9 Top Water-Based Primers for a Flawless, Non-Greasy Base
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Did you know that using the top water-based primers will let you hydrate your skin and keep your makeup on for longer?
You read that right!
These primers offer a moisturizing effect, create a smooth, lightweight, and non-greasy base for the rest of your makeup, and help keep your look in place all day.
Want to see their benefits for yourself? Read on for our list of the nine top water-based primers that you can try for flawless skin!
- Keeps skin hydrated
- Helps keep makeup in place for the entire day
- Helps achieve a smooth makeup finish
- Hydrates the skin
- Helps makeup stay fresh throughout the day
- Does not leave a greasy residue
- Helps makeup stay on for longer
- Reduces shine on oily skin
- Helps keep skin balanced and refreshed
Table of Contents
9 Top Water-Based Primers for Flawless Skin
Here are our top picks for the top water-based primers.
Top Water-Based Primer for Oily Skin
This water-based primer is the holy grail for many thanks to its hydrating and lightweight formula.
Key Benefits: Keeps skin hydrated; helps keep makeup in place for the entire day; helps you achieve a smooth makeup finish
Features:
- Infused with blue agave extract and cannabis seed extract
- Also contains hyaluronic acid and natural polymers
- Paraben-, fragrance-, and oil-free
Discover the gripping power of Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip Primer!
Is the Milk Makeup Primer water-based? Yes!
Known for its incredible staying power and wonderful hydrating ingredients, this primer from the beloved brand Milk Makeup helps your makeup look good and stay on for the entire day.
And while this primer can be used by all skin types, it works particularly well with oily skin.
Additionally, despite being formulated with many hydrating ingredients, it doesn’t make your skin look greasy and manages to keep oiliness at bay.
Lightweight, easy to apply, vegan, and cruelty-free, this is one of the top water-based primers for foundation that you can get!
Men and women recommend this primer because it reduces the shine on oily skin.
Key Benefits: Helps makeup stay on for longer; reduces shine on oily skin; helps keep skin balanced and refreshed; hydrates and nourishes skin
Features:
- Formulated with vitamins A and E for skin nourishment
- Lightweight and non-greasy
- Perfect for oily skin
Keep unwanted shine at bay by using E.L.F.’s Oil Control Primer Mist!
Another one of the top water-based primers for the face is E.l.f.’s Oil Control Primer Mist. Given that it’s a water-based primer, this helps keep your foundation stay put for the entire day without becoming greasy.
However, that’s not the only thing this product does. One of the top water-based primers for oily skin, it helps keep shine at a minimum while helping your skin stay refreshed and balanced.
It also hydrates and moisturizes your skin while providing nourishment that helps reinforce your skin’s natural protective barrier.
Achieve long-lasting hydration without the shine of excess oil by using the E.l.f. Oil Control Primer Mist!
Many love this primer for its tremendous gripping power and ability to conceal imperfections flawlessly.
Key Benefits: Helps makeup stay put; aids in controlling shine; allows you to achieve blemish-free skin
Features:
- Formulated with micronized bamboo powder for a matte finish
- Vegan and cruelty-free formula
- Tested by dermatologists
Try Honest Beauty’s Matte Everything Primer for a gorgeous matte finish!
Looking for a water-based makeup primer with a true matte finish? Look no further than Honest Beauty’s Matte Everything Primer.
This primer contains micronized bamboo powder, which helps your makeup stay for a long time and controls excess sebum on your face, preventing a greasy look.
Apart from reducing shine, it also helps blur imperfections on your face while providing a smooth canvas for your makeup. Try out this superb primer for a flawless finish for those with oily skin!
Top Water-Based Primers For Dry Skin
For a primer that not only preps your skin for makeup but also provides hydration, the SmashBox Photo Finish Primerizer is a great choice.
Key benefits: Delivers up to 24 hours of hydration; nourishes skin; gives a smooth and glowing look
Features:
- Contains antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide
- Free of parabens, formaldehyde, and formaldehyde-releasing agents
- Lightweight texture and silicone-free formula
If you're looking for a primer that works well with all skin types, keeps your skin hydrated, and creates a perfect base for your makeup, this could be the ideal product for you.
