Primers are much like the toner equivalent of the make-up world: viewed either as an essential part of your routine or a completely skippable step.
But given the rise in innovative hybrid formulas where skincare and make-up truly meet, it’s time to give primers a second look, particularly when it comes to more mature skin. Not just aimed at preventing foundation from sliding down the face if you have an oily complexion, new versions come infused with a host of skin-boosting ingredients, built-in protection and blurring benefits that mean flawless make-up all day, while improving what’s underneath too.
“A good primer has multiple benefits including locking your skincare in place, blurring fine lines and blemishes and keeping your make-up in place for longer,” says Ruby Hammer MBE, fêted make-up artist and founder of her eponymous range of clever cosmetics and tools. “As we age, generally our skin becomes drier, so a hydrating primer is a great place to start if you have never used it before. But there isn’t just one type of ‘mature’ skin, there are many from oily to dry or thin. I recommend anyone in my make-up chair to take time to look at their skin and think about how it feels and what changes can they see, then choose the primer that is best suited. If your skin has become drier, look for a hydrating primer. If you have oily skin, look for an oil-free primer. If you are worried about fine lines, look for a lightweight blurring primer.”
What makes these modern primers turbo-charged and particularly beneficial for more mature complexions is that they are formulated with a substantial amount of skincare actives, rather than just paying lip service to them. “I love cosmetics infused with skincare ingredients whether it is hyaluronic acid to hydrate, SPF to protect or niacinamide to work on texture, so look for ingredients that suit your skin type,” agrees Ruby. “Equally important is knowing what to avoid. As your skin matures you may not need the kind of clarifying or mattifying ingredients suitable for acne-prone skin, or primers rich in oils, which are not great for mid-hot flush. If possible, try a selection of primers in-store before you commit. Different formulations react differently with skincare and cosmetics, so though one may sound perfect for your skin, it may react with the other products in your routine and create pilling.”
Regardless of whether you are new to primers or a seasoned user looking to upgrade, there are myriad available to fulfil the needs of more mature skin, be it luminosity to counteract dullness, mattifying to tackle shine, or formulas that plump out lines rather than sit in them. Once you’re armed with your ideal version, take a foundation-style approach. Just as more mature skin benefits from a light touch and adding only where needed, don’t overload your complexion with a blanket application. “Less is more,” advises Ruby. “You don’t need to apply primer like you would apply skincare. Once you have let your moisturiser or sunscreen sink in, use light, thin layers only where you need it and focus on the areas where your make-up creases or disappears first, such as around the nose, the eyes and cheeks.”
Read on for our pick of the best primers for mature skin and a flawless make-up finish...
REN Perfect Canvas Clean Primer
One of the few around that’s completely clear and colour-free, meaning it’s universally suited to every complexion tone, this primer from REN offers the perfect balance between keeping skin matte whilst softening the look of lines and wrinkles.
Four drops of the gloopy fluid are ample and easy to count too thanks to the pipette dropper, ensuring no wasteful overuse and a bottle that is as long-lasting as the primer will ensure your make-up is. The formula is silicone-free so absorbs quickly without giving you any time for ‘slip,’ but smooths on easily - almost like a serum - so the fast dry-down is a benefit rather than an issue. Pores disappear immediately and stay hidden all day, as skin texture looks smoother and plumper for hours too.
Buy now £44.00, REN Skincare
Iconic London Underglow Blurring Primer
For complexions that will benefit from the subtle downplaying of dullness and lines, this blurring formula is fantastic. Beautifully lightweight and with a satin texture that’s easy to blend, two or three drops are recommended but I would add a couple more.
The immediate result is skin that feels fresh all day and looks glowing without being shiny or shimmery, plus the soft peachy-caramel tone gives an effect like a candlelit undercoat that helps minimise minor imperfections like pigmentation. Soft focus blurring powders give instant haziness to lines, wrinkles and pores too.
Longer term, vitamin C works its radiance and collagen-boosting magic as well as providing anti-ageing antioxidant protection, while a Japanese plant extract fends off damage believed to be caused by blue light from smart devices. Think of this as your most flattering filter in a bottle.
Buy now £24.00, Iconic London
rms Beauty “Re” Evolve Radiance Locking Primer
If eco-credentials are a priority, this primer can be refilled and is packed with raw, food-grade and organic ingredients, but free from parabens and sulphates. One or two pumps of the baby pink, refreshing gel will instantly minimise the look of pores as it adds a hint of lustre so it can give the complexion a perfecting pick-me-up if you want to go make-up free, or it will create a luminous base for foundation.
The formula contains “grip” technology that encourages make-up to adhere to it for longevity, balanced out with a pearlescent finish that gives skin a glow (also try it under a foundation that’s too matte to make it satiny). The gel texture, meanwhile, makes it ideal for mature complexions that are on the combination or oiler end of the spectrum, as well as for those having hot flushes as it feels wonderfully cool on the face.
Buy now £40.00, Space NK
Studio 10 Hydra-Fusion Daily Defence SPF30
Coming from a capsule cosmetics range specifically created for more mature skins but with a pro-ageing ethos, the first striking thing about the Studio 10 multitasking primer is the caramel tint, which easily blends into a sheer, soft shade to cover the spectrum of most complexion tones.
