10 Best Non-Comedogenic Foundations Reviewed For 2021
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Foundation is to make up as flowers are to a vase, and that’s why you need the best non-comedogenic foundation.
Well, for the benefit of you who is new to these things, a foundation is a cream liquid or powder that you apply on your face (after cleaning and moisturizing it) to even out your skin tone.
It hides pigmentation, acne spots, or scarring- so that you see the best results of additional makeup layers.
Now that you’ve understood the importance of foundations, “what’s up with the technical term in the title?” you ask.
Well, people with acne-prone skin have a limited choice of foundations or other cosmetic products, that they could use without spending countless morning hours popping zits – the face seems content with soap and water only!
When you have a photoshoot, a job interview, a wedding, or any other life event coming up, soap and water alone ain’t gonna cut; you need to spruce up your look.
As such, cosmetics manufacturers have come up with foundations which, don’t clog your pores hence don’t promote acne formation, moreover, these kinds of products are called non-comedogenic.
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IN A HURRY? HERE’S OUR FAVORITE PICKS…
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Neutrogena SkinClearing Oil-Free Acne and Blemish Fighting Liquid Foundation with.5% Salicylic... | $20.29 $13.52 | View on Amazon | |
 | Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Liquid Oil-Free Foundation Makeup, Ivory, 1 Count (Packaging... | $10.99 $8.62 | View on Amazon |
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
10 Best Non-Comedogenic Foundations Reviewed
And here’s a list of the top 10 non-comedogenic foundations with this characteristic.
1.
Clinique is an acclaimed, trusted brand in non-comedogenic foundation makeup products.
The Anti-blemish Solutions Liquid foundation is the best for one with mild acne, combination skin (some parts are oily while others are dry), skin redness, and inflammation marks.
It comes in 15 different shades so as fit with a wide variety of skin tones.
Clinique Anti Blemish liquid nature makes it lightweight, which is ideal for masking the appearance of shine in oily skin.
It’s smooth to the touch, designed to give medium coverage, and doesn’t bring out a cakey finish.
It contains Sugar Kelp extract, which forms a thin moisture-retention film on the skin to keep your face moisturized.
Furthermore, Clinique anti-blemish is composed of Salicylic acid, which dissolves dead skin cells to keep your pores clear of any form of blockage.
Caffeine tightens blood vessels to reduce inflammation; maintains skin elasticity by eliminating free radicals that cause wrinkling, aging, and prevents skin cancer.
Pros & Benefits:
- Ideal for Oily and combination skin
- Contains organic fatty acids that unclog pores
- Provides medium coverage to blemishes and acne spots
2. Neutrogena Skin Clearing Oil-Free Makeup
- 1-fluid ounce of Neutrogena SkinClearing Acne Fighting Liquid Foundation Makeup with .5% Salicylic Acid Acne...
- Formulated for acne-prone skin, it is the first and only liquid makeup foundation with MicroClear technology that...
- This liquid face makeup for acne-prone skin provides natural and breathable coverage, controls shine, and rapidly...
- This oil-free acne fighting foundation contains .5% salicylic acid acne medicine to provide fast acne relief and...
- Developed by dermatologists and designed for acne-prone skin. This acne foundation comes in a variety of shades and...
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Neutrogena liquid foundation is the optimal foundation for oily and acne-sensitive skin that has been developed by dermatologists.
Its major highlight is 0.5% Salicylic acid which not only clears pores to prevent acne formation but also heals acne spots.
Neutrogena comes in 14 different shades that are well distributed to suit all skin tones.
Should you not get one shade that suits you, you could always blend two shades to bring out the perfect match.
Neutrogena is designed to provide medium coverage while discouraging shine so that the finish is as natural as possible.
Due to its liquid nature and relatively small spout, use a tapered brush for a streak-free, complete, accurate finish; you could also use your fingers to dab the formula on your face and an egg-shaped sponge to blend the foundation upwards and outwards to create a flawless tone.
It’s fortified with the Matricaria flower extract, which soothes inflammation/red spots and retains moisture in your skin.
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is an antioxidant and promotes collagen formation (thus an anti-aging effect), and Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) treats acne breakout.
Pros & Benefits:
- Developed and tested by dermatologists
- Best suited for oily and acne-prone skin
- The active ingredient is Salicylic acid
- Contains organic ingredients such as Matricaria flower extract
- Fortified with Vitamins C and B5
3. Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless Liquid Foundation
- Maybelline Fit Me Matte Foundation: For a natural looking medium coverage liquid foundation makeup, look no...
