The 9 Best Skin Tints for Natural, Luminous Skin—Awarded After 244 Hours of Testing

Best Overall

Ami Colé Skin-Enhancing Tint

$32

$16 at Sephora

Shades: 6 | Size: 1 oz | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Before starting her own brand, Ami Colé’s founder Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye worked in product development at Glossier, so she’s no stranger to no-makeup makeup. You only need a few drops of this lightweight formula for a buttery-smooth application that makes your skin glow—without being shiny or greasy. All of the brand’s products are formulated with deeper skin in mind, but this tint comes in six versatile shades that can fit a variety of tones.

We love that it has buildable coverage and can be applied seamlessly with either a brush or your fingers. It’s just pigmented enough to wear as a base for a full face, or it can replace your full-coverage foundation when you want to go for a natural makeup look. After applying, we noticed that it had a natural—but somewhat radiant—finish and made our skin feel more hydrated and bouncy (which is due to the baobab and hibiscus extracts in the formula).

Best Lightweight

Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint

$30 at Sephora $30 at Glossier

Shades: 12 | Size: 1 oz | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Glossier is an OG in the minimalist makeup category, so we absolutely had to try the brand’s skin tint. We love that it leaves the skin with a slight tint and dewy finish, so it’s perfect for those who just want a sheer wash of color without too much coverage. When we put it to the test, we noticed that hyperpigmentation and other imperfections were still visible, but it made the skin look more even and minimized the appearance of pores.

The brand recommends applying it with your fingers, and the tint blends easily into the skin for a subtle, selfie-friendly blur. It has a super thin consistency and a barely-there feel, making it a great choice for those who don’t love the texture of heavy makeup or foundation.

Best Hydrating

Saie Slip Tint

$38 at Amazon $38 at Sephora $38 at Kohls.com

Shades: 14 | Size: 1.3 oz | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If the intersection of makeup and skincare had an address, it would be wherever you find Saie’s Slip Tint. It has an understated pigment, plus all of the ingredients you’d see in a skincare enthusiast’s daily lineup, such as hyaluronic acid, argan oil, licorice extract, and SPF 35. The result is a little bit of coverage, a dose of UV protection, and enough lasting hydration to allow you to skip your serum for the day.

Though it’s ultra-hydrating, this skin tint feels more oil-leaning than moisture-rich. This might not be a concern for dry skin types but could be a drawback for those with oily complexions. Nonetheless, this formula’s multitasking DNA makes it a standout—in fact, this do-it-all tint would be an ideal desert island product.

Best Shade Range

Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

$50 at Sephora $50 at Ulta $50 at Nordstrom

Shades: 16 | Size: 1.9 oz | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: No

Skin tints usually have somewhat limited shade ranges, due to the minimal coverage that can easily be blended to match multiple skin tones. However, this popular pick from Nars—which comes in 16 shades—is a great choice if you’re looking for something to match you exactly. This tried-and-true oil-free formula packs a pigmented punch without weighing you down and is the perfect balance between full-on foundation and a bare face. As we blended it in, we were most impressed with how effortlessly it mixed with our skin’s undertones.

It leaves your skin with a dewy finish without creating a flat shine—there’s dimension to the glow. The tint doubles as a sunscreen, which is both efficient and impressive, but at 30, the SPF is a little lower on the scale if you prefer stronger sun protection. 

Best With SPF

Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint

$48 at Amazon $48 at Sephora $48 at Ulta

Shades: 30 | Size: 1 oz | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This product is a serum and skin tint that moonlights as a high-powered SPF (at 40, it’s the strongest SPF on this list). Based on effectiveness alone, this product ranks high. As skincare fanatics, we were sold just looking at the ingredient list: Each drop is packed with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and plant-based squalene. Since it has such a hydrating formula, it needs a bit of time to dry down, especially if you’re building on it. But once it settles, it leaves an all-over glow.

While we love the nourishing ingredients, UV protection, and overall finish, we did find that applying can get a little messy. Though the dropper turns up the volume on the skincare feel, for a pigmented product this might create some unwelcome messes.

Best Natural Finish

Fenty Beauty Blurring Skin Tint

$41 at Sephora $39 at Ulta $41 at Kohls.com

Shades: 25 | Size: 1.08 oz | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes

A glowy finish is certainly popular these days, but it’s not for everyone. This is one of the only skin tints that has a natural finish instead of radiant, but it still has that lightweight tint feel. We love that it’s able to blur the appearance of blemishes and has buildable coverage, and that it comes in over 20 shades to find our perfect match (as expected from Rihanna’s brand).

After applying, we noticed that it dried almost like a powder, with no greasiness or transfer. This makes it perfect for oily skin types, as it won’t make the complexion even more shiny. However, because it still has moisturizing properties, it won’t accentuate patches or lines on drier skin types.

Best Hybrid

Kosas Cosmetics Tinted Face Oil

$27 at Amazon $42 at Nordstrom

$42

$21 at Revolve

Shades: 5 | Size: 1 oz | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Kosas calls this tint/face oil hybrid the “sweatpants of foundation,” and TBH, the brand is totally right: It’s comfortable to wear and easy to put on. But if this is the tint equivalent of sweats, it would be the most luxe pair in your dresser. The product’s high-end ingredient list makes it a clear cut above other tints. Red raspberry oil tackles blemishes, rosehip seed oil boosts radiance, and meadowfoam oil leaves you feeling supple and smooth.

The serum-like consistency leaves a dewy finish, but not greasy, and hydrating, but not wet-looking. Since it’s a step below foundation on the coverage scale, you shouldn’t expect it to totally blur blemishes or transform your complexion. The formula is a lightweight, skin-enhancing tint for those who want to correct instead of just cover.

Best Buildable Coverage

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Serum Skin Tint

$39 at Sephora $39 at Danessamyricksbeauty.com

$37

$22 at Beautybay.com

Shades: 16 | Size: 1.58 oz | Finish: Healthy glow | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If fine lines and dry patches are your biggest concerns, this skin tint is one of the most forgiving we tried. The lightweight, serum-like formula blends seamlessly into skin, smoothing over texture without settling into pores or creases. It provides sheer, buildable coverage that evens out redness and discoloration while ceramides, peptides, squalane, and sodium hyaluronate help skin look plump and hydrated.

The luminous finish stays fresh throughout the day, though we found it can remain slightly tacky, so combination and oily skin may prefer setting it with powder. We’d also love to see SPF added, but if you’re after a comfortable, natural-looking base that won’t emphasize texture, this is an excellent pick.

Best Blurring

Armani Beauty Skin Tint Tinted Serum

$49 at Nordstrom View on Onebioshop.com

Shades: 20 | Size: 1 oz | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: No

If you have combination skin and want just enough coverage to even out redness without looking like you’re wearing foundation, this tint hits the sweet spot. We found that it blended seamlessly with a brush, melted into skin, and left behind a smooth, natural-looking finish that subtly blurred pores and uneven tone. Niacinamide helps brighten and even the complexion, while hyaluronic acid adds a boost of hydration without making skin feel greasy.

Despite the skincare ingredients, this weacrs more like lightweight makeup than a moisturizer. We found it held up well throughout the day without noticeable fading or color changes, though it clung to flaky patches after retinol use and wasn’t hydrating enough to replace moisturizer. If your skin is dry, prep well before applying.