Prioritising is a tall task at the best of times, but when you have two minutes to take care of your face from start to finish, it becomes even more difficult.
What takes precedence? A soothing, hydrating serum able to nourish the skin’s health or an evening, smoothing foundation designed to polish the skin’s appearance?
If your answer was ‘both’ but your time restraints refuse to cooperate, take solace in the fact that the beauty industry has at last come up with a true ‘one and done’ style base product. ‘Serum foundations’ are said clever category, specifically formulated to address both the needs of the face you’re presenting to the world and the face you wake up with.
Think of a serum foundation as the more modern answer to a tinted moisturiser. They serve the same practical time-saving purpose while taking the category of skincare/makeup melds to the next level. The serum form allows for more concentrated, efficacious delivery of skincare ingredients while also embracing the ‘second skin’ style finish we favour nowadays.
So if you’re searching for a silky foundation that also comes with a helping of hyaluronic acid, or a mattifying, moisturising multitasker able to simultaneously cloak pores, you’ve come to the right place; here are the top serum foundations to shop.
2024’s top serum foundations
- Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40, $77.25, Kogan
- Clinique Even Better Clinical
Serum Foundation SPF 20, $68, Clinique - L’Oréal Paris True Match Nude Plumping Tinted Serum Foundation, $20.24, Amazon Australia
The best serum foundations 2024
Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40
from $77.25 at Kogan
Best for: Sensitive skin
Regularly worn by celebrities like Miranda Kerr both on and off the red carpet, Ilia’s take on serum foundation prioritises sensitive skin-friendly, clean ingredients, as well as a triple-tasked formula that promises sheer coverage, potent skincare ingredients, and mineral SPF. Plus, the dewy finish offers a naturally perfected complexion that wears well come rain or shine.
Sizes: 30ml
Colours: Available in 30 shades
Key features:
- Three products in one (sheer coverage foundation, skin serum and mineral SPF)
- Dewy finish
- Improves the appearance of dry skin, blemishes, redness, wrinkles, and uneven skin tone over time
- vegan, non-comedogenic, and fragrance, gluten, and silicone free
- Suitable for sensitive skin
Available at:
- $77.25 from Kogan
- $78.68 from Revolve
- $80 from Amazon Australia
Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation SPF 20
from $68 at Clinique
Best for: Oily skin
This satin-matte oil-free formula is a welcome option for oily skin types who prefer to steer clear of traditionally moisturising makeup options with dewy finishes that can enhance their shine. The lightweight formula utilises a blend of hydrating and plumping hyaluronic acid, radiance-restoring and smoothing salicylic acid, and brightening vitamin C, which work together to refine skin tone and texture, and unify the complexion.
Sizes: 30ml
Colours: Available in 42 shades
Key features:
- Infused with hyaluronic acid, salicylic acid, and vitamin C
- Lightweight, satin-matte finish
- Oil-free formula
- Hydrates and plumps
- Enhances radiance, and evens skin tone and texture
Available at:
- $68 from Clinique
- $68 from Adore Beauty
- $68 from Sephora
L’Oréal Paris True Match Nude Plumping Tinted Serum Foundation
from $20.24 at Amazon Australia
Best for: Budget
L’Oréal’s iconic True Match foundation has been upgraded to match the sensibilities of modern living, injecting a healthy dose of micro-epidermic pure hyaluronic acid, glycerin and luminous mineral pigments into the formula to create a lightweight, radiant finish foundation.
Sizes: 30ml
Colours: Available in 10 adaptable shades
Key features:
- Infused with micro-epidermic pure hyaluronic acid and glycerin to plump skin and promotes 24 hour hydration
- Luminous mineral pigments enhance radiance and create an airbrushed finish
- Ten super blendable, skin adapting shades melt into skin for the perfect shade match
- Clinically proven to smooth skin over time
- Minimises the appearance of imperfections, blemishes and fine lines
Available at:
- $20.24 from Amazon Australia
- $22.49 from Priceline
- $22.49 from Chemist Warehouse
Estée Lauder Futurist Skin Tint Serum Foundation SPF20
from $90 at Adore Beauty
Best for: Long wear
With a sweat and humidity resistant formula, and the promise of eight hours of streak, crease and pore-free wear, and a smoother, moisturised and unified complexion after one week it’s hard to find fault with this serum foundation — it’s built for longevity.
Sizes: 30ml
Colours: Available in 29 shades
Key features:
- Sweat and humidity resistant
- Eight hour wear time
- Doesn’t streak, crease or settle into pores
- Smooths texture, evens skin tone and moisturises skin in just one week of wear
- Non-acnegenic and fragrance-free
Available at:
- $90 from Adore Beauty
- $90 from Sephora
- $90 from MYER
Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops
from $104 at Westman Atelier
Best for: Dull skin
Pumped full of antioxidant-rich superfoods, this pick is like a lightweight and radiant wheatgrass shot for your skin, providing radiance, nourishment, hydration, and protection from pollutants, all whilst calming stressed skin, so it can look and perform at it’s best.
Sizes: 30ml
Colours: Available in 20 shades
Key features:
- Ginseng extract brightens, soothes and revives dull skin
- Pomegranate extract supports healthy microbiome function and protects from free radicals
- Ginger root complex calms and soothes skin both instantly and over time
- Sunflower and almond oil nourish, soothe and strengthen
- Tsubaki oil firms, hydrates and smooths texture
- Urban Shield Complex protects against blue light and pollutants
Revolution Skin Silk Serum Foundation
from $23 at ASOS
Best for: Combination skin
Lightweight and breathable, with a hydrating and plumping infusion of hyaluronic acid and peptide complex, this silky serum foundation achieves undetectable coverage that feels like a second skin. A must-have for combination complexions that need a little bit of hydration, but not too much.
Sizes: 23ml
Colours: Available in 20 shades
Key features:
- Infused with hyaluronic acid and peptides
Hydrates and plumps
Promotes a dewy, glowy complexion - Sheer, buildable coverage
- Lightweight, breathable formula
Trinny London BFF De-Stress Tinted Serum
from $75 at Trinny London
Best for: Normal to dry skin
This innovative tinted serum uses NP-TriOX technology, which helps your skin to manage stress better during the day and supports the skin’s natural regenerative processes at night. Transforming the quality of skin over time for a fresher, brighter complexion.
Sizes: 30ml
Colours: Available in 12 stretchable shades
Key features:
- NP-TriOX technology improves skin’s stress management and nighty regeneration process
- Improves skin quality over time
- Promotes a fresh, radiant appearance
- Hyaluronic acid hydrates and plumps
- Stretchable shade range adapts to your skin tone
What is a serum foundation?
Serum foundation is a hybrid makeup product that combines the complexion-perfecting abilities of a foundation with skin care ingredients typically found in skin care serums. By combining the two products, a serum foundation can help to not only immediately improve the appearance of the complexion by concealing and correcting, but it can also help to improve the quality of the skin over time.
What is the difference between serum foundation and liquid foundation?
The main difference between a serum foundation and liquid foundation is that the latter is solely a makeup product with no skin-improving properties, whereas a serum foundation is infused with skin care ingredients, as well as makeup, to improve the appearance of skin both immediately and over time.
Looking to save money on a serum foundation? Check out our coupon codes for MECCA, Sephora and more.
Main image credit: @bobbyeliot
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
