To be perfectly frank, makeup and oily skin don’t always mix. One minute your makeup can look perfectly intact, and the next, your face can be a total oil slick. However, that’s only if you don’t have the right tools. If your skin does tend to overproduce surface oil, a good setting spray is absolutely key. Although some with oily skin might prefer matte formulas, even a good hydrating spray can work some serious wonders.
Celebrity makeup artist Sara Talias also has a few tips. “If you have oily skin, it’s best to avoid setting sprays that are too dewy or illuminating because they add moisture and reflective elements to the skin, which can make skin appear more oily,” she shares. Although this is a bit of a bummer if you’re like me and love a dewy finish, there are still some great options out there that leave your skin perfectly balanced and radiant without causing it to appear too oily. For a few of Talias’s setting-spray recommendations for oily skin and some of our favorites, keep scrolling.
“Urban Decay’s De-Slick Setting Spray has always been in my kit because it is the best for oily skin. It keeps the skin matte without drying it out. A pro tip is to mist the setting spray on skin before foundation to control oil.”
“The One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Setting Spray is amazing at keeping makeup in place for hours. It helps to keep shine to a minimum, and the fine mist helps to keep the makeup in place.”
This drugstore formula from Nyx offers a matte finish instantly to reduce surface shine and leaves your skin feeling fresh. It can also extend makeup wear for up to 16 hours.
This cult-loved setting spray from Benefit is micro-fine, waterproof, and smudge-proof for up to 16 hours. It minimizes pores and leaves skin hydrated without causing excess oil.
Self Beauty’s Matte Makeup Setting Spray adds radiance to the skin and provides a semi-matte finish. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid in the formula also help the skin maintain optimal water-oil balance so you won’t turn into an oil slick by the end of the day.
Although Milk’s Hydro Grip Spray doesn’t mattify, I’ve found that it helps keep my skin so balanced whenever I use it. It’s my favorite setting spray at the moment. I often use it for office days, and my makeup looks just as good when I get home at the end of the day as it did when I applied it in the morning. It also has lots of star ingredients like blue agave extract to grip makeup, cannabis-seed extract, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide to calm the skin.
This $6 formula from E.l.f. is a fan favorite for its ability to help improve makeup wearability and control shine. It’s also infused with vitamins B and E and arctium majus root to soothe and hydrate the skin.
The Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray is alcohol- and oil-free, making it a great choice for oily skin. It contains film-former polymers that form a strong but flexible film across the skin to keep makeup firmly locked in place without it melting over time. Japanese green tea in the formula also supports natural hydration levels in the skin, and resin blurs out the appearance of enlarged pores.
This mattifying spray from Black Radiance can be used as both a primer and setting spray to control surface oil.
Another fan favorite at the drugstore is Revlon’s PhotoReady Prep, Set, Refresh Mist. The formula is really hydrating, which will help keep skin balanced and stop it from overproducing excess oil throughout the day.
