The Best Makeup Primers For Acne-Prone Skin

If you’re dealing with acne-prone skin, it makes sense to make sure that the steps in your makeup routine are good for your skin too. Your primer sits on your skin underneath the rest of your base, so choose one that’ll keep your makeup in place and soothe your skin without inflaming or irritating it.

Here’s our round up of the best makeup primers for acne-prone skin…

Say bye bye to blemishes while you prep and prime your skin with the e.l.f. Cosmetics Blemish Control Face Primer. It’s made with a blend of tea tree oil, salicylic acid, and vitamin E to nourish the skin while fighting blemishes. Remember, acne-prone and oily skin can still get dehydrated, so this hydrating, matte finish primer helps to fight shine without drying out your skin.

Infused with blemish busting salicylic acid, the Jouer Cosmetics Anti-Blemish Matte Primer Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment is an oil free primer that’s been designed to treat and calm skin that’s prone to breakouts and oily skin. It has a matte finish that keeps oil and shine at bay while minimises the appearance of pores, soothing redness and reducing irritation. It’s also fragrance free, so if your skin’s sensitive to scent you don’t need to worry.

The By Beauty Bay Matte Blur Priming Stick is the perfect multi-tasker for oily and combination skin. It’s lightweight, breathable and mattifies shine while blurring imperfections. Suitable for all skin tones, it’s blendable and has been formulated with bamboo stem powder and light diffusing micro spheres to help camouflage the appearance of pores and fine lines. It’s ideal for makeup touch ups on the go and can be worn with or without makeup.

If you need to neutralise redness and even out your acne-prone skin, the Makeup Revolution Superbase Colour Correcting Primer will help to banish red tones from your skin. It contains cica to strengthen your skin’s natural barrier and brighten the skin – it’s thought that a skin barrier imbalance could contribute to acne – along with chlorophyll for its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It might look a lot when you first apply it but add it under your makeup and watch redness vanish.

Looking for a skincare-makeup hybrid to help hydrate your skin and tackle acne? The Too Faced Primed & Poreless+ Pore Banishing & Blurring Face Primer has an advanced formula that’s infused with hyaluronic acid, a gentle form of retinol, vitamin C and vitamin E to nourish, renew and prime the skin. It helps to reduce shine, blur imperfections, smooth texture, and hide visible pores to create a refreshed base for the rest of your makeup.

If your skin’s acne-prone, inflamed and thirsty, the Ofra Cool As A Cucumber Primer has a velvety texture and mattifying finish that quenches thirsty skin, smooths over pores and locks in moisture to cool and hydrate the skin. It also has a light green tint that can help to reduce the appearance of inflammation.

The Skindinavia The Makeup Primer Spray Oil Control eliminates shine and reduces breakouts, This silicone-free primer has been made for oily skin types. It’s a lightweight mist that clears and un-clogs the pores. Nourishing the skin, this gentle primer balances the complexion for flawless, long-lasting makeup wear.

The By Beauty Bay The First Prime Oil Control Priming Mist is a breathable, shine controlling primer spray that’s infused with vitamin B6 to support your skin and keep your makeup looking flawless. It works to reduce the appearance of pores and fine lines with a lightweight formula that creates a smooth, luminous finish. It also lasts for up to 12 hours for fresher, longer wearing looks without drying out your skin.

One of e.l.f Cosmetics’ most iconic primers has been given a blemish-fighting upgrade. With salicylic acid to prevent breakouts and reduce redness, zinc to reduce inflammation, and kaolin to control oil and imperfections, the e.l.f. Cosmetics Blemish Fighting Putty Primer smooths imperfections, helps your makeup to grip and gives you an even bare-faced finish. It’s perfect for acne-prone, combination, and oily skin.