkle Treatment)

If you want to extend your makeup wear with combination skin, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer offers a complexion that lasts. It is an oil-free primer that conceals redness, fine lines, wrinkles, and pores. This creates a smooth even canvas where your foundation glides on and stays intact over the airy formula. 

This primer offers your skin sun protection with SPF15. It is also waterproof and helps your makeup to stay intact. The formula is lightweight and has a thin consistency easily absorbed into your skin without getting a cakey residue.

Key Features:

• Oil-free formula
• Lightweight primer
• Protects your skin from harmful UV rays with SPF 15
• Absorbs easily with no greasy residue
• Conceal redness, pores, and fine lines

3. L’Oreal Paris Magic Perfecting Base Face Primer (Best Lightweight)

This is a pore-minimizing makeup primer that is suitable for combination skin. It is a silky, lightweight formula that glides onto the skin easily and minimizes the appearance of pores and fine lines. Your skin feels smooth to the touch with its matte finish. 

This non-comedogenic formula will not clog your pores. It can be worn alone or under a foundation to give a smooth canvas. Use this primer on your oily T-zone to get a subtle matte finish. You can also use it under your eyes to reduce the appearance of dark circles.

Key Features:

• Blurs fine lines, pores, and wrinkles
• It offers a matte finish on your T-zone areas
• A non-comedogenic formula that will not clog your pores
• Creates a smooth canvas for your foundation

4. e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer (Best Flawless Base)

This is a skin-perfecting, lightweight, and long-lasting formula for your combination skin. It is infused with squalene which offers optimal hydration to your dry areas. The formula offers a velvety texture that glides effortlessly over your skin. 

It smooths all imperfections to give you a poreless effect and the ultimate grip on your makeup. This formula fills in pores, fine lines, and wrinkles to give you a flawless face.

Key Features:

• Lightweight formula
• It offers a long-lasting poreless effect
• Smooths and hydrates the skin
• It offers a flawless base

5. DHC Velvet Skin Coat (Best Colorant Free)

This is a mattifying makeup primer that is rich in antioxidants and offers a perfect complexion. This primer instantly minimizes the appearance of large pores, fine lines, and skin imperfections for a smooth matte look that lasts all day. 

It is formulated with organic olive oil that provides antioxidant protection from daily environmental stresses. It is enriched with silica that helps absorb excess oil and sweat to offer a mattified look that lasts all day.

Key features:

• Mattifies your complexion and diminishes shine
• Minimizes the look of pores and fine lines
• Weightless formula that stays put all-day
• Protects your skin from free radical damage

6. Matte Makeup Base Primer for Face (Best Shine Control)

Matte Makeup Base Primer for Face offers instant mattifying results that brighten and balance your skin tone. Say goodbye to large appearing pores because this primer conceals visible pores to create a smooth canvas. This lightweight hydrating primer lasts all day.

 It helps to control oil on your T-zones and moisturizes dry patches on your skin. The formula is waterproof, making sure that your makeup stays intact all day despite humid conditions or carrying out a rigorous activity. It is a non-greasy formula that does not feel heavy or clog your pores.

Key Features:

• Controls oil
• Brightens and balances your skin tone
• Lightweight hydrating primer
• Waterproof non-greasy formula
• Minimizes pores and creates a smooth canvas

7. Too Faced Cosmetics Primed and Poreless (Best For Vitamin A)

This is a skin-smoothing face primer that erases pores and all imperfections. It erases pores, virtually softens fine lines and perfects your complexion. It creates a smooth canvas for your foundation and helps your makeup to stay intact for a long.

It is formulated with mulberry extract and Arctostaphylos UVA URSI to protect, brighten, and lighten your skin. Over time the use of this primer helps to restore moisture, elasticity, and suppleness. This gives you a youthful appearance by combating early aging signs.

Key Features:

• Virtually erases pores
• Hydrates, firms, and detoxifies skin
• Provides an airbrushed canvas for your makeup
• Brightens and lightens your skin

8. Maybelline New York Face Studio Primer (Best Redness Control)

This is a weightless water-based formula that blurs skin imperfections and smooths fine lines.  It primes your skin to create a smooth canvas for your makeup application without leaving a greasy feel. This ultra-light formula is non-oily and will not clog your pores.