- A Shade That Fits Me: Maybelline Fit Me liquid foundation provides coverage for a wide array of skin tones, from...
- Maybelline Fit Me For A Flawless Face: With Matte + Poreless foundation or Dewy+ Smooth foundation with SPF 18,...
- Create any look with Maybelline; foundation, BB creams, concealers, and setting powders for the perfect canvas, eye...
- Remove Maybelline Makeup With Micellar Water: Use Garnier Micellar Water as a gentle makeup remover at night, and...
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Firstly, when a product comes in 40 different shades, it’s quite simple to find a fit to your skin tone at the first buy – this is the reason it’s christened “Fit Me”.
The liquid formula is lightweight, designed to leave a dewy matte finish when used alone, and features micro-powders to limit shine and blur (not block) pores; this is what makes it ideal for oily skin.
It’s renowned for providing good coverage, medium to full to be exact.
Furthermore, its light finish allows you to build up additional layers of makeup without looking like you’ve applied chalk on your face.
It’s packed in a simple, small, cuboid bottle to increase its portability and allow you to apply and blend it by hand.
Sanitized hands are the easiest and most hygienic mode of makeup application; if you are new to foundations, Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless Liquid foundation will serve you just right.
There is a new and improved bottle that you can get online that has a dispenser pouch to control the amount of product that comes out; this minimizes wastage and increases hygiene.
Pros & Benefits:
- Up to 40 different shades of color
- Medium to full coverage with a mattifying effect
- Suitable for normal and oily skin
- Comes with a dispenser to control the amount of product used
- Blurs pores without actually blocking them
4. Almay Clear Complexion Makeup Foundation
- This lightweight foundation with salicylic acid manages to conceal blemishes, control shine, minimize pores, and...
- The soft matte finish foundation disguises blemishes—not the texture of your skin—and allows you to build...
- For acne-prone, oily, and combination skin types. Made with salicylic acid to treat current breakouts and help stop...
- As always, our clean foundation is dermatologist tested, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, fragrance free, and...
- Available in 14 easy-match shades ranging from light, medium, and deep
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Almay is an outstanding, highly affordable, acne-control foundation.
It’s famous for clearing the pores in your skin, due to a dose (0.6%) of maximum strength Salicylic acid, which not only clears blemishes but also gradually prevents the subsequent breakout of acne spots.
At the same time, it contains Aqua and Dimethicone which form a moisture retention barrier on your skin to balance the drying effect of Salicylic acid, this doesn’t mean that you should skip on your daily-water-intake routine though.
Almay is suitable for people with oily and acne-prone skin because of its ability to absorb excess oil from the skin.
Furthermore, it’s fragrant free thus devoid of essential oils that could proliferate the development of acne in people with oily skin or irritate sensitive skin.
Aside from keeping the pores open and covering acne spots, it will even out your skin tone with a soft, matte finish because it’s thin and breathable.
Almay Clear complexion foundation offers medium coverage so, that you can add extra layers of makeup without suffocating your face in a mess of creams and powders.
Moreover, Panthenol (composed therein) is swiftly converted to Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) which penetrates your skin to moisturize inner skin dryness, and it becomes an antiinflammatory and anti-irritant agent when used for more than 5 weeks.
This – coupled with other organic, anti-inflammatories (such as the Meadowsweet flower and Cornflower extract) could explain why Almay Clear Complexion foundation is taunted as hypoallergenic (causing little or no allergic reaction).
Pros & Benefits:
- Offers medium coverage
- Light, matte finish
- Organic anti-inflammatories and anti-irritants
- Hypoallergenic
- Contains both oil-absorbing and moisture-retention ingredients
5. L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Foundation
- True Match Foundation provides medium coverage with a natural finish so blendable it’s like you can’t tell...
- Oil Free Foundation With Spf: Apply with fingers, makeup sponge, or foundation brush, starting at the center of the...
- The Foundation Of Your Look: From natural to full coverage, L'Oréal Paris face makeup has what you need for a...
- Because You're Worth It: L'Oreal Paris Makeup helps you create the look you want with our full line of makeup...
- Perfect To Pair With: L'Oreal Paris True Match Super Blendable Multi Use Concealer; The concealer's lightweight...
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
L’Oreal for oily and acne- sensitive skin? It doesn’t get any better than this!
First, this foundation is infused with Precise Match Technology to help find your exact shade; there are 45 shades to choose from.
These shades also include undertones such as light, dark, warm, neutral, and cool.
This product is backed with a whole decade of research by a renowned cosmetic company, therefore, you can be sure that the manufacturer put care and thought into it.
