The 12 Best Tinted Moisturizers We Tested That Deliver on Coverage and Hydration

Best Overall

Tarte Maracuja Tinted Hydrator

$18 at Sephora View on Ulta $35 at Walmart

Shades: 20 | Coverage: Light to medium | Finish: Natural/radiant | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

We love pretty much everything about this tinted moisturizer. It features buildable coverage that can be layered to blur discoloration, it’s creamy and easy to blend and gives the skin a beautiful radiance. One layer creates a semi-opaque veil of coverage on the skin while a second layer adds enough coverage to camouflage breakouts. The finish is glowy without being greasy, though people with very oily skin still might find it too luminous for them. 

Our tester, Stephanie, was impressed by how hydrating it felt, likely due to hyaluronic acid and maracuja oil (passionfruit oil) in the formula. It didn’t cling to dryness or uneven skin texture and remained smooth-looking and crease-resistant all day. If you’re looking for a tinted moisturizer that you can wear on minimal makeup days and for more glam makeup looks, this one’s for you.

Best Overall, Runner-Up

Rare Beauty Tinted Moisturizer Sunscreen

$30 at Sephora View on Rarebeauty.com $30 at Kohls.com

Shades: 24 | Coverage: Light | Finish: Radiant/natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

This tinted moisturizer from Rare Beauty was beloved during testing; it was easy to apply, looked skin-like, and wore beautifully throughout the day. It features a medium, liquidy consistency that feels weightless and is a breeze to blend. We could apply an even layer using our fingers, a damp sponge, or a brush, and add a bit of additional coverage where needed by adding a second layer. Because the formula is somewhat runny, our tester, Michelle, noticed that it settled subtly into a few fine lines but this was easy to tap out with her fingertips. The finish is natural with a hint of radiance suitable for various skin types—not too much for oily skin, but just enough to give dry skin a glow. 

The formula contains SPF 20 (but remember the American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a minimum of SPF 30). It also comes in 24 shades with a nice range of depth and undertones and is packaged in a chic and compact squeeze bottle that makes it easy to dispense just the right amount of product. 

Best Budget

ColourPop Hyaluronic Acid Tinted Moisturizer

$15 at Ulta $15 at Target $13 at Walmart

Shades: 24 | Coverage: Light | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

It is possible to get a high-quality tinted moisturizer on a budget, case in point: this pick from ColourPop. Available in 24 shades, there’s an option to suit most skin tones. We love that it has a natural finish and is hydrating but not greasy, so it works for all skin types. It applies evenly with a brush, a damp sponge, or your fingertips and dries down to a truly skin-like finish. It also has impressive lasting power; our tester found it wore well all day without creasing, settling into lines, or getting too shiny. 

While we wish the coverage was a bit more buildable so we could customize it to our preferences, we love that it’s weightless on the skin and gives the complexion an overall blurred effect.

Best for Dry Skin

Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Hydrating Skin Tint SPF 15 with Hyaluronic Acid

$46 at Sephora $46 at Ulta $46 at Nordstrom

Shades: 18 | Coverage: Light | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: No 

Many tinted moisturizers marketed for dry skin end up being greasy, but this one allows dry skin to achieve a natural, not too dewy finish. It’s available in 18 shades ranging from very fair to very deep and offers sheer coverage that lets your natural skin shine through. We also appreciate that the formula contains hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to nourish parched skin. It lasted nicely throughout the day, maintaining its natural finish and looking fresh for several hours. 

One tester had a seamless application experience with this one, while another tester noticed a bit of patchiness or pilling. Sometimes pilling happens when you layer skincare and makeup products with different bases (water vs. oil), so because this formula is water-based, we recommend applying water-based skincare products. 

Best for Oily Skin

Fenty Beauty Blurring Skin Tint

$36 at Sephora $36 at Ulta View on Fentybeauty.com

Shades: 25 | Coverage: Light to medium | Finish: Nautral/matte | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

If you have oily skin, perhaps you’ve found tinted moisturizers too dewy or even greasy in the past. However, this one from Fenty is lightweight and has a skin-like matte finish that doesn’t contribute to excess oil throughout the day. It has light-to-medium buildable coverage, which gives you some customizability in terms of how much blurring coverage you want on any given day. It’s blendable, looks smooth and natural on the skin, and wears beautifully with minimal fading or creasing throughout the day. 

While it’s certainly not drying, those with dry skin might not find it hydrating enough (aka, you might want to use a facial moisturizer before application). But if you’re looking for semi-matte, buildable coverage, impressive lasting power, and an inclusive shade range, this one hits all those points.

Best for Sensitive Skin

Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen

$32 at Sephora $30 at Credo Beauty $32 at Kohls.com

Shades: 17 | Coverage: Light | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

People with sensitive skin know finding a complexion product that covers existing irritation without leading to more irritation or sensitivity can be tricky. This Tower 28 tinted sunscreen is great because it’s fragrance-free (synthetic fragrance can be a source of irritation for some), has a seal of acceptance from the National Eczema Association (meaning it’s suitable for people with eczema), and contains mineral SPF 30.

