12 best tinted moisturizers of 2022 for your skin, per experts

Tinted moisturizers are ideal for anyone who wants to achieve the perfect “no makeup” makeup look. They’re usually lightweight, easy to blend in and give just enough coverage to make your skin glowy without looking cakey.

“Tinted moisturizer is basically a sheer foundation. So if you like a lovely sheer wash over your skin and not a full coverage then [tinted moisturizer] is the product for you,” celebrity makeup Charlotte Hayward told The Post. “They are great for giving a light coverage so your skin tone looks more unified [and healthier] without looking like you’re wearing makeup — this [also] makes them quite foolproof to apply.”

Ahead, find a handful of expert-approved tinted moisturizers for a variety of skin types including oily, dry and sensitive as well as formulas for anti-aging all at different price points. Brands include EltaMD, bareMinerals, NARS, Laura Mercier, L’Oreal and more.

If you’re looking for a bit more tinted coverage than your average facial sunscreen, a tinted moisturizer with SPF is the way to go.

Beauty YouTuber Carli Bybel and celebrity makeup artist Ashlee Ann highly recommend this EltaMD tinted moisturizer as an SPF pick.

“Elta MD SPF 40 is recommended by tons of different dermatologists because of the high SPF. It also brightens and enhances luminosity,” Ann told The Post.

“It has broad-spectrum SPF protection, dermatologist-recommended, and gives a beautiful, healthy ‘clean’ look to the skin,” said Bybel.

EltaMD UV Daily Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 not only protects your skin against damaging UV rays but the lightly tinted formula evens skin tone — creating a smooth, flawless-looking complexion. It infuses your skin with lightweight moisture for a healthy look and comfortable wear.

The Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer is offered in a wide variety of shades and is ideal for those who struggle with oily skin. “This tinted moisturizer has a light, matte finish [and is] perfect for oily skin as is oil-free and has a hint of color,” Henney said.

The lightweight formula, which has more than 5,000 reviews on Sephora.com, helps control oil breakthrough and provides ideal protection from the sun’s harmful, damaging rays with broad-spectrum SPF 20 sunscreen incorporated.

“I created this product because I wanted to give skin a fresh, healthy, no-makeup look with a soft hint of color that evens and enhances without hiding the skin,” Laura Mercier explained, according to the Sephora website.

When it comes to dry skin, celebrity makeup artist Katie Mellinger, who works regularly with Emma Watson, AnnaSophia Robb, Leona Lewis and more, raves about the Kosas Tinted Face Oil.

“I love [the] Kosas Tinted Face Oil for dry skin. [It’s] full of yummy, hydrating oils,” Mellinger told The Post. “This unique oil-based tint provides beautiful sheer coverage that is buildable if needed [and because] it’s oil-based, there is more slip in the formula, which glides over dry skin more easily.”

Key ingredients include avocado oil for moisture, meadow-foam oil for plumping, red raspberry oil for repairing, jojoba oil for soothing, camellia seed oil for nourishing and rose-hip seed oil for brightening.

Mellinger recommends the Iris & Romeo Best Skin Days for mature skin and pretty much every other type of skin type as well. 

“It blends beautifully, making it a perfect option for mature skin because it won’t pool into pores or fine lines. I particularly love that it contains both Rosa Damascena extract which boosts collagen and helps with anti-aging,” Mellinger said.

“It also looks gorgeous, dewy, and fresh on the skin. I use it on myself. Needless to say, I’m obsessed. At $64 dollars a jar — kudos to the glass packaging — it’s a bit of a splurge, but a little goes a long way and it’s well worth it.”

The Best Skin Days has a five-in-one formula that includes serum, moisturizer, foundation, sunscreen and blue light pollution protector and the unique gel-like texture easily applies to the face with your fingers, per Mellinger’s recommendation.

Since tinted moisturizers usually have sheer coverage, finding something that’s thicker can be a challenge. Nevertheless, the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream is a great option for those wanting more coverage but who don’t want the thickness of a full-on foundation. An added benefit is the wide shade range.

“Most tinted moisturizers only provide sheer to medium coverage, but if you need something with more pigment, the It Cosmetics CC+ Cream with SPF 50 is your best choice,” Mellinger said.

“Beyond the high SPF content and moisturizing benefits, it contains niacin which is awesome for reducing inflammation, therefore, correcting redness and acne pigmentation. It’s like having a full coverage foundation with a boost of skincare, which is hard to beat.”