L’oreal True Match Super-Blendable foundation offers medium coverage and blends into your skin so perfectly, that it would be difficult to see a distinction in the places where makeup is applied and where it’s not.
All this is meant to leave you with a flawless, natural look.
L’oreal true match is fortified with vitamin B5 to fight free radicals and absorb moisture from the environment to your skin.
It’s free from essential oils and plant oils which normally clog pores; free from Salicylic acid, which might dehydrate normal or combination skin but consists of Dimethicone compounds that keep your skin hydrated without clogging any pores.
As such, it would be wise to conclude that L’Oreal True Match super-blendable foundation suits, oily, normal, combination, and acne-prone skin types.
Light, cool shades have sunscreen protection of SPF17.
Pros & Benefits:
- A versatile foundation designed to truly match diverse natural skin tones
- Some shades have sunscreen protection of SPF17
- No Salicylic acid
- Suitable for combination, oily or normal skin
6. Oxygenetix Acne Control Oxygenating Foundation
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Oxygenetix is a gel-based foundation that not only covers blemishes and blackheads, but also heals scars, burns, and soothes inflammation (red spots) on your face.
Among its primary ingredients is Aloe Barbadensis which fights bacteria and inflammation while its gel form repels bacteria.
Oxygenetix features a Cerevitae complex that makes the product breathable
What’s more, it contains 2% Salicylic acid which deeply clears your pores and prevents future acne breakout.
To counter excessive skin dryness from the fairly high Salicylic acid, manufacturers added Glycerin and Dimethicones, which retain moisture and serve as emollients to soften the skin so that it can be used on a combination and normal skin-type.
Oxygenetix comes in 14, well-distributed shades.
Grape seed and Cerevisiae extracts are antioxidants that eliminate premature aging signs.
Oxygenetix is among the few noncomedogenic foundations that provide full coverage while soothing acne spots and scars.
Its anti-inflammatory ingredients provide the healing power that leaves your complexion better than before even when you’re not wearing it.
Pros & Benefits:
- Provides full coverage
- Suitable for acne-prone, oily, and combination skin
- Contains anti-inflammatory and antiaging compounds
7. Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless 3-In-1 Liquid Foundation
- REDUCES WRINKLES: Anti aging foundation instantly reduces the look of wrinkles for a smoother, more youthful...
- REDUCES WRINKLES: Anti aging foundation instantly reduces the look of wrinkles for a smoother, more youthful...
- HYDRATING FORMULA: Contains hyaluronic complex and vitamin C for firmer and healthier looking skin.Delivers firming...
- FIND YOUR SHADE: Available in multiple shades so you can find the right match for your skin tone
- CRUELTY FREE: COVERGIRL products are Leaping Bunny Certified by Cruelty Free International, meaning they are never...
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This non-comedogenic foundation’s popularity online is only second to Maybelline’s Fit me Matte & Poreless foundation.
It’s the first product that we’ve come across with Hyaluronic acid – a powerful, organic, moisturizing compound – but devoid of oils that clog pores and promote acne.
As such, this is an excellent choice for combination, normal and oily skin.
It has some fragrance.
Its liquid nature reduces shine and effectively evens out your skin tone on a thin layer, thus enabling you to put on other makeup without caking up your face.
Coverage is sheer to medium but can be built up to full when multiple layers are applied.
A light coverage, coupled with the foundation’s ability to last up to 8 hours makes it perfect to wear during normal working days in the office.
Covergirl teamed up with Olay Regenerist to tap into its experience in producing advanced anti-aging products.
What’s more, it does not settle on fine lines or wrinkles – but ingeniously glides over them to make it ideal for covering dark spots under the eyes.
It comes in 11 different shades that cover light to tan skin tones.
Pros & Benefits:
- Hyaluronic acid
- Anti-aging compounds
- Covers dark spots
- Glides over fine lines and wrinkles
- Leaping Bunny certified
8.
Just as its name suggests, this is the epitome of long-wearing foundations, lasting up to 24 hours, all without pore-clogging oils.
Besides, the Estee Lauder Stay-in-place foundation is smudge-proof, sweat, humidity-resistant, and won’t crease for the full length of time that it stays on.
This is the foundation that allows you to comfortably work and play hard under the sun.
It’s designed to provide medium to full coverage hence you only need a small amount to achieve desired results.
It’s mattifying but contains moisturizers like water/aqua, Dimethicones, and Xanthan which leave your face smooth and dewy.
A good way to bring out a glowing, natural look.
Estee Lauder comes in an amazing 40-shade range, including light and dark skin tone so that you have a higher chance of getting your fit.