It offers light coverage that can be built up to blur discoloration, and we love that the lightweight, liquid-y consistency is easy to blend. It sets to a natural finish on the skin, providing an even wash of coverage and a healthy dose of sun protection. It’s great for no makeup makeup days and more done-up looks, though we wish there were some more cool-toned shades in the line-up to cater to more people with pink undertones in their skin.

Best for Mature Skin

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Serum Skin Tint

$36 at Sephora View on Danessamyricksbeauty.com View on Beautybay.com

Shades: 16 | Coverage: Light | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

Our skin loses elasticity as we age, leading to less firmness and radiance. So, finding a tinted moisturizer that will boost hydration, conceal discoloration, and give your complexion a glow is key. This skin serum skin tint is great for mature skin because it has light coverage that blurs redness and sunspots while still letting a bit of your natural skin peek through. Its lightweight, lotion-like consistency also provides a glowy finish. We love that it’s formulated with collagen peptides and ceramides to plump and protect the skin barrier, and we found that it really did leave our skin feeling moisturized all day. 

If you have oily skin or you’re looking for super buildable coverage, there are better options for you. But if you have dry or mature skin and want a hydrating tinted moisturizer that offers a bit of coverage, we think you’ll love this one. 

Best with SPF

Dr. Jart+ Premium BB Tinted Moisturizer With Niacinamide and SPF 40

$46 at Sephora View on Drjart.com $46 at Kohls.com

Shades: 4 | Coverage: Light | Finish: Natural/luminous | Cruelty-Free: No 

Many tinted moisturizers contain SPF, but considering that the recommended level of daily protection is SPF 30, a lot of them aren’t protective enough. Truthfully, most derms will recommend applying a separate facial sunscreen before makeup to ensure adequate protection but if you’re in a hurry, this complexion hero from Dr. Jart is a savior. Not only does it have SPF 40, it’s hydrating formula includes niacinamide and glycerin which do a beautiful job of evening out your skin tone and leaving your complexion with a luminous glow. 

Best Sheer Coverage

Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint

$28 at Sephora $28 at Glossier.com

Shades: 12 | Coverage: Light | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

People who are just getting into makeup or prefer minimal makeup will love this tinted moisturizer from Glossier. Put bluntly, it doesn’t offer much coverage. We’re talking about very scant coverage. So while it’s not ideal for those who want to cover skin imperfections, it’s great for people who want to fool everyone into thinking they’re not wearing any makeup. It creates a very subtle and even veil across the skin, and leaves behind a bit of a radiant glow. It wore well with minimal creasing or fading, layered nicely with cream and powder products we applied on top of it, and felt comfortable and weightless on the skin. 

Best Full-Coverage

PÜR Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20

$36 at Amazon $36 at Ulta $36 at Walmart

Shades: 16 | Coverage: Buildable/full| Finish: Dewy | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

If you’re seeking the benefits of skincare with the coverage ability of foundation, this is the tinted moisturizer for you. It contains SPF 20, sodium hyaluronate, and vitamin E to hydrate and nourish the skin, and boasts impressive buildable coverage. One layer did a fantastic job of evening our testers’ complexions and creating a radiant glow, while a second layer provided full coverage that resembled a true foundation. Because it’s so buildable, it’s a versatile product to keep in your makeup bag for a quick day-to-night adjustment. 

The texture is slightly thicker than most tinted moisturizers we tested, though we only noticed this when really layering it up. But even when we applied two generous coats, we still found it comfortable and were impressed by how well it wore throughout the day. 

Most Hydrating

Hourglass Veil Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation

$49 at Sephora $49 at Ulta $49 at Ulta

Shades: 18 | Coverage: Light | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

Despite the category name, many tinted moisturizers aren’t actually that moisturizing. But this one claims to boost moisture levels by up to 52% and we saw the evidence of that—it left our testers’ skin feeling hydrated all day long. In addition to its impressive moisturizing effect, we loved how natural and glowy it looked on the skin—it didn’t look heavy, patchy, or emphasize dryness. It’s a great go-to when you want to even your complexion and quench dryness in one fast step.

While we love the formula and thought the dewy finish looked gorgeous on the skin, it could be a bit much for those with grease-prone skin types. One tester also found it was inclined to pill a bit when she applied it directly over her skincare. We recommend letting your skincare products sink in for a few minutes before using this product.  

Best Long-Wearing

beautyblender 12-Hour Always on Radiant Skin Tint

$29 at Sephora View on Beautyblender.com View on Kohls.com

Shades: 20 | Coverage: Light to medium | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

Tinted moisturizers are often formulated with a lot of emollient ingredients (moisturizing butters, oils, etc.), so they tend not to last as long on the skin as traditional foundations. If you’re looking for a hydrating base product that won't make you sacrifice longevity try this one. It contains hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to hydrate and smooth the skin but it’s not greasy or oily, so it holds up well throughout the day. It might not be moisturizing enough for people with dry skin, but it’s a great option for humid summer days or oily skin types. 

The serum-like texture melts into the skin to create an even veil of coverage and offers a fresh, natural-looking finish. The buildable coverage will blur breakouts and discoloration, though it still lets your natural skin shine through. Once it set, it lasted well without fading, creasing, or emphasizing fine lines or texture.