Esthetician's Choice:
The Best Silicone-Free Primers
We've curated the best silicone-free face primers in clean beauty.
This award-winning selection is the best-selling and highest-rated in the industry.
All products listed are meticulously analyzed for ingredient safety and clean formulation.
Make sure to choose the primer that’s best suited for your skin type and skin issues.
Awards
Featured in The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible
Winner: Best in Beauty Icon, Readers Choice. Woman & Home Best in Beauty.
Winner: Best Instant Skin Perfector. Woman’s Own Ageless Beauty Awards.
Our Review
Nothing attests to superior quality like the test of time. And Clarin's iconic radiance booster has been a global best-seller for over 40 years.
Skincare-Makeup Hybrid
The Beauty Flash Balm is a multi-purpose primer that doubles as a day cream and an instant face mask. It contains 96% ingredients of natural origin, including plant extracts and antioxidants that nourish and protect the skin.
The improved, moisture-rich formula also visibly tightens and smooths, as well as provides gentle exfoliation for long-term skin-softening benefits.
Key Ingredients:
- Organic Acerola seed extract – Energizes the skin to reduce signs of stress.
- Nopal Flower extract – Stimulates exfoliation to remove dead skin cells that dull the skin.
- Organic Aloe Vera extract – Provides deep hydration
- Organic Oat Sugars – Effectively tightens and tones the skin.
- Clarins' Anti-Pollution Complex – Protects the skin from indoor and outdoor pollution, including skin-aging blue light from electronics
Video: Why We're Excited To Try Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
Radiance-Boosting Formula
This silicone free makeup primer is the ultimate refresher to help eliminate signs of fatigue.
It's full of radiance-boosting ingredients, which make it easy to perk up tired skin and give it a natural, healthy-looking finish. Unlike illuminating primers that can be too glittery or sparkly, the Beauty Flash Balm delivers a sophisticated, subtle glow.
You can use it under a lightweight foundation or concealer, and you'll be able to see the radiance underneath.
You can also apply it over makeup for a quick pick-me-up to fight the effects of skin-dulling pollution, stress, and lack of sleep at any time of the day.
Texture & Scent
This primer has a sensorial, creamy texture that melts into the skin and leaves a fresh matte finish.
It's also infused with aromatics like Bergamot, Freesia, Rose, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Musk, and Sandalwood.
Formulation
Safety Testing: Allergy-tested. Non-comedogenic. Silicone-free.
Clean Beauty: 96% of ingredients are of natural origin. Plant-based formula with organic extracts.
Formulation Base: Water-based primer
Color: Skin-toned, invisible finish
Consistency & Finish: Creamy, lightweight, with a fresh matte finish
Key Benefits + Cons
Key Benefits:
- Diminishes signs of fatigue
- Provides a visible tightening and smoothing effect
- Makes skin look radiant & restores its’s youthful glow
- Smooths and soothes the skin to prep it for makeup
- Transforms into a 10-minute face mask for emergencies
- Exfoliates gently to promote smooth skin
- Features an Anti-pollution Complex for skin protection
Cons:
- We find that the glow effect diminishes after a few hours.
- Some plant-based extracts can cause reactions to sensitive and sensitized skin.
- Not fragrance-free
Makeup Artist Tips
Video: Instant Beauty Collection | Clarins Masterclass
Make-up Artist Tips:
- After cleansing, apply a thin layer and do not rub. Glide in an upwards motion for a tightening effect.
- When you apply this in a thick layer, you can use this as a 10-minute energy mask or a pick-me-up day cream.
Video Review
Video: 30-Day Team Trial: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
Video: Lisa Eldridge – MakeUp Basics: Primer Tutorial (Skip to 6:20 for the Clarin’s Beauty Balm)
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Embryolisse – Lait-Crème Concentré, Face Cream, & Makeup Primer
BEST FOR: All skin types, especially dry, dehydrated, & combination skin
Awards
2022 NewBeauty – Award Winner
EH! Best of Beauty Awards 2022 – Best Primer (Makeup)
Beauty Insider MY – Best Face Makeup 2022 – Sub-Category: Best Primer; Readers' Choice Award
Our Review
French beauty brand Embyolisse and their award-winning Lait-Crème Concentré have been global best-sellers for over 70 years.
And nothing vouches more for a formula than one that has stood the test of time.
It's so popular one is sold every 5 seconds worldwide.
A Cult Favorite
The Lait Crème Concentré is a shelf staple sold by millions to dermatologists and makeup artists. You'll always see it backstage at fashion week.
Celebrities have dubbed this product the “swiss army knife of skincare.”
Video: Embryolisse – How it all began
Clean Beauty
This multi-function primer has nourishing and moisturizing properties that come from Natural Origin ingredients.
