Taking the extra step to prep your makeup with one of the best primers for mature skin can make a big, hydrating difference. If you’re not already a self-identified primer lover, these older skin-friendly formulas do way more than help your makeup last all day—they also promote plumper skin, soften fine lines, and boost radiance. Especially as aging faces undergo the hormonal changes of menopause, primers with skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide provide myriad benefits, helping beauty products apply more smoothly while keeping skin radiant under base makeup. Get the low-down on the best primers for mature skin, plus insight from cosmetic chemists and makeup artists to help you achieve your glowiest, longest-lasting glam yet.
Our Top Picks
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Tatcha The Liquid Silk Canvas Primer
Tatcha
The Liquid Silk Canvas Primer
Why it’s worth it: Makeup artist Emily Gray sings the praises of Tatcha’s The Liquid Silk Canvas, calling it “the most lightweight primer” she’s ever used. As a blurring primer infused with silk extract, it hydrates while softening the appearance of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. This stuff also contains pink and gold pearl powder that works wonders to even out and brighten the skin. But the coolest part? This primer is inspired by traditional Japanese beauty processes, namely bintsuke, a thin layer of soft wax that geisha use under their makeup application to create a smooth, grippy canvas.
- Key ingredients: silk extract, green tea, algae extract
- Who it’s for: everyone, especially those targeting texture, pores, or fine lines
- Longevity: not specified
- Fragrance-free: no
Best for Oily Skin: Bobbi Brown Face Base Moisturizer and Primer
Bobbi Brown
Vitamin Enriched Face Base
Why it’s worth it: Vitamin-rich, dreamy, creamy, and so hydrating, Bobbi Brown’s Face Base Moisturizer and Primer check all our boxes. Its cushiony formula is packed with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, squalane, and shea butter to nourish your skin and keep your makeup in place all day. It smells terrific, too, with no synthetics necessary, thanks to natural grapefruit extract. “This is a must-have in my kit for mature skin. This acts as a moisturizer and a primer in one,” says New York City-based makeup artist Kasey Spickard. “It’s essential that you’re hydrating and plumping mature skin to give it a fresh, dewy glow.”
- Key ingredients: shea butter, squalane, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C
- Who it’s for: people with normal or oily skin
- Longevity: not specified
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Dull Skin: Chanel La Base Illuminatrice Glowing Makeup Primer
Chanel
La Base Illuminatrice Glowing Makeup Primer
Why it’s worth it: For some of us, we’ll admit it doesn’t take more than the word Chanel to make us ooh and aah. But La Base Illuminatrice Glowing Makeup Primer backs up the buzz. Designed to smooth, hydrate, and subtly illuminate, it’s especially flattering for mature skin with ingredients like plumping hyaluronic acid, antioxidant-rich microalgae, and pearlescent blurring powders. If you’re worried about too much shimmer, rest assured: “It has gentle light-reflecting pigment that’s super fine—not too sparkly—so it looks natural, gives your skin, and your foundation that inner radiance, youthful glow-from-within look,” says New York City-based makeup artist Nick Barose.
- Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, blue micro-algae, red algae
- Who it’s for: everyone, but especially those with dry or dull skin
- Longevity: up to 12 hours
- Fragrance-free: no
Best for Dry Skin: Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer + Hydrating Primer
Smashbox
Photo Finish Primerizer + Hydrating Primer
Why it’s worth it: Smashbox was among the first brands to produce makeup primers, defining the category with its Photo Finish line launch in 2000. This time-perfected formula boasts all the goodness of a skin-loving serum (hi, antioxidants, probiotic extract, vitamins, and algae), all with the staying power of a primer. The Photo Finish Primerizer+ Super Hydrating Primer has not one, not two, but three forms of hyaluronic acid, as well as niacinamide, to brighten and plump aging skin while keeping your makeup locked in. It’s also silicone-free, which lends a lightweight, breathable feel.
As for the science bit? “[This primer] contains trehalose, a sugar molecule known for its ability to protect proteins and other biomolecules under various stress conditions like extreme temperatures and dehydration,” cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos elaborates.
- Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, probiotic extract
- Who it’s for: everyone, but especially those with dry skin
- Longevity: hydration for up to 72 hours
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Discoloration: Shiseido Revitalessence Skin Glow Primer SPF 25
Shiseido
RevitalEssence Skin Glow Primer
Why it’s worth it: “I love everything complexion-related from Shiseido and this primer is no exception,” says Spickard of the brightening, hydrating, and SPF-infused formula behind the brand’s Revitalessence Skin Glow Primer SPF 25. Niacinamide and kefir ferment support microbiome balance to keep skin healthy and glowy under foundation, leading to better, longer-lasting makeup wear. It’s also fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, so it won’t irritate sensitive skin or clog pores—because acne doesn’t discriminate against age (menopausal breakouts are as real as they come). Spickard likes pairing this primer with Shisheido’s Revitalessence Foundation for even more glow.
