As skin matures, adapting your skincare and make-up routine becomes essential. when it comes to finding the best foundation for mature skin, it’s important to think about what your skin needs. Whether it’s addressing dark spots and fine lines or adding radiance to counteract dullness and improve hydration, there’s a foundation out there to suit your skin. “I look for a foundation that targets the concerns of mature skin, such as loss of radiance, uneven skin tone, and moisture balance,” explains celebrity make-up artist Carolina Dalí-Trites. With that in mind, read on to discover British Vogue’s top picks for the best foundations for mature skin in 2024 to achieve flawless, age-defying results.
Read more:The Best Make-up Brushes For Every Purpose
The best foundations for mature skin at a glance:
- Best crease-proof foundation for mature skin: Glossier Stretch Fluid Foundation, £34
- Best foundation for oily mature skin: Chantecaille Future Skin Oil Free Foundation, £75
- Best foundation for a dewy, hydrated finish on mature skin: Saie Slip Tint Dewy Tinted Moisturiser, £29
- Best matte foundation for mature skin: Dior Forever Matte Foundation, £50
- Best long-lasting foundation for mature skin: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, £46
- Best foundation for skincare benefits: Sisley Sisleya Le Teint Anti-Aging Foundation, £140
- Best foundation for an undetectable finish: Jones Road What The Foundation Tinted Moisture Balm, £42
In this article:
- What type of foundation is best for mature skin?
- What should mature skin look for in a foundation?
- Is matte or dewy foundation better for mature skin?
Meet the experts:
- Carolina Dalí-Trites is a celebrity make-up artist
- Meredith Baraf is a celebrity make-up artist
- Tobi Henney is a celebrity make-up artist
- Janice Kinjo is a celebrity make-up artist and men's groomer
The best foundation for weightless wear
Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation Hydration and Longwear
- Why we love it: Celebrity make-up artist Meredith Baraf, who counts Brooke Shields, Erin Andrews, and Frankie Foye as clients, shares a laundry list of foundations that “melt into the skin and don’t tend to creep into fine lines and wrinkles or accentuate pores.” One of them is this weightless Chanel pick.
- More to know: Formulated with 40 per cent water and light-reflecting pigments, the foundation has a silky, barely there feel and instantly hydrates skin for up to 12 hours.
The best clean beauty foundation
Jones Road What The Foundation Tinted Moisture Balm
- Why we love it: Beauty mogul Bobbi Brown is famously not a fan of foundation. Her prescription for flawless skin? A sheer, buildable balm that unifies the skin tone more naturally instead. Applied with the fingers or using a brush, this balm doesn’t require much effort to melt into the complexion, but gives the polish of someone who’s spent an age preening thanks to its skin-perfecting finish.
- More to know: In Brown’s own words, this product is where moisturiser meets foundation, and the jojoba oil and sodium hyaluronate in this formula ensure skin is sufficiently nourished. It’s a particularly good pick for those navigating the drier skin that comes with age – jojoba oil closely mimics skin’s own sebum, which decreases as you get older.
The best fan-favourite foundation
Laura Mercier Real Flawless Foundation
- Why we love it: Weightless and incredibly long-wearing, this foundation is one to know for a “your-skin-but-better” finish. It has a medium coverage that can be layered without masking skin, and a dewy formula which dries down to become totally waterproof. One you can rely on for comfortable wear on long days out, it harnesses the oil-blotting powers of bamboo silk to keep shine under control. And it’s chock-full of hydro lipids to moisturise and reinforce your skin barrier. What’s not to love?
- More to know: You will likely have seen already fans singing its praises on TikTok, but if you haven’t here’s the low down: women of all ages are flocking in the thousands to rave about its quality. The common thread in all those glowing reviews is that this formula performs beautifully, boasting a perfecting effect and stays-put formula that looks flattering whether you’re 15 or over 50.
The best smart solution foundation
Haus Labs by Lady Gaga – Triclone Skin Tech
- Why we love it: Fermented Arnica is one of several clever ingredients powering Gaga’s hit foundation, and its inclusion is a godsend for those with skin issues of any kind. A soothing anti-inflammatory with wound-healing properties, it means this foundation doesn’t just paint over problem skin, but actually targets concerns. Redness is reduced, pigmentation is addressed with each wear, and to top it all off, it has a soft focus finish that is nothing short of phenomenal.
- More to know: On this foundation, medium coverage means pigmented enough to camouflage blemishes, without the oily sheen you can get on lower coverage formulas. In fact, it sets to a demi-matte finish, so it’s a great pick for those who want the best of both worlds. What’s more, it contains more than 20 antioxidant ingredients to defend against free radical damage, so it’s a smart choice for protecting the health of your skin.
