Whether you have dry skin or are simply looking for a lightweight foundation with skin-care benefits, we’ve got you covered with these pro-approved, glow-inducing picks.
We find that in 2023, a full-coverage foundation can feel tiresome when it comes to daily use. It’s hard to pull out all the stops when a majority of your week is spent working from home. Plus, a full-coverage foundation not only has the potential to clog up pores when combined with sweat, but it can also be time-consuming and require significant effort, something we don’t always have the energy for.
However, we have been playing around with serum foundations — a hybrid makeup product that combines the benefits of a skin-care serum with the coverage of a foundation. This type of foundation typically has a lightweight, silky texture that blends easily into the skin, offers buildable coverage, and leaves a natural-looking (never overdone) finish.
Unlike traditional foundations, serum foundations usually contain active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, or peptides that can improve the overall health and appearance of the skin. This means that, in addition to providing coverage, serum foundations also work to hydrate, brighten, and smooth the complexion.
If you’re nervous about trying serum foundations, makeup artist Aaron Barry has a tip. “You can expect serum foundations to be radiant and glowy, but if your skin type is on the oily side, I would suggest trying a sample first,” he says. Another tip is to swatch-test the foundation, as “foundations tend to oxidize and become darker,” Barry notes, “so judge the true shade match after 20 minutes if possible.”
With so many options out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. So, we did the heavy lifting for you by compiling 15 of the best serum foundations that not only benefit the skin but create the illusion that you’re not wearing any foundation at all.
LYS Beauty Triple Fix Serum Foundation
Rose Inc. Skin Enhance Luminous Tinted Serum
The LYS Beauty Triple Fix Serum Foundation, which picked up a 2021 Best of Beauty Award for best medium-coverage liquid foundation, is enriched with nourishing ingredients, such as ashwagandha, hyaluronic acid, turmeric, and avocado oil, to create a seamless and natural-looking finish. It’s perfect for daily use, as it’s undetectable on the skin. Makeup artist Jamie Dorman loves this serum foundation for its vast shade range (35 shades, to be exact) noting that “as a makeup artist, it can be difficult to find a product with this many skin-like shades for all skin depths.” (P.S. LYS also has an editor-approved Triple Fix Concealer you’ll also want to check out.)
Made from a powerful blend of hydrating hyaluronic acid, acetyl tetrapeptide-2, and squalane, we simply can’t get enough of this Skin Enhance Luminous Skin Tint Serum Foundation from Rose Inc (which is available in 14 shades). And neither can makeup artist Jason Hoffman, who calls this his number one pro kit product because it “evens the tone and improves the skin’s texture without the look of makeup. The cherry-on-top testament? “I’ve personally used three bottles and counting,” Hoffman reveals.
L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Radiant Serum Foundation with SPF 50
Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Dewy Foundation Drops
Despite its drugstore price tag, L’Oréal Paris’s Age Perfect Radiant Serum Foundation with SPF 50 is just as impressive as its more expensive counterparts. The lightweight, fragrance-free formula comes in 30 shades (one of the more impressive ranges in this list) and is infused with vitamin B3 (also known as niacinamide) and glycerin for all-day hydration and a blurred, never-cakey finish.
Founder Gucci Westman wanted a base product that was light, rich, and had just the right amount of radiance when formulating Westman Atelier’s Vital Skincare Dewy Foundation Drops, and it’s safe to say she delivered. One Allure editor says that the formula sinks into the skin with minimal blending, and the luminosity lasts all day — thanks to ingredients such as hydrating tsubaki oil, brightening ginseng, and healing pomegranate extract. An added bonus: 20 shades are available across light, medium, tan, and deep tones.
Ilia True Skin Serum Foundation
KVD Beauty Good Apple Serum Foundation
Ilia is one of our favorite brands because all of its products (including the fan-favorite Super Serum Skin Tint) give you that highly-coveted “no-makeup makeup” look. The True Skin Serum Foundation is no exception, with its lightweight formula that includes allantoin, aloe, and niacinamide to help smooth and calm the skin, resulting in visible improvement over time.
Barry describes Ilia True Skin (which has a solid range of 30 shades to choose from) as his favorite serum foundation across a wide range of skin types, including mature skin. “I’ve used this foundation on clients aged 16 to 65 and I love the life-like, glowy finish [it lends each person],” he attests, adding that it’s very blendable by nature and pairs well with cream blush, contour, and highlight.