The hardworking, five-in-one formula has been thoughtfully put together, so it nourishes with a clever blend of hyaluronic acid molecules, perfect with toning and pore-minimising ingredients including rosemary leaf, protects with antioxidants and a sun filter, helps boost firming collagen and elastin fibre production over time. Finally, it primes by absorbing excess oil and using silica to smooth out texture.
Perfectly balanced to suit both drier and oilier complexions, it’s unquestionably a one-stop skin perfector in a tube.
Buy now £48.00, Studio 10
Sculpted by Aimee Beauty Base Protect SPF50
The original Beauty Base primer by Irish make-up artist Aimee Connolly has inspired such ardent devotion that there are now five versions of it, including a rose gold finish and one for oil control. The Protect version has been juiced up with SPF50 to shield mature skin from the daily damage incurred (yes, even in winter) from daylight that accelerates all signs of ageing, from lines to pigmentation.
Rich and creamy, it’s ideal if your complexion is dry and needs to be plumped up with moisture - one pump of this fleshy pink primer is likely enough to do just that. With hydrating hyaluronic acid and rejuvenating peptides, the formula helps improve skin health as it gives your make-up more staying power. The hint of illumination will subtly shift any signs of dullness too.
Buy now £23.00, Sculpted by Aimee
No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Primer
A tiny pea-sized amount is enough of this light liquid to cover the entire face in a golden primer that dries in a flash. But don’t be fooled by the weightless feel – it has super-strength when it comes to giving make-up longevity and will render your foundation transfer-proof the entire day.
The shade of the primer will turn up brightness on dull complexions without appearing shimmery, while the flexible texture ensures it doesn’t sit in wrinkles or pores but rather gives them a softer finish. For added skincare benefits, think plumping sodium hyaluronate plus mega multitasker niacinamide to help calm, strengthen and even out tone.
Suited to all skin types, including sensitive, be sure to use over moisturiser if you’re on the drier side.
Buy now £17.95, Boots
KIKO MILANO Holiday Première Hydra Face Primer
Almost jelly-like in consistency, this primer has been created for use down to the décolletage so it will instantly blur crêpey lines on the chest and neck as well as around the eyes. Lightweight and water-based, it’s ideal for helping oilier complexions hang on to make-up so it doesn’t slide off but drier skin will also benefit from the hit of hydration, meaning make-up won’t cake or flake off during the day.
The transparent gel glides on and settles quickly as the sheer rose tint makes skin look both brighter and more even in tone, boosted too by the addition of milk thistle extract, known to help take down redness and inflammation.
Buy now £19.99, KIKO MILANO
Dolce & Gabbana Secret Shield Protective Smoothing Primer SPF50
While this primer might actually look more like a liquid foundation as you drop it out of the pipette, the warm beige tone becomes sheer and ensures skin looks fresh and healthy as you blend it in. Although the finish is matte, there’s a gentle lustre to the serum-like fluid for a hint of sophisticated illumination that brightens the complexion as it creates a more even-toned result, while the coverage will give a soft focus finish to pores and lines on more mature skin.
A fine layer of the primer will gently hold on to your foundation throughout the day and help seal in hydration, as well as create a line of skincare defence against the sun’s ageing rays and damaging pollution.
Buy now £55.00, Flannels
Stila One Step Correct Kitten Primer
For more mature complexions that need to counteract dullness that can come as the skin starts to renew itself more slowly, this clever primer is ideal. The triple-shade helix pumps out colours together into a lilac-grey shade you won’t expect to be skin-flattering but, worked between palms, it transforms into a sheer white serum with a golden glow.
The colour-correcting formula shimmers as it brightens, tones down mild redness and helps camouflage pigmentation too. It’s also hydrating so ideal if your skin is on the drier side and great for infusing radiance into a foundation that you’re finding too matte. There’s an added skincare element as well from a patented complex that helps tackle wrinkles, pores and age spots.
Buy now £26.00, Marks & Spencer
Lancôme Le Base Pro Perfecting Make Up Primer
Drawing on the expertise of professional make-up artists, only a little pump of this primer is needed to provide ample, effective coverage and boost make-up longevity, as well as smooth out the skin’s surface so your foundation and concealer will glide on more easily. Translucent, oil-free and creating a velvety canvas once you’ve let it settle on the skin, it stops colour from sitting in pores, lines and wrinkles, and will help to minimise their appearance too. If you’re a fan of finishing powder, a dusting on top stays looking fresh rather than caking up.
Buy now £33.00, Harvey Nichols
Verdict
This is as close as the skincare range REN comes to colour cosmetics, but Perfect Canvas Clean Primer is a make-up bag’s best friend. Clear, colourless and with a thick fluid texture, it’s not only universally appealing to all skin tones but is impossible to apply incorrectly.
It won’t pill up under your base or leave tell-tale deposits in lines and, while the finish is undeniably matte, skin still feels comfortable and won’t start to look dehydrated during the day. Make-up stays put without any hint of sliding off or cracking up, ensuring this is a perfectly balanced primer that truly suits everyone.