The packaging is small to make it portable and simple so that you use your hands to dab and blend it on your face, but you can always purchase an inexpensive pump that’s specifically made for Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation.
Pros & Benefits:
- Can last up to 24 hours
- Smudge-proof
- Sweat and water-resistant
9. Too Faced Born This Way Medium To Full Coverage Foundation
- A medium-to-full coverage, natural finish foundation
- The oil-free and hydrating formula is infused with Coconut Water, Alpine Rose and Hyaluronic Acid
- This longwearing, non-comedogenic foundation that has no photo flashback, is also vegan
- Cruelty Free Furever and Always
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Providing full coverage, this oil-free foundation was designed to give the impression of a naturally flawless skin tone through a powdery finish.
If you are not so big on the full makeup routine, then try this foundation to even things up and you’ll be good to go – after all, you only want to show that that’s the way you were born.
It’s long-wearing, lasting up to 12 hours.
Born This Way has no oils so that it can be used on oily skin, yet contains moisturizing agents such as Hyaluronic acid to keep otherwise dry skin from dehydration – it suits oily and combination skin.
Coconut water (not oil) releases Vitamin C which promotes the formation of collagen (which keeps your skin firm and wrinkle-free), has anti-microbial properties (which cleanse the skin and prevent acne break-out), and maintains the skin’s moisture through high levels of Potassium.
Alpine rose leaf extract (Rhododendron Ferrocenium) reduces redness and increases your skin’s elasticity, to hide red spots and reduce aging.
Available in 12 shades which range from Porcelain to Caramel online.
Pros & Benefits:
- Natural moisturizing, anti-aging, and anti-microbial agents
- Full coverage
- Lasts up to 12 hours
10. Dermablend Flawless Creator Multi-Use Liquid Foundation Makeup
- Water-free,Oil-free and Fragrance-free.
- Allergy-tested and Paraben-free.
- Non-comedogenic. Non-acnegenic.
- Vegan formula.
- SENSITIVE SKIN
Last update on 2024-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This foundation was Allure’s Best of Beauty winner in 2018.
Dermablend Flawless creator contains pigments that cover acne, red spots, scars, and hyperpigmentation as per your face’s undertone.
You can get up to 20 shades, and they are distributed across light and dark skin tones – the shades are numbered but sometimes, comments are added to each one to mention the skin tone and corresponding undertone the shades are best for.
Furthermore, the pigments provide full coverage on a thin layer – this leaves room for your skin to breathe and alleviates caking which happens due to a thick layer of makeup.
Made out of 10 ingredients only, the manufacturer intends to make the product lightweight so that you can conveniently blend it under your eyes, around your smile lines and neck to cover flaws that other foundations couldn’t do.
It does this without showing some slight form of caking in these parts of the skin.
Concerning the product packaging, it comes in a simple, small, narrow jar.
Nevertheless, you won’t have any trouble reaching for the contents inside, since Dermablend ingeniously modified the foundation’s cap into a drop that sucks the content and deposits it on your skin with pinpoint accuracy.
This Drop Cap takes portion-control to a whole new level!
If you want sheer coverage, use 1 drop but if you want to build it up to full, use 4 drops – that’s how effective it is.
The foundation is also free of fragrance so that it can be used on sensitive skin; it’s Triclosan-free to minimize allergic reactions and skin irritation.
It’s also free of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), to retain your body’s natural oils (thus keep dry skin hydrated) and prevent irritation to your eyes, which is usually triggered by SLS.
Finally, it’s phthalate-free, phthalates are a group of chemical compounds that are widely used in cosmetic products to stabilize them and make them more durable.
But studies are beginning to show that they could inhibit endocrine functions and cause cancer.
Pros & Benefits:
- Features a Drop Cap to control portions
- Contains pigments that aid in covering most imperfections
- Free from Triclosan, Phthalates, and Sodium Lauryl SulfateFree from Triclosan, SLS, and Phthalates
- Lasts up to 16 hours
- Provides full coverage
Final Thoughts
We have seen that there are makeup foundations made for acne-prone, oily, and combination skin.
This means that you don’t have to shy away from what you love to do just because of the condition in your skin.
Hopefully, this article has enlightened you on the best non-comedogenic foundations, and the value that each product’s ingredients add to your skin.
So the next time you go shopping for foundations, you know what to look out for and won’t just believe a bumper sticker written “non-comedogenic” or “for acne-prone skin”.
If there’s a product that you’ve used and isn’t on this list, we’d be happy to know your experience with it in the comment section below.
After all, iron sharpens iron, right?