The SmashBox Photo Finish Primerizer stands out not only for its hydrating properties but also for its skin-nourishing ingredients and smooth texture.
Applying this primer on your face feels light and smooth, prepping your skin perfectly for foundation.
The dewy finish gives your skin a healthy, radiant glow, and the silicone-free formula replenishes your skin’s moisture reserve without any heavy or greasy feeling.
Its hydrating formula contains a unique mix of antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, probiotic extract, vitamins, and algae that nourish, visibly balance, and defend your skin against external factors.
At the same time, the triple hyaluronic acid ensures your skin stays hydrated and visibly plumped for up to 72 hours.
This primer has gained a following because of its hydrating power.
Key Benefits: Brightens and hydrates your skin; makes your skin look dewy and radiant; promotes skin elasticity with regular use
Features:
- Has an ultra-hydrating formula that is dewy but non-greasy
- Formulated with coconut water, probiotics, and other nourishing ingredients
- Sheer coverage
Replenish your skin’s hydration and moisture levels using the Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Primer!
If you’re suffering from dehydrated skin, this is one of the top water-based foundation primers that you can get for the job.
Try the Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Primer, which is popular for its remarkable hydrating power.
Aside from being a primer, it contains coconut water to help bring back moisture and hydration to your skin.
While it’s very hydrating, it doesn’t make your skin feel greasy, but it does help provide a healthy, dewy glow.
Apart from this, it contains probiotics and other skincare ingredients that boost your skin’s elasticity.
This primer is the perfect choice for anyone seeking a hydrating, paraben-free, and silicone-free product that enhances makeup application and longevity.
Key benefits: Hydrates the skin; helps makeup stay fresh throughout the day; does not leave a greasy residue
Features:
- Paraben-free and silicone-free
- Ideal for dry or mature skin
- All-day wear
The Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Hydrating Primer is an excellent option if you're seeking a luxurious product that sets the stage for flawless makeup application while providing necessary hydration to your skin.
When you first apply the Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Hydrating Primer, you’ll likely notice its soothing, lightweight cream texture. It spreads easily across your face, quickly absorbing into your skin without leaving behind any greasy residue.
The lack of parabens and silicones also contributes to a healthier-looking complexion, as these ingredients can sometimes cause irritation or breakouts.
And since it’s formulated for those with dehydrated or mature skin, its hydrating properties create a smooth, replenishing base that helps your makeup look its best all day long.
However, it is worth noting that this product does not include SPF. You may want to incorporate a separate sunscreen into your routine to ensure adequate protection against the sun’s harmful rays.
Top Water-Based Primers For Combination Skin
A lot of people are smitten with this primer because of its cream-to-powder formula.
Key Benefits: Helps makeup stay on for a long time; blurs skin imperfections and smooths out fine lines; controls excess sebum
Features:
- Has a cream-to-powder formula
- Contains mattifying peptides, snowflake powder, and sebum catch powder
- Best used by people with combination skin
Create a perfect canvas for your makeup using Shiseido’s Synchro Skin Soft Blurring Primer!
Finding the right primer for combination skin can be tricky, but some primers do the job well. One of them is this HG from Shiseido.
This water-based foundation primer contains peptides and powders that help control sebum production on your skin and absorb sweat throughout the day.
It also helps blur out your pores and imperfections, creating a fantastic canvas for your makeup.
Helping your skin achieve a radiant glow that lasts the entire day, this primer is worthy of a spot in your makeup bag!
Looking for a water-based primer that doesn’t leave a sticky feeling? The E.l.f. Power Grip Primer might just be the perfect fit for you.
Key benefits: Grips makeup for extended wear; provides a smooth, soft-focus effect on the skin; offers hydration
Features:
- Water-based gel formula with a cooling sensation
- Translucent finish suitable for all skin types and tones
- Cruelty-free and 100% vegan
This primer from E.l.f. is a stellar choice if you're after a water-based primer that not only grips your makeup but also makes your skin look and feel smoother.
This water-based primer has a translucent, natural-looking finish, making it suitable for people with various skin types and tones.
