Primers are key for optimal makeup application. But what if you had a primer with non-toxic ingredients that actually nourish your skin?
Whether you like a full face of makeup or only the basics, primer is the key to keep you looking radiant all day. Primers have taken a back seat to our makeup regime, which is a big mistake. But what about natural primers?
You will find that there is a natural primer for any skin type, with no harsh ingredients, and some even promote anti-aging and add an extra glow. There is a big range of natural primers out there, and I’m here to help you find which one is perfect for your needs.
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How To Choose a Primer According To Your Skin Type
Primer is the product you apply to your skin first to even out and prepare the palette for the masterpiece to come. It basically sets the tone for the rest of your makeup application.
We, as unique human beings, all have different skin types. Skin types can be a factor that makes it difficult to choose certain face products that won’t irritate you or worsen other skin conditions.
If you have…
- Oily skin – a mattifying primer will work to decrease your natural oils and give you a smoother finish.
- Dry, flaky skin – an oil-based primer would be best to keep your skin moistened and your makeup intact.
- Sensitive skin – Suppose you struggle with irritable skin; it would be best to go for a primer with the least amount of ingredients – no parabens or fragrance.
- Uneven skin tone – you might have red areas or dark circles, and a color-correcting primer can blend these.
- Mature skin – A primer with nourishing ingredients will be perfect to use on mature skin.
- Blemish-prone skin – Using the wrong primer on acne can worsen the issue, so go for a primer with simple, nourishing ingredients and mattifying power, like oily skin.
Of course, you also need a good skin care regiment if you want your primer to be effective! I know that we’re saying a good primer is necessary for flawless makeup application, but prepped skin beforehand is the secret.
Having healthy, moisturized and happy skin will help your primer a ton! But what kind of skin care regiment do you actually need? I have a post all about the best skin care regiments for your specific skin type for you to check out. It’s seriously a game-changer!
Which Ingredients To Avoid In Conventional Primers?
Unfortunately, there are thousands of ingredients used in conventional beauty products that we have no idea what they do to us long-term. But here is a list of the most common and documented substances to avoid in primers:
- Polyethylene Glycol (PEG’s)—Often contaminated with carcinogens. And there’s no way to know whether or not the company filters out these toxic substances.
- BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT—These can cause severe skin reactions. Also classified as a known carcinogen.
- Parabens—A very common preservative that mimics the hormone estrogen when absorbed into the body. This can cause hormonal imbalances that often lead to fertility issues in both men and women.
- Fragrance—A loophole that companies can use to keep the ingredients behind a product’s scent a trade secret. It’s basically a cover-up word for hundreds, if not thousands, of ingredients that no one has to know about.
The Best Natural Primers
These primers all get my seal of approval in terms of natural ingredients, and I’ve tried most of them myself! I also make note of which ones are best for a certain skin type. Let’s get started!
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1. Best Natural Primer For Dry Skin: 100% Pure Luminous Primer
With dry skin, finding a primer that won’t cause irritation or cause your makeup to feel tight and sticky is always a challenge. With 100% Pure Luminous Primer, you can have the perfect primer for your skin with no harmful ingredients.
The top ingredients include avocado oil, aloe, green tea, vitamin E, and resveratrol. This combination is an antioxidant bomb that protects against aging, softens and moisturizes, and protects your skin from free radicals.
The price of a 30ml tube is $18 to $45, depending on promotions, which is an excellent price for this base that sets you up for a great makeup application. It is also certified as organic, and you can rest assured knowing there are no harmful ingredients.
2. Best Natural Primer For Oily Skin: Jane Iredale Smooth Affair Primer
As someone with very oily skin, this natural primer wins the prize! I love Jane Iredale, but their primer line is my personal favorite of theirs. They also make primers for any other skin type if you don’t have oily skin.
Oily skin can be the most challenging type of skin to get the right products for, as our bodies produce oils naturally, some more than others. The type of product that will work for oily skin is a product that will give you a matt finish and reduce the shine.
Smooth Affair oily skin face primer from Jane Iredale is the perfect primer to accommodate your oily skin. It fills the pores, creates a mattifying pallet to apply your makeup, and lasts all day.
Grapefruit, green tea, orange, and blackberry create a fantastic smell that makes me so happy! The ingredients are gluten and wheat free and have many fruity extracts. Depending on specials and where you buy, this primer is between $35 and $50.
3. Best Natural Primer For Large Pores: Ilia True Skin Priming Solution
The main goal of a primer is to give your skin an even finish, minimizing pore sizes, but some of us have extra-large pores. Ilia True Skin Priming Serum is the perfect primer if you struggle with large pores. This primer is $52, so it’s a bit on the pricey side.
The key ingredients of this oil-free, fragrance-free, silicone-free, and gluten-free product are hibiscus extract, mastic, and beta-glucan. The ingredients help firm the skin, fill pores, and reduce fine lines. Together they work to give you a mattifying finish that lasts all day while protecting your skin from free radicals.
I tend to get large pores on my nose, but this did the trick! My skin looked even and flawless after my makeup application. I’m not surprised at how well it worked, considering Ilia is one of my favorite brands.
4. Best Organic Makeup Primer: Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Primer
Everyone is starting to be more mindful about the products they buy to ensure it is good for the planet and cruelty-free. The best organic primer you can get is Juice Beauty’s Phyto-Pigments primer, with a great price tag of $35.
