10 double-duty base makeup products that offer skincare benefits too

In present times, consumer awareness is at its peak and thereby, the availability of legion beauty products has multiplied in the past few years. From SPF-infused powders to skin-enriching lip and cheek tints, ‘hybrid’ products have emerged as clear winners, topping the trend charts month after month, especially after the pandemic. When makeup meets skincare, not only does your skin benefit from the blend of good-for-you ingredients, but the formulations also promise minimised skin defacement. This feature is particularly advantageous when it comes to base makeup—think foundation, concealer, powder and primer—that is directly (and maximally) exposed to the epidermis. When your base products star skincare benefits, you can actually throw all the angst out of the window and wear makeup from AM to PM. Ahead, we list out a compilation of the best base makeup products that will give your skin a hug of care too.

Forest Essentials Som Rasa Silk Skin Tint

If you detest cakey foundations, trust this lightweight tint to become a staple in your everyday makeup kit. It renders a medium coverage with a silken finish that looks as if you bathed in strobe cream. Ingredients like cow’s milk, Kasturi Manjal, sandalwood, sweet almond oil, green tea and babchi give the skin an unmatched glow, a boost of moisture and accelerate collagen production at a deeper level. We hope the brand expands the shade range of this product, so users can get their hands on their exact matches.

Sandiva SPF Top-up Loose Powder 

Sun damage is *real* and a concern that many Indians still struggle with owing to the tropical climate that expands through most of the year. Despite that first application of sunscreen, reapplication remains a point of concern. Not anymore. Try this sandalwood-packed loose powder that features SPF 30 and broad spectrum protection to guard your skin against harmful UV rays while setting your makeup and offering some added coverage too. Sandalwood, the hallmark ingredient, also calms inflammation. Bonus points for the shade options that cater to most Indian complexions.

Type Beauty Eye Light Concealer

Nascent homegrown beauty brand Type Beauty commenced its journey with a spread of concealers that target various concerns like wrinkles, zits and pigmentation with ingredient mixes that address them respectively. Our favourite pick is easily the Eye Light Concealer that boasts caffeine, peptides, vitamin E, panthenol, glycerin and company to tame puffiness, shrink the appearance of fine lines and give a youthful look. The coverage is more than decent and the formula is buildable. Did we tell you that it also complies with Sephora’s clean beauty standards?

Charlotte Tilbury Invisible UV Flawless Poreless Primer SPF 50 

Hate layering skincare … and then makeup? We feel you. Using this primer and sunscreen hybrid can simplify and speed up your AM routine. The cream-based primer is loaded with hyaluronic acid, peptides and camellia oil and yet blurs out pores and imperfections for a smooth canvas that is also protected with SPF 50.

Kiro Beauty Daily Dew Serum Foundation 

What if we told you that there’s a foundation that you can easily blend out with just your fingers? It’s possible with Kiro Beauty’s newest foundation which has a liquidy serum-like consistency. Squeeze, dot and blend—it’s literally that simple. It features a powerhouse trio of skin-benefitting hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and niacinamide, which means it will keep your skin free of dehydration, pigmentation, dullness and unevenness. If you’re a minimalist makeup lover, you’ll love the way it sits on the skin—absolutely weightless. 

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++ 

Looking for that ‘one and done’ product? Enter K-beauty brand Missha’s BB cream. The mattifying cream offers impressive coverage, sun protection and skin-caring properties owing to ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides and rosemary and chamomile extracts. The best part? The matte finish doesn’t budge all day long—you don’t even need to set it with powder, making it the perfect solution for oily, blemish-prone skin. 
PS: Camila Coelho loves it!

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+

She’s an award-winning bestseller, loved by beauty editors and celebrities alike. As the name suggests, the cream sits on the skin like a weightless veil of coverage to even out the skin while proffering glow and moisture. The cream also has priming and sun-protecting benefits; basically, it’s an all-rounder. Watch out for the fusion of august ingredients that it sports, enabling it to address dark spots and early signs of ageing too.

Clinique Even Better All-Over Concealer + Eraser

The clean and skin-loving concealer is all you need to spot-correct and brighten your complexion for everyday wear. The (seamlessly) blendable formula is enriched with vitamin C, caffeine and hyaluronic acid, which, in harmony, reduce puffiness, highlight and hydrate the skin. Plus points for it comes with a blender too.

Daughter Earth The Concealer

It’s always a good idea to include one multipurpose makeup pot in your vanity and this is the one that we keep going back to. Creamy, spreadable and oh-so-good for the skin, the product is a clean girl’s dream come true. The vegan formula hosts a slew of ingredients like caffeine, peptides, squalane, bakuchiol and jojoba oil that will keep all your skin woes at bay.

Smashbox Photo Finish Correct Anti-Redness Primer

If your skin is compromised due to redness and inflammation caused by acne or blemishes, a green primer, that cancels out the redness, will come in handy. This one from Smashbox deserves a shot, given the skin-calming heroes like mushrooms, red algae, rose and hyaluronic acid that it contains. Besides curtailing all that redness, it also protects and soothes the skin.