This means it was extracted using Green Chemistry, and not through petrol like most products.
Key Ingredients:
- Shea butter is an excellent emollient that delivers essential fatty acids to repair the lipid barrier and increase elasticity.
- Soy proteins tone and firm your skin to help diminish fine lines
- Aloe vera & beeswax work together to soothe irritation or any redness
This silicone free primer leaves your skin plump and revitalized, alleviating any discomfort from dryness.
The Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentré is non comedogenic.
Incredible Versatility
This product improves skin quality for makeup application and functions as a remover if you need to change looks quickly.
You can use it to rehydrate the skin to fight off jetlag, as an overnight cream mask, and as a primer to improve your overall complexion.
You can even use this as an after-shave.
The Lait-Crème Concentré also mixes incredibly well with other makeup. You can turn any cream foundation into a liquid and liquid foundation into a tinted moisturizer.
Mixing it with powder makes it creamier and helps apply highlighter or eyeshadows more consistently.
See makeup artist tips below for other pro ways to use the Lait-Crème Concentré.
Alternatives: Same product line, reformulated for different skin types and conditions
Formulation
Safety Testing: Non-comedogenic for all skin types. Silicone-free.
Sustainability: Recyclable tube and packaging.
Formulation Base: Water-based primer
Color: Milky-white
Consistency & Finish: Light and milky texture with a soft satin finish
Key Benefits + Cons
Key Benefits:
- Multi-function: A moisturizer, skincare mask, makeup remover, and an after-shave in one
- Award-winning formula tested by time, a global best-seller for over 70 years
- Natural Origin ingredients, extracted using Green Chemistry
- Rich in essential fatty acids and vitamins
- A staple of celebrities and makeup artists on TV shoots, fashion shows, magazines, and movies
- This can be used on all skin types
Cons:
- Not fragrance-free
- I can't use this for someone with very oily skin. The Embryolisse Hydra Matte Emulsion is a better formulation for oily to combination skin.
Makeup Artist Tips
Video: How to Use Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentrate by Makeup Artist Angie Di Battista
Make-up Artist Tips:
- If you have acne with flaky skin around the breakout, use a q-tip as an exfoliator to eliminate any dead skin cells. It's gentle and provides hydration, so the skin won't be tight and rough when you put on your foundation.
- Absorbs quickly but takes a minute to settle before putting on makeup. Otherwise, your foundation isn't going to apply smoothly.
- Great to use as a quick exfoliation on dry, dehydrated skin. Take a pea-sized amount on a cotton pad and slough off the superficial layer of dry skin. This will relieve your skin of that tightness and avoid making you look wrinkly underneath the makeup.
- Use to break down makeup as needed to a thinner consistency. Using a cream foundation can transform it into a liquid foundation whenever you need a smoother application. A liquid foundation can turn into a tinted moisturizer for a healthier glow.
- Create a luminous cream highlighter by combining the Embyrolisse with a powder highlighter. You can apply this siliconefree makeup primer on top of your foundation. This works amazingly well, especially under the brow.
- Makes a great after-shave, especially for those who get skin irritations after shaving. Leave a thick coat on for about 5-10 minutes and wipe it off. This will hydrate your skin so you don't get that tight, red, irritated feeling.
- Also makes for a fantastic cream for your hands, elbows, and anywhere you need instant moisturizing.
Video Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAVByh94vMo&ab_channel=BEAUTYBAY
Video: TESTING OUT BEYONCE'S MAKEUP HACK FOR FLAWLESS SKIN | Beauty Bay
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Dermablend – Insta-Grip Jelly Face Primer
BEST FOR: All skin types, Longwear & full coverage makeup, Acne-prone skin
Our Review
Fortified with panthenol (Vitamin B5) and cork extract, this powerful 3-in-1 multitasking primer helps grip makeup for 24-hour wear.
It has a unique jelly texture that doubles as an instant facial moisturizer. It also delivers a subtle skin-tightening effect for any texture issues.
All this makes for a better makeup application and longer wear.
Video: Insta-Grip™ Jelly Makeup Primer | Dermablend Professional
In our opinion, this makes it one of the best primers for acne prone skin. Having a solid grip on foundation and concealer means fewer touch-ups on spots and blemishes throughout the day. This is crucial for those battling acne.[2]
You can sweat through a concert, and have your makeup stick!
The Dermablend Insta-Grip Jelly Face Primer is also quick-absorbing, formulated with plant extracts and glycerin to moisturize, smoothen, and tighten skin.
The silicone-free jelly texture dries to a natural finish and creates a fresh, natural canvas.
Formulation
Safety Testing: Dermatologist-tested, fragrance-free, allergy-tested, sensitive skin-tested, non comedogenic makeup primer, non-acnegenic.