It is also enriched with hyaluronic acid, ensuring your skin stays nice and hydrated throughout the day.
Plus, it’s specially designed to grip your makeup and extend its longevity, preventing it from fading quickly.
And if you’re big on ethical beauty choices, you’ll be happy to know that the E.l.f. Power Grip Primer is vegan and cruelty-free.
For a smooth canvas under your foundation, the Dermablend Insta-Grip Jelly Primer is perfect!
Key benefits: Helps minimize the appearance of pores; lasts for 24 hours; lightweight on the skin
Features:
- 3-in-1 primer, instant moisturizer, and tightening mask
- Compatible with combination, oily, sensitive, mature, and normal skin
- Fragrance-free
This primer gives you a smooth, pore-free canvas that ensures your makeup stays intact no matter what.
The Dermablend Insta-Grip Jelly Primer Face Makeup is a versatile water-based primer that caters to various skin types, including combination, oily, sensitive, and normal.
This primer offers more than just a smooth base. It also minimizes the appearance of pores and allows for 24-hour wear of foundation, giving you a flawless look all day long.
And it’s even formulated with a moisturizer and tightening mask to make your skin look its best.
Additionally, its liquid form allows for easy application, ensuring a smooth and even canvas for your foundation and concealer. You’ll also appreciate its lightweight coverage, which feels comfortable and natural on your skin.
What Are Water-Based Primers?
Basically, a water-based primer is a base makeup product that helps your makeup last longer, which is why it’s typically applied before foundation to help your foundation and other makeup products adhere to your skin better.
It also gives you a smooth canvas to work with, helping you achieve a beautiful finish.
Unlike silicone-based primers, water-based primers have water as their main ingredient. This makes them lightweight and hydrating.
Want to get to know these primers more? Check out this quick overview of facts about them:
| Primary Ingredient | Water or aloe water can be found at the top of its ingredient list |
| Results | Lightweight, natural-looking finish |
| Compatibility With Different Foundations | Water-based foundation; may also work with silicone-based foundation but not for more than a few hours |
Things To Consider When Buying Water-Based Primers
Skin Type
Water-based makeup primers can hydrate and moisturize your skin without leaving it too greasy. This makes the product quite versatile as it can be used by most, if not all, skin types.
However, as you can see from our table above, some primers are formulated to work better on certain skin types than others. So you need to know your skin type before anything else.
The four common skin types include the following:
- Normal skin — Has the right balance between moisture and dryness
- Oily skin — Prone to excess production of sebum
- Dry skin — Prone to lacking moisture
- Combination skin — Characterized by an oily T-zone while the rest of the face is dry
Quick Tip
Water-based primers are often recommended for dry skin because silicone-based ones can mattify the skin and thus accentuate dry patches.
However, primers with silicone can also clog up the pores and cause breakouts, which can be a huge issue for those with oily skin. If this is the case for you, you can switch to a water-based one instead.
Lasting Power
While the hydrating factor in water-based makeup primers is desirable, it’s still a primer that needs to help your makeup stay on for a long time.
To find the top primers, try to find out their lasting power. This primer should last between 12 to 16 hours for optimal results.
Ingredients
As with any skin-related product, you need to find out what the primer is made of.
Considering the ingredients cover many bases, you can find out if the product has added skincare benefits and if there are ingredients that won’t work for your skin type or that you’re sensitive to.
Quick Tip
If you want a water-based primer for your dry skin, it would be beneficial to get a primer with added moisturizing ingredients like glycerin, which helps the skin retain moisture. But if you want one for oily skin, get a primer with powders that can help control oil.
Flawless Canvas and Hydrated Skin
Let your skin breathe using lightweight, water-based primers. These primers have become increasingly popular as people see the benefit of using these over heavier, thicker primers.
Apart from providing a perfect canvas, you can also keep your skin hydrated, nourished, and moisturized thanks to the versatile formula of this type of primer.
Are you ready to make the switch to water-based primers? Try out and see the difference for yourself!
Want To Discover More Base Makeup Product Recommendations?
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Hi! Great article! So much information. How do you think, is MILK primer a good choise for dry skin?