The best glass skin foundation
Dior Forever Glow Star Filter
- Why we love it: For a filter, Dior’s new product has serious colour payoff – so much so that it works like a foundation. Distinctly glossy, its skincare-heavy formula keeps your face thoroughly nourished, and as for dullness? Consider this your cheat code for immediately illuminating skin. A little goes a long way to add a tinted sheen, which we love for staying in place without settling into expression lines.
- More to know: Coming in 10 flattering shades, the possibilities are endless with this multipurpose balm. It can be put to work as an illuminator, or bronzer – in short, however you see fit. Use it as a primer, mix a few drops into your other products to boost their radiance, or apply your shade match over bare skin for a glowing base. Perfect for dry mature skin.
The best peptide-infused foundation
Glossier Stretch Fluid Foundation
- Why we love it: Every pigment in Glossier’s first ever foundation comes encapsulated in amino acids. Incredibly cool, yes, but also an indispensable innovation for women who find their foundation tends to settle in lines – these smoothing peptides fuse to and flex with the skin to prevent major creasing.
- More to know: You’d be wrong to think Glossier only caters to those with already flawless complexions – this foundation conceals sun spots, blemishes and more with an impressive skin-like finish. Loaded with rosehip, squalane and plankton – the formula is 89 per cent skincare – it also improves the appearance of said skin concerns over time.
The best radiance boosting foundation
MAC Studio Radiance Serum Foundation
- Why we love it: 56 shades, a solution supercharged with skincare – there’s plenty to love about MAC’s latest foundation. It plumps skin with 10 per cent hyaluronic acid and is formulated with 80 per cent skincare overall, so if you’re after a make-up hybrid that helps condition the skin, it’s a very good port of call.
- More to know: A departure from MAC’s more heavy-duty make-up, leave your preconceptions at the door for this formula. Its vitamin E, jojoba, cucumber and a total of 33 skincare actives combine to create a luminous soft-focus effect, blurring pores and smoothing lines with a seamless, undetectable finish.
The best all-round foundation
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
- Why we love it: When we tapped make-up pros Dalí-Trites, Tobi Henney, and Janice Kinjo, each of them recommended Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation. While Kinjo notes it’s her go-to “that won’t settle into fine lines,” Dalí-Trites believes it “looks and feels like a second skin.” Henney shares that she reaches for this formula while working with Diane von Furstenberg for an event or photoshoot: “I use this a lot in my work, as it creates the most flawless base for all skin types.”
- More to know: Inspired by charmeuse silk, this oil-free foundation is infused with finely milled colour pigments to impart medium coverage and a radiant, airbrushed finish that resembles a lit-from-within glow.
The best serum foundation
Ilia True Skin Serum Foundation
- Why we love it: Dalí-Trites calls Ilia’s her go-to for mature skin because it “adds moisture, gives the skin a healthy natural glow, [and] good amount of coverage while still letting the skin look like skin.
- More to know: Think of this as the high-coverage counterpart to its acclaimed Super Serum Skin Tint. Kinjo says it’s “for those who want clean, vegan make-up [that] will keep skin glowing all day.” While niacinamide and allantoin help brighten and soothe skin, this is formulated to counteract the look of pores, redness, and uneven skin tone through its weightless medium-coverage formula.
The best tinted moisturiser
Saie Slip Tint
- Why we love it: Not ready to give up the feel of a warm-weather-favorite tinted moisturiser? Baraf says Saie’s formula is her pick. Sheer, dewy coverage truly never goes out of season.
- More to know: The Saie Slip Tint utilises a blend of hyaluronic acid, pansy flower, and liquorice root extract to brighten, hydrate, and protect skin with ease.
The best lightweight oil foundation
Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops
- Why we love it: Gucci Westman previously described the latest complexion solution from her eponymous beauty line as “a lightweight oil that – when you apply it to your face – becomes more like a cushiony serum.” The formula is powered by supercharged skincare actives: ginseng extract, sunflower and almond oil, pomegranate extract, tsubaki oil, ginger root complex, and a skin-shielding complex. These come together to not only condition the skin, even tone, and smooth texture.
- More to know: What’s more, the weightless light-to-medium tint blends with ease to reveal a dewy, radiant finish perfect for year-round wear.
The best foundation for dry skin
Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Soft Radiance Foundation SPF 50
- Why we love it: “This foundation has great coverage and is perfect for those with drier skin types,” says Henney. “The shade range is beautiful, and the packaging is super chic!”
- More to know: Tom Ford’s Soft Radiance foundation features a blend of hyaluronic acid, natural oils, and noni fruit extract to condition and calm skin. On the complexion front, light diffusing powders ensure the perfect luminous, medium-to-full-coverage wear.