With unique ingredients like coconut oil, aloe, sunflower oil, vitamin C, and vitamin E, you will feel the freshness on your face and a flawless look you can flaunt all day. The ingredients are organically certified, cruelty-free, and vegan. Even the packaging is recyclable.
Juice Beauty is a fantastic brand to buy makeup from! I love this primer because I feel like I’m giving my skin a refreshing cocktail of vitamins and nourishment with the lovely smell and natural ingredients.
5. Best Natural Primer For Sensitive/Red Skin: Zuzu Luxe Color Correcting Primer
It can be tricky to find products when you have sensitive skin or skin that might be blotchy and has different colors. Zuzu Luxe Color Correcting Primer is your best bet to keep your sensitive skin at bay and even out the unwanted color on your skin.
This product comes in different colors to even out your unique needs regarding color correcting, and it gives a perfect finish to sensitive skin without irritation. The price tag on this primer is around $18, and you can wear it alone or apply makeup over it.
The ingredients are cruelty-free, gluten-free, and vegan. No parabens and no fragrances. The leading ingredients include jojoba oil, mica, and aloe leaf extract to give you that flawless finish you crave without giving up your health or skin condition.
6. Best Vegan Natural Primer: Exa Jump Start Smoothing Primer
This vegan primer is hitting other vegan primers out of the park. Exa Jump Start Smoothing Primer is filled with antioxidants, protects your skin against blue lights, and is suitable for all skin types. This semi-matt primer is cruelty-free and comes with a price tag of only $34.
The ingredients include raspberry seed extract, CoQ10, Cocoa fruit powder, and essential oils to give a fragrance. I’ll admit I thought that this makeup bran was a little hyped up, but it’s actually worth a try! I was very impressed with how well makeup stayed on my skin all day long.
7. Best Multi-Tasking Primer: Suntegrity Facial Sunscreen And Primer SPF 30
Most of us would like many products with more than one goal, to save money and time. The primer that wins the category for best multi-tasking primer is Suntegrity Facial Sunscreen and Primer SPF 30.
The perfect natural product provides a moisturizer, SPF protector, and primer in one bottle. Sunterity doesn’t include harmful ingredients, has no parabens, and is cruelty-free. The tin-looking bottle is refillable, saving you money and the environment by buying a refill each time.
The ingredients are a combination of organic and natural products, with the top ingredients being hyaluronic acid, red algae, aloe vera, jojoba oil, and green tea. All the ingredients work together to protect the skin against UVA and UVB rays, reduce redness, and hydrate the skin. The price will vary between $40 and $45.
8. Best Protective Natural Primer: Grown Alchemist Anti-Pollution Primer
It would be nice to have a primer that protects your skin, wouldn’t it? The Anti-Pollution Primer from Grown Alchemist is one of those primers that has the abilities most of us wish for in a product.
It protects against blue light and environmental elements, which is great for those who sit in front of a screen all day. This gel primer comes at $39 for 50ml, which is an excellent price for a fantastic product.
The anti-pollution primer has a bio-adaptive ingredients list that includes an anti-pollution shield complex, Ganoderma mushroom extract, prebiotic peptides, and a gel base.
Each of these offers certain benefits, focussing on putting up a barrier between skin cells and blue light damage, repairing damaged cells and hydrating the skin, enhancing the skin’s barrier against environmental particle damage, and camouflaging the fine lines and pores for the perfect canvas.
9. 100% Pure Mattifying Primer
This one from 100% pure is another perfect primer for oily skin and one of the best natural primers we could find. 100% Pure Mattifying Primer has seaweed collagen as one of the top ingredients, giving your skin a plump while covering lines and pores for a beautiful finish and minimizing the shine.
With impressive natural ingredients such as tea tree, green tea, aloe juice, and eucalyptus, this primer allows for moisturizing and cleaning the skin while preventing acne. The price tag varies between $18 and $45, depending on where you order and a possible promotion on the site.
10. Alima Pure Smooth And Prime
Alima’s Pure Smooth and Prime primer is perfect for oily to combination skin types. This primer serves as a perfect base for your makeup, giving a smooth finish with minimum shine, all while nourishing the skin.
One of the top ingredients, Silica, is a natural mineral responsible for the mattifying effect. Other ingredients include clary sage, avocado oil, and Squalane (from olives) to ensure soft skin. The price of this primer is $48 for a 30ml tube.
11. Vapour Beauty Essential Daily Primer
You can try this soothing, natural primer, no matter your skin type. Vapour Beauty Essential Daily Primer is perfect for your makeup base and has a clear, soothing finish. The fragrance from the primer comes from essential oils, natural fragrances, and fragrances derived from natural sources.
The ingredients are a mixture of natural and organic elements and include cranberry water, macadamia oil, baobab oil, vitamin E, lemon, ginger, and jojoba oil to meet your skin’s needs. This primer is $40 for 50 ml, and you won’t regret trying it.
Final Thoughts on Natural Primers
Natural primers can give you the sanity of knowing you are investing in your skin and not damaging it. Try a natural primer that suits your needs, and watch your makeup stay put and flawless all day.
Like with any other product you try for the first time, things might take some trial and error. What works for me might not work for you.
But you can put your mind at ease knowing that you aren’t filling your pores with toxic chemicals. You’re doing a great job with lightening your toxic burden!
Have you tried a natural primer before? Let me know in the comments below!