It erases dark circles and large pores with its full coverage and provides up to 24 hours of wear. This formula is dermatologist and allergy-tested and is suitable even for the most sensitive skin.

Key Features:

• Weightless non-oily formula
• Blurs skin imperfections and smooths fine lines
• Controls oil and protects your skin against sun damage
• Color correct your skin without feeling greasy

9. Lauda Botanicals Oily Face Control Mattifying Primer (Best Tea Tree Oil)

This is an anti-shine oil-free primer that controls oil without drying your skin. Lauda Botanicals Oily Face Control Mattifying Primer provides optimal hydration and helps to control sebum production. It is a 3-in1 formula that moisturizes, mattifying, and minimizes pores.

 It is formulated with mild and effective ingredients like tea tree oil, salicylic acid, aloe vera, cinnamon, and lactic acid. These ingredients help to clarify, balance, hydrate and soothe your skin. This formula is loaded with antioxidants that prevent your skin from free radical damage. It applies smoothly and dries fast.

Key Features:

• Controls oil and shine
• Oil-free lightweight formula
• Dries fast
• Hydrates and soothes your skin
• Suitable for combination, acne-prone, and oily skin

10. TULA Probiotic Skin Care Face Primer (Best Non Tinted Formula)

This is a blurring and moisturizing primer that instantly smooths your skin. It is formulated with chia seeds, turmeric, probiotics, and prebiotic extracts that smooth uneven skin and blur redness. This primer looks hydrated and leaves your skin looking luminous, hydrated, and prepped for your makeup. 

Chia seeds increase your skin luminosity, licorice evens the appearance of skin tone, and turmeric decreases the look of redness and inflammation. It gives you a filter-like finish that helps your makeup stay intact all day.

Key Features:

• Even the appearance of your skin tone
• Locks in hydration and maintains moisture balance
• Increases your skin luminosity
• Blurs the look of redness and inflammation

How To Pick The Right Primer For Combination Skin?

Look for a Hydrating Primer

With combination skin, there are areas of your skin that get extremely dry. It would help if you are looking for a moisturizing primer that will hydrate those dry areas to prevent your makeup from flaking. Choose a primer with hydrating ingredients like aloe vera that will keep your skin supple. A hydrating primer conditions your skin with nutrition and gives you a dewy finish.

Go for a Primer that Controls Shine

There are areas on your face with combination skin that tend to get oily, especially on your T-zones. You should look for a primer that offers oil and shine control benefits. These areas need to be shine-free so that your makeup can stay flawless all day. Go for primers that promise to control oil so that you can prevent your makeup from clicking.

Pore Minimizing

If you have large pores that make your face uneven, you should opt for pore-minimizing primers. These are formulas that blur and reduce the appearance of large pores on your skin. With minimized pores, it’s easier to control excess oil on your face.

Mattifying Primer

With combination or oily skin, you need a mattifying primer to give you a flawless matte finish on your face.

Lightweight and Oil-free Formula

With parts of your face that tend to be too oily, you need to use the oil-free formula to add more oil to your face. Also, go for lightweight formulas that will not feel heavy on your skin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is powder or liquid primer good for combination skin?

Since combination skin is both oily and dry, you need to use both primers. Powder primer is great for absorbing excess oil and controlling shine. On the other hand, Liquid primer is great for hydrating and moisturizing dry areas on your skin. Apply the liquid primer all over your face and dab powder primer on your oily T-zones.

Which are the good primers for combination skin?

Good primers for combination skin should hydrate and also control oil on your skin. This will help to moisturize the dry areas and control oils and shine on the oily area.

What is a combination skin type?

This is skin with a mix of both oily and dry skin. Some areas will have dry patches, while other areas will tend to be oily.

Conclusion

Combination skin is tricky because it has both oily and dry areas. Using primers formulated for combination skin will help you control shine on oily places while also hydrating and moisturizing dry areas. We highly recommend the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer from our list of the best primers for combination skin. This is an oil-free primer that conceals skin imperfections while creating a smooth even canvas where your foundation glides on and stays intact over the airy formula.