The best foundation for a big event
Shiseido Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation SPF 30
- Why we love it: “I love this foundation for when I’m getting my clients ready for a red carpet or important event,” says Henney. “I use this on my client Vera Wang, and we love how it looks on the skin and in photographs.”
- More to know: Get your skin camera-ready with Shiseido’s foundation designed to adjust to your skin’s needs. Featuring a blend of mandarin-peel extract, light-adjusting technology, luminous pearls, and microcrystals, this foundation refines skin texture, reduces the look of hyperpigmentation, and smooths fine lines. The finish is medium-to-full coverage, along with water-, transfer-, and crease-resistant wear.
The best celebrity-approved foundation
Clé de Peau Radiant Fluid Foundation
- Why we love it: In Maye Musk’s instalment of Vogue’s Beauty Secrets, she began her make-up routine with Clé de Peau’s Radiant Fluid Foundation. At 73, the model is now partial to more natural-looking make-up, thanks in part to this foundation’s bare-skin-like finish.
- More to know: Infused with hyaluronic acid and skin-luminising properties, this foundation is crafted to enhance your skin’s glow, suppleness, and moisture. Apply it with a sponge, as Musk does, or your preferred brush, for light-to-medium coverage.
The best skincare hybrid foundation
Sisley Sisleya Le Teint Anti-Aging Foundation
- Why we love it: “The best foundations use great skincare ingredients,” says Kinjo. “You want ingredients that help collagen production, like my favourite Sisley Paris Sisleÿa Le Teint Anti-Aging Foundation.”
- More to know: Persian acacia, chlorella, soy peptide, and white willow extracts are only a few of the ingredients that power Sisley’s light-coverage foundation. While these work to reveal a radiant, supple complexion, mica and powder pigments promote a smooth, even base.
The best matte finish foundation
Dior Forever Matte Foundation SPF 15
- Why we love it: One may assume that a matte-finish foundation is out of the question, so as to avoid exaggerating the look of skin texture or fine lines. Baraf, however, recommends Dior’s foundation (in the matte or glow variant) as a suitable option.
- More to know: Powered by mineral pigments and floral extracts of wild pansy, nasturtium, and iris, Dior’s matte foundation is anything but drying and provides smooth, soft-focus coverage and a nourished complexion.
The best foundation for oily mature skin
Chantecaille Future Skin Oil Free Foundation
- Why we love it: This is a foundation whose performance proves its price tag justifiable: something we can say with confidence after putting it to the test. Impossibly radiant and yet retaining incredible shine control, its weightless gel formula stays put on the skin for several hours of wear. It offers custom coverage that’s indistinguishable from your own skin, no matter how much you apply, and boasts light reflecting particles that photograph beautifully – making it a great pick for weddings and other big-deal occasions.
- More to know: Made with Chantecaille’s planet-conscious, cruelty-free philosophy in mind, there are zero nasties in this formula. Instead, it’s bursting with botanicals that soothe inflammation and calm redness in the skin, including aloe vera, arnica and chamomile.
The best intensive hydrating foundation
Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation
- Why we love it: Those partial to a cream foundation, especially throughout colder temperatures, should consider Koh Gen Do’s Maifanshi Moisture Foundation. Kinjo dubs it a “hydrating formula with great coverage.”
- More to know: Despite its creamy texture, it delivers sheer-to-medium wear that moisturises and blurs skin texture thanks to a blend of mineral pigments, aloe extract, jojoba oil, squalane, and shea butter.
The best plumping foundation
Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin Foundation
- Why we love it: Enriched with hydrating hyaluronic acid, brightening rose complex and plumping coconut extract, Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin Foundation promises goodness while offering buildable coverage, which helps minimise the appearance of pigmentation and dark spots.
- More to know: One of the most active-rich formulas on the market – and available in 17 shades – it will help to target skin concerns at the same time as delivering a smooth, even complexion.
The best foundation for the city
Clarins Everlasting Youth Fluid
- Why we love it: Clarins’s Everlasting Youth Fluid contains the brand’s patented anti-pollution complex, meaning that this foundation is great for those who live in the city. Beyond fending off nasties, it will also conceal age spots and imperfections, as well as restoring a radiant complexion thanks to extracts of chicory and red jania. You’ll be left feeling firm, smooth and radiant.
- More to know: A foundation for any skin type, from dry to oily, Clarins’s formula will let your skin breathe without compromising on effective coverage.