Clean Beauty: Formulated without parabens, phthalates, triclosan, or sodium lauryl sulfate.
Green & Cruelty-free: Vegan formula, no animal-derived ingredients or byproducts.
Formulation Base: Water-based primer
Color: Clear
Consistency & Finish: Jelly-like texture, natural finish
Key Benefits + Cons
Key Benefits:
- Unique sticky jelly texture grips onto makeup for up to 24 hours
- Preps skin for a smooth makeup application
- 3-in-1 product: makeup gripper, instant moisturizer, and tightening mask
- Minimal ingredients developed for safety
Cons:
- Super sticky, which may be hard to smooth on the face
- It can be hard to use. You really have to practice as it can be really tacky.
- Don’t do your hair first! It’s that sticky (yes, we’re back to sticky)
Makeup Artist Tips
Video: Insta-Grip™ Jelly Makeup Primer | Dermablend Professional
Make-up Artist Tips:
- Apply 1 to 2 pumps on your fingers and apply to your face in outward and upward strokes. Let it absorb for at least 30 seconds before applying your foundation.
- Use a damp beauty blender to apply foundation for a smoothing effect.
Video Review
Video: FULL FACE USING ONLY DERMABLEND COMPLEXION everyday makeup + WEAR TEST | MagdalineJanet
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Our Review
MILK Makeup is a cruelty-free, clean brand that made waves on social media with their award-winning Hydro Grip Primer.
Their latest release controls shine, hydrates, locks your makeup for up to 12 hours, and blurs pores.
The Pore Eclipse Mattifying + Blurring Primer is a 90% natural water cream primer that is a makeup-skincare hybrid.
It’s formulated with ingredients that have long-term skincare benefits.
This is great for oily skin and anyone who wants to achieve more even-looking skin in the long run.
Video: MILK MAKEUP | MEET: PORE ECLIPSE MATTIFYING PRIMER
Key Ingredients:
- Niacinamide – a hero ingredient that helps minimize the appearance of pores, provides additional moisture and helps improve skin texture.
- Bakuchiol – a popular natural alternative to retinol, a topical vitamin A that helps smooth skin texture, treat acne, and minimize fine lines
- Lentil extract – helps control shine and acts like microfine particles that soak up oil all day long.
- Moonstone – helps calm the skin.
- Blurring microspheres – gives a natural soft-focus, matte finish throughout the day without causing a harsh drying effect.
Additionally, this can smooth out any healing blemishes or dry patches and fill in pores without clogging them.
This silicone-free makeup primer uses a formula that feels incredibly breathable, light, and refreshingly cool when applied.
It’s infused with natural orange blossom and chamomile for a subtle, soothing scent.
There are two primers in their current line. They all grip makeup and smoothen the skin at their core but are reformulated to address different skin concerns.
Formulation
Clean Beauty: All MILK products are free from Talc, Mineral Oil or Petrolatum, Resorcinol, Urea, Hydroquinone, Synthetic fragrances, Alcohol Denat, and Retinyl Palmitate. Non-comedogenic.
Green & Cruelty-free: 100% Vegan and Cruelty-free Leaping Bunny Certified. No animal testing and no animal-derived ingredients, including fats, oils, or musk.
Formulation Base: Water-based primer
Color: Translucent, leaving an invisible finish on all skin tones
Consistency & Finish: Water cream formulation to a soft-focus, matte finish
Key Benefits + Cons
Key Benefits:
- Keeps makeup in place for up to 12 hours
- Blurred pores thanks to a soft-focus filter
- Help minimize the slide and cracking of your foundation due to sebum and oils
- Reduce the appearance of pores over time
- Skin-calming properties
- It improves skin texture and keeps you looking fresh for hours
- Maintain a natural matte finish
Cons:
- It may not work for excessively oily skin on its own
- It has fragrance, which can bother those who prefer scent-free products.
Makeup Artist Tips
Make-up Artist Tips:
- Before applying your makeup, wait one minute for it to dry to a translucent finish.
- Works well in the T-zone areas for combination skin
- It blends well with liquid, powder, cream, and stick foundations.
- It doesn't leave your skin looking chalky. Using it with highlighters, creams, and glowy makeup will give you that controlled, dewy finish.
Video Review
Video: NEW🔥 MILK MAKEUP MATTIFYING + BLURRING MAKEUP PRIMER || REVIEW & WEAR TEST ON OILY SKIN
Video: *new* MILK MAKEUP PORE ECLIPSE MATTE BLURRING PRIMER + ALL DAY WEAR *oily skin* | MagdalineJanet
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The Best Silicone-Free Primers in Clean Beauty
Summary
Our choices for the best silicone free primer are based on our experience, formulation, claims, value for money, and consumer reviews. All products listed are meticulously analyzed for ingredient safety and clean formulation.