When you think of KVD Beauty you may think of heavy, extremely long-wearing beauty products that can withstand anything including the “take them swimming on the first date” test. However, the brand’s latest launch, The Good Apple Serum Foundation, takes a different approach by providing maximum coverage in a lightweight formula that feels barely noticeable on the skin — and across 40 shades, to boot. The foundation is enriched with apple extract, a rich source of antioxidants that nourish the skin, and quince leaf extract, which minimizes shine and keeps skin looking fresh throughout the day.
The Ordinary Serum Foundation
Bobbi Brown Intensive Serum Foundation SPF 40
Drugstores aren’t the only place you can get a bang for your buck nowadays. The Ordinary has earned itself a reputation for developing high-quality products that won’t break the bank. The skin-care-like Serum Foundation not only comes at an affordable price point and in a whopping 36 shades but it also provides moderate, semi-matte coverage that seamlessly blends with the skin for a natural look.
Bobbi Brown’s Intensive Serum Foundation SPF 40 may not immediately come to mind when you think of the skin- and health-enhancing benefits of traditional herbal medicine. However, the newly-reformulated foundation comes in 23 shades and is infused with anti-inflammatory cordyceps and brightening ginseng, which work together to enhance the skin’s appearance, increase radiance, and shield against external stressors.
Dior Capture Totale Super Potent Serum Foundation SPF 20
No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation SPF 15
Unlike other lightweight formulas that mysteriously vanish by the end of the day, Dior’s Capture Totale Serum Foundation SPF 20 stays put, no matter the circumstances. You can use a brush to blend the foundation seamlessly — just remember that it’s quick-drying, so work quickly — or simply apply it with your fingers and rub it in like a moisturizer for a more natural finish. While there are 11 shades to choose from, we hope this shade range expands to include a wider variety of deeper skin tones.
Reminder: while this foundation contains SPF, we (and the American Academy of Dermatology) recommend SPF ratings of 30 or higher and suggest applying a separate layer of sunscreen prior to makeup.
It only takes a few pumps of No7’s Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation SPF 15 to instantly diminish the appearance of lines and wrinkles, resulting in firmer, more even-looking skin. Available in 12 shades, the formula is enriched with a blend of Matrixyl 3000+ (No7’s powerful peptide technology) and moisturizing hibiscus, both of which contribute to the foundation’s impressive results.
Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Flawless Serum Foundation
Perricone MD No Makeup Foundation Serum SPF 20
Juice Beauty’s Phyto-Pigments Flawless Serum Foundation (which is available in 13 shades) does more than simply cover the face with pigment — it’s formulated to create a blurring effect that will leave people whispering about your skin-care routine. The secret to the foundation’s effectiveness lies in its pure blend of hyaluronic acid, acetyl tetrapeptide-2, and squalene, which work together to deliver a hydrating, natural finish.
We love it when our favorite skin-care brands venture into the makeup world to give us the perfect fusion product. One such example is Perricone MD’s No Makeup Foundation Serum SPF 20, which uses neuropeptides to improve the appearance of wrinkles, sagging, dullness, and discoloration, while bisabolol offers antioxidants to brighten and promote the skin’s natural healing process — all while giving the skin a buildable, semi-matte finish. (We just wish it came in more shades, as the eight currently available don’t offer a ton of range.)
Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation
Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Serum Foundation
Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation SPF 25
It was only a matter of time until Josie Maran added her signature ingredient — 100 percent pure argan oil — to a lightweight serum foundation. The Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation is formulated with chameleon pigments that adjust to match the skin’s tone, delivering a velvety and flawless finish every time. (Sadly, it’s only available in three shades variants: fair light, light medium, and medium dark.)
Sensitive skin hive, rise! Another drugstore foundation that should be on your radar is Neutrogena’s Sensitive Skin Serum Foundation. All 15 shades are free of fragrances, dyes, parabens, phthalates, alcohol, and sulfates. Its key ingredient is pro-vitamin B5, which is designed to minimize the appearance of redness, blur imperfections, and reduce the visibility of fine lines, leaving you with a smooth and flawless complexion.
Clinique’s Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation SPF 25 offers the best of both worlds by providing both long-lasting coverage and the transformative benefits of a serum in an admirable 42 shades. Infused with powerful ingredients such as vitamin C, salicylic acid, and hyaluronic acid, the formula works effectively to visibly diminish the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone and provide ample hydration.