The best luminising foundation
Nars Light Reflecting Foundation
- Why we love it: This light reflecting foundation is idea for mature skin that’s feeling dull and dry and in need of a vitality boost. The silky texture and second-skin finish delivers a blurring effect that gently but effectively hides any areas of unevenness and redness, while the buildable coverage means you can layer until you reach the finish you want. Thanks to biomimetic oat, milk thistle and cacao peptides skin is protected against blue light and pollution while you wear it
- More to know: Thanks to the clever blend of skincare ingredients in the formula, the formula claims to improve skin’s appearance, clarity and health, even after you’ve taken it off.
The best foundation for a second-skin coverage
Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation
Seamless Skin Foundation
- Why we love it: Delivering a fresh, radiant finish that works perfectly on mature skin, this lightweight formula melts into skin with minimal blending and offers a medium coverage finish that’s perfect for wearing from morning to night. The effect is flawless and naturally luminous.
- More to know: If you’re not a fan of a full-on foundation, this is a great option for spot concealing. Use in layers on the areas you really want to cover and buff out gently. The super-natural finish means it blends in seamlessly with your natural skin.
The best foundation for a semi-sheer finish
Chanel Vitalumière Aqua
- Why we love it: If you’re looking for a something softer and sheerer to wear on a daily basis, this luminising foundation gives skin an instantly healthy glow while diminishing imperfections and creating a more uniform skin tone. It’s also a lovely option for giving tired skin a helping hand; mineral powders and pearl particles add subtle radiance while a hyaluronic acid derivative keeps skin feeling cushioned and comfortable.
- More to know: In addition to a plumping hyaluronic acid extract, the skincare infusion continues with lotus water and brown seaweed to energise skin and restore vitality.
The best foundation for a soft glow
Hourglass Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation
- Why we love it: Mature skin can often read as dull thanks to a loss of moisture as we age and increased signs of ageing. If that sounds familiar, look for a foundation that infuses skin with light-reflecting particles that allow light to bounce off its surface. This antioxidant-rich formula is packed with light-diffusing pigments and blurring spheres to impart a soft-focus effect, while vitamin E improves suppleness and moisture.
- More to know: if you need a foundation that can be put through its paces, this is a good one to try. As well as offering 16-hours of wear, it’s sweat-proof and transfer resistant.
Tips for applying foundation in an ageless make-up routine
So you’ve discovered your favourite foundation above, but you’re still a bit unsure how to apply it. If we’ve learned anything in recent years, it’s that your technique makes all the difference.
“A key to looking youthful as we age is avoiding heavy or cakey make-up; less is definitely more here,” says Baraf. “You can use thin layers of product to build in places if need be. Most important is layering your gorgeous skin care underneath your foundation to ensure your foundation melts into your skin and looks fresh.”
To make your foundation look like a second skin, the right moisturiser, primer, and perhaps a glow-boosting serum can be helpful even before applying the foundation. Next, Dalí-Trites says to “mist your foundation brush or sponge with a hydrating face mist; this will help add an extra layer of hydration, allowing the foundation to best glide onto the skin and blend seamlessly.” From there, you can go in with concealer to the under-eyes (or wherever else) before applying a light veil of powder – especially to the T-zone and around the mouth. Caution against using too much, though. “If you need to take away some shine, use translucent powder sparingly,” says Kinjo. “Overpowering makes your skin look dry.” And there you have it – a flawless make-up base.
Milk Hydro Grip Primer
FAQs
What type of foundation is best for mature skin?
Whether you prefer a powder, stick or liquid formula is down to personal preference but in general liquid foundations are a failsafe option for mature skin thanks to more fluid, blendable textures that won’t sit in fine lines or crease throughout the day. It’s often easier to find formulas infused with plumping ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalene and glycerin which can add extra hydration to drier skin. When it comes to coverage type, there are no rules but if you’re suffering from visible signs of ageing like hyperpigmentation, age spots and redness, you may want to choose a formula that’s sheer but buildable and can camouflage the areas required without masking the skin or feeling heavy.
What should mature skin look for in a foundation?
The best foundations for mature skin are those that combine clever colour correcting pigments with skincare ingredients like antioxidants, peptides, hydrators and niacinamide. A word of caution though; most mature skin is on the drier side so don’t expect your foundation to do all the hard, hydrating work. Always apply your foundation after your moisturiser or SPF to ensure skin is well prepped and has a hydrated base to sit on.
Is matte or dewy foundation better for mature skin?
For mature skin, a dewy foundation is generally more suitable than a matte one. Dewy foundations provide a luminous finish that helps to enhance the skin's natural glow, which can be diminished with age. In addition, they often contain moisturising ingredients that prevent the foundation from settling into fine lines and wrinkles. if you have areas of shine you want to dampen down, you can always go in with a mattifying powder on those targeted areas.