Henney also raved about this IT Cosmetics product: “This is such an amazing tinted moisturizer [since] it has full coverage and is perfect for anyone with not so perfect skin. It’s also super hydrating and long-lasting.”

This product is the perfect blend of skincare and makeup to improve your skin over time. The Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Skin Perfector Broad Spectrum SPF 30 features a hydrating complex made up of macadamia and kukui seed oils that helps increase the skin’s moisture levels long-term for 24 hours of hydration while reducing the signs of visibly dry skin

“It has such a light and dewy feel. It also has just a smidge of color to add to your skin and give you a natural look while enhancing your natural beauty,” said Ann.

Similarly, celebrity makeup artist Megan Lanoux likes the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Light Revealer Natural Skin Illuminator to add a glow. “This gives a wonderful makeup, no-makeup look, with just enough illuminator to give your skin a mini boost of life.”

If you’re working with a small budget, you can’t go wrong with the L’Oreal Paris Cosmetics Visible Lift Luminous Serum Tint.

“This is a great tinted moisturizer for tired skin, as it creates radiance [and] diminishes fine lines and wrinkles,” Australian makeup artist Tobi Henney, who has worked with Megan Fox, Ashley Graham, Ellie Golding, Shanina Shaik and brands like Diane Von Furstenberg, Victoria’s Secret, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton and others, told The Post. “This tinted moisturizer will [also] keep your skin looking fresh all day long.”

This L’Oreal Serum Tint is sheer, hydrating and enriched with hydrating ingredients like Vitamin E. It will deliver instant hydration to dull, tired skin while improving the skin instantly and over time.

When it comes to spending a little more on makeup products, specifically when tinted moisturizers come into play, Bybel put the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in her cart.

“It gives the perfect radiant, smooth finish with buildable coverage,” she told The Post.

This option will bring hydration to the max. It features vitamin C which will visibly even out your skin tone for a brighter-looking complexion and French Polynesian kopara which helps to hydrate, condition and refine the look of your skin.

Hayward, Mellinger, Henney and Lanoux all recommended the Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint for those looking for a clean tinted moisturizer.

“If you’re on that clean beauty train, look no further than Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40,” Mellinger said. “As the name implies, it’s more of a serum than a moisturizer, but it contains hyaluronic acids which are fantastic for retaining skin moisture.”

“It has plant-based squalane, which boosts hydration and collagen, fights free radicals, and helps with skin pigmentation. The sunscreen in it is non-nano Zinc Oxide, [which is] great for sensitive skin and reef-friendly,” Mellinger added. “If you’re particularly sensitive, this is a good one to try as it’s silicone-free, fragrance-free, oil-free, and non-comedogenic. Plus it has a wide range of shades which I always love to see in any foundation.”

“This product plumps the skin and [gives you] beautiful, natural, dewy skin with clean coverage. It is a natural beauty brand which is packaged with beautiful ingredients for the skin,” Henney added.

“[It has the] most beautiful light and dewy coverage,” said Lanoux. “Perfect [to achieve that] spring and summer hydrated look.”

“This tinted moisturizer is oil-free, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free and hypoallergenic. It doesn’t break me out and I tend to have very sensitive skin. I love the natural coverage and hydrating feel it gives without feeling oily and greasy,” said Bybel. “It gives a dewy, healthy glow and is formulated with hyaluronic acid to actually improve moisture in the skin. Easy to apply quickly and be out the door with just enough coverage.”

Ann who is also a fan of this bareMinerals product for sensitive skin said, “It will boost your skin’s hydration [levels] by 215% in the first week. It also evens your skin tone and blurs imperfections.”

The best part? The brand offers this tinted moisturizer in 20 different shades.

When it comes to going to the beach with some light coverage, Lanoux doesn’t mess around. “The Alastin Skincare HydraTint Pro Mineral Broad Spectrum Sunscreen has SPF 36, is lightweight, waterproof, [offers] great hydration with powerful antioxidants to protect from pollution, IR Rays and blue light.

This tinted moisturizer doesn’t leave a white residue, plus it’s also fragrance-free and made with a reef-friendly formula. Plus for a day at the beach, you can’t beat 40 minutes of water resistance.

While I’m no beauty expert, as a commerce writer, I try out hundreds of products a year. When it comes to a makeup base, I keep finding myself reaching for the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint.

For those who just want a dash of coverage, this product is for you. It adds a very sheer layer of color but I find it gives the perfect amount to layer a powder, bronzer and blush for an everyday look.

You also can’t beat the price tag and plethora of shades available.

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