- Key ingredients: niacinamide, kefir ferment
- Who it’s for: people with discoloration or sun spots, or those undergoing menopausal hormone changes
- Longevity: up to 24 hours of hydration
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Long-Wearing Makeup: Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer
Milk Makeup
Hydro Grip Primer
Why it’s worth it: New Jersey- and New York City-based makeup artist Nydia Figueroa swears by the Reader’s Choice Award-winning Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer, which she calls a staple in her kit. Thanks to its hyaluronic acid and niacinamide content, this formula nourishes the skin while creating a no-budge base. “This primer is ideal for mature skin because it delivers instant results and keeps makeup in place for up to 12 hours,” Figueroa explains. Its silky gel formula applies smoothly, and it only takes a little bit of product to create an all-over, seamless base. Apply one to two pumps, letting the primer dry for 60 seconds before moving on to the glam portion of your routine.
- Key ingredients: blue agave extract, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide
- Who it’s for: everyone, but especially those prone to dryness
- Longevity: up to 12 hours
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best Lightweight: Tarte Base Tape Hydrating Primer
Tarte
Base Tape Hydrating Primer
Why it’s worth it: Tarte’s Base Tape Hydrating Primer is too good to skip. Infused with moisturizing jojoba, coconut, and vitamin E, this hydrating makeup primer replenishes thirsty skin and leaves it baby-soft. Figueroa says, “It’s like applying a moisturizer, but it also helps your makeup stay put all day.” Heads up—it has the faint scent of coconut, so if you’re fragrance-sensitive, this might not be the one for you.
- Key ingredients: coconut, jojoba, Centella asiatica
- Who it’s for: those with dry skin
- Longevity: up to 12 hours
- Fragrance-free: no
Best with SPF: Clé de Peau Beauté Correcting Cream Veil Primer SPF 21
Clé de Peau Beauté
Correcting Cream Veil Primer SPF 21
Why it’s worth it: When you want your makeup to do the most (without needing to pile it on or worrying about shine), Clé de Peau Beauté Correcting Cream Veil Primer SPF 21 is a multitasking primer that smooths, hydrates, blurs fine lines, and incorporates SPF into your base. “A small amount of this over the face—especially over fine lines—helps blur and smooth things out while hydrating and not drying out, so your makeup stays luminous as the day goes by,” says Barose. In addition to offering a moderate level of sun protection, this primer is infused with hydrolyzed silk to help fortify your skin’s defenses against environmental stressors. (Just a heads-up: Dermatologists generally recommend SPF 30 or higher for prolonged sun exposure, so think of this as a great pick for indoor days, or for layering underneath your go-to sunscreen.)
- Key ingredients: hydrolyzed silk, 1% ensulizole, 2.9% octinoxate, 2.4% titanium dioxide
- Who it’s for: all skin types, especially those with oily skin
- Longevity: up to 8 hours
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Lips: Sarah Creal Lip Grip Peptide Priming Treatment
Sarah Creal
Lip Grip Peptide Priming Treatment
Why it’s worth it: It’s colorless, lightweight, and pocket-sized—but Sarah Creal’s Lip Grip Peptide Priming Treatment manages to do it all. This sleek little pencil smooths, hydrates, and creates the perfect base for any lip color, especially on mature lips. “This is a go-to for clients over 40 because it prevents feathering and keeps lip color in place with honey polymer, which grips onto color for longer wear,” Lindsey Sanchez, a makeup artist based in Santa Paula, CA, previously told Allure. “You can even use it around your mouth to soften the look of fine lines.” As the name suggests, the formula also features peptides to support collagen and lactic acid to gently exfoliate, helping lipstick glide on effortlessly and look its absolute best.
- Key ingredients: peptides, lactic acid
- Who it’s for: those with dry lips and fine lines around the mouth
- Longevity: up to 12 hours
- Fragrance-free: yes
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of a primer for mature skin?
The best makeup primers for mature skin are specially crafted with gentle ingredients that support the unique beauty of aging skin. “More mature skin is often in need of a hydration boost, so humectants like glycerin, betaine, and hyaluronic acid are beneficial,” Cincinnati-based cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos explains. Along with nourishing your skin, a quality primer also helps extend the effectiveness of your other skincare products, creating a smooth, long-lasting base that locks in hydration and boosts wear. “Think of primer as double-sided tape for the face,” says Figueroa. “It locks in skincare, keeps your makeup in place, and prevents it from creasing or settling into fine lines and wrinkles.”
“The primary ingredients in most primers are silicone elastomers,” says Dobos. “Elastomers are flexible polymers that can be pulled and stretched without breaking. They also have good adhesion to the skin and are responsible for the grip primers have on pigments.” She explains that these polymers also scatter light, which is responsible for that beloved blurring effect of primers.
How should I choose a primer for mature skin?
Nashville-based makeup artist Emily Gray recommends focusing on skin-forward, hydrating and smooth ingredients. “Niacinamide is one of my favorite ingredients because it has numerous well-studied and proven benefits, including antioxidant activity, skin tone evening, and the ability to strengthen the skin barrier,” Dobos adds. If your skin has gotten oilier with age, Dobos suggests looking for primers with mattifying ingredients. “Many primers contain highly absorptive powder like silica or non-pearlescent mica to maintain a more matte appearance.”
