The 11 Best Drugstore Tinted Moisturizers That Rival (and Sometimes Beat Out) High-End Brands

Best Overall

ColourPop Hyaluronic Acid Tinted Moisturizer

$15 at Ulta $15 at Target $13 at Walmart

Coverage: Sheer | Shade Range: 19 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1.5 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This pick checked all of our boxes—and then some. It has an extensive shade range, feels weightless on the skin, delivers natural-looking coverage, and holds up all day long. Our tester, Gibreel, loves that it can be worn solo for a no-makeup makeup look, but it also layers nicely with concealer and other makeup for a more full-on effect. Plus, it blends nicely no matter how (brush, fingers, sponge) you apply it. The only drawback? Unlike other products we tested, there’s no SPF built-in, but given that you should be applying a separate sunscreen anyway, that wasn’t a dealbreaker for us.

Best Overall, Runner-Up

No. 7 Hydraluminous AquaRelease Tinted Skin Perfector

View on No7beauty.com

Coverage: Sheer | Shade Range: 6 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This option performed so well that it was hard to decide whether it or the one above should take Best Overall. First and foremost, our tester, Ciara, couldn’t get over how well it covered imperfections; even though it’s touted as having sheer coverage, it camouflaged everything she wanted to hide with just one light layer. (Though it is easy to build up if you so choose.) Still, it felt featherweight and undetectable—and the coverage (and lovely hydration, thanks to the AquaRelease moisture beads) it delivered lasted all day. 

Per the point of hydration, though, Ciara found that the product works best if you skip the moisturizing routine beforehand; when she used hydrating skincare, her complexion started to look a bit greasy.

Best for Radiance

Honest Beauty CCC Tinted Moisturizer

$27 at Amazon $27 at Ulta $27 at Target

Coverage: Sheer | Shade Range: 9 | Finish: Radiant | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This radiance-boosting tinted moisturizer leaves skin ever-so-subtly glowy, with a luminosity that looks totally natural. Our tester, Cathie, appreciates that aside from a mineral SPF (and SPF 30 at that), it contains a host of other skin-loving ingredients, namely brightening vitamin C and allantoin, a great skin soother. 

It’s definitely on the thicker side—Cathie found the texture was closer to that of a foundation. This thickness made it a bit trickier to apply with fingers. That said, the coverage was great for evening skin tone and helping neutralize redness.

Best for Deep Skin Tones

Black Radiance Tinted Moisturizer

View on Blackradiancebeauty.com

Coverage: Light | Shade Range: 8 | Finish: Natural | Size: .91 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Tinted moisturizers, particularly drugstore ones, are notorious for not offering a ton of shade options, particularly for darker skin. (Here’s hoping that changes soon.) Here’s one good exception, which comes in eight shades, the majority of which are geared towards deeper complexions. Our tester, Masego, liked the buildable coverage, and that the product worked well when applied with fingers. It also played nice when layered over other skincare; to that point, she does think it’s best to use a separate facial moisturizer underneath, particularly if you have drier skin. It’s also worth mentioning that it didn’t have the longest staying power.

Best Shade Range

L'Oréal Paris True Match Tinted Serum

$16 at Amazon $20 at Ulta $16 at Target

Coverage: Light | Shade Range: 14 | Finish: Radiant | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Not only does this come in over a dozen shades, but they deliver very natural-looking color. It layered well with other makeup we used during testing, and the coverage was versatile and buildable with impressive staying power.

The finish is on the glowier side, perhaps veering a bit too shiny for some, in which case we suggest setting it with a translucent powder to help tamp that down. The squirt applicator was also a bit messy, but our tester, Julia, mitigated that by applying it with a foundation brush.

Best BB Cream

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

$10 at Ulta $8 at Target $9 at Walmart

Coverage: Sheer | Shade Range: 5 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Yes, this may technically be called a BB cream (read on for more on the “technical” differences between those and tinted moisturizers) but we still deemed it worthy of a spot on this list. It essentially acts and functions as a tinted moisturizer, moisturizing and delivering coverage simultaneously. It’s oil-free and won’t clog pores, one of our favorite attributes, and the coverage is sheer and dewy; Lauren, our tester, deemed it especially good at helping conceal and camouflage redness. FYI, she did find that it blended better with other products when she layered a moisturizer underneath.

Best for Dry Skin

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint

$15 at Amazon $16 at Walmart $22 at CVS

Coverage: Light | Shade Range: 10 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

This mega-hydrating pick (thanks, hyaluronic acid) is the perfect choice for those with super dry skin. It delivered an impressive level of moisture while excelling at evening skin tone and neutralizing redness. The coverage and hydration lasted a full day, too, and Kelly, our tester, raved about the smooth texture. It did feel like it sat on top of the skin more than melting in, and she did have a bit of a hard time finding her perfect shade match, but those were minor drawbacks.

Best for Full Coverage

Wet n Wild Bare Focus Tinted Hydrator

$5 at Amazon $7 at Ulta $6 at Target

Coverage: Sheer to medium | Shade Range: 7 | Finish: Semi-matte | Size: .91 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Tinted moisturizers aren’t typically equipped to fully cover the skin, but this one from Wet n’ Wild absolutely can. It essentially covers and holds up like a foundation with the light skin feel of a tinted moisturizer. Our tester, Stormy, was also impressed with the hydration (it contains hyaluronic acid, along with squalane).

She was less impressed with the scent (which we likened to Play-Doh), and the matte finish. If you’re after a matte texture, this is the perfect pick for you, but if you have larger-looking pores, it might accentuate them a bit.

Best Sheer

Pacifica Kind Tint Tinted Serum

$14 at Ulta

Coverage: Sheer | Shade Range: 12 | Finish: Natural | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This pick goes on very sheer, yet still stays put whether you set it with powder or not (tinted moisturizer magic). The texture is light too, which was a win for our tester, Annie, whose skin veers more toward oily. Just keep in mind that how you apply this product will ultimately affect the resulting look and final coverage level. When Annie applied it with her fingers, it was too sheer—she could barely see it. Using a BeautyBlender just moved the product around without building it up; it was a foundation brush that proved to be the winning tool for helping to score even coverage.

Best Buildable Coverage

The Lip Bar Just a Tint 3-in-1 Tinted Skin Conditioner

$17 at Target View on Thelipbar.com

Coverage: Sheer | Shade Range: 12 | Finish: Radiant | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Versatility is the name of the game with this pick. The coverage is buildable in its own right, though our tester, Megan, found she could tweak and tailor that even more based on the tool she used. Applying it with fingers left a light coverage while using a damp makeup sponge resulted in slightly more coverage. The long-lasting, transfer-proof formula contains hyaluronic acid, and she did notice (and appreciate) how moisturizing it was. Be prepared for a thicker texture, closer to that of a cream foundation instead of the more liquid-y feel of other tinted moisturizers.

Best Multitasking

L'Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion

$14 at Amazon $17 at Ulta $14 at Target

Coverage: Sheer | Shade Range: 5 | Finish: Dewy | Size: 1.35 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

All tinted moisturizers are multitaskers by definition. But this one takes the cake by offering a gorgeous, iridescent glow. There’s no shortage of ways to use it: Wear it solo for a sunkissed glow, under foundation for an extra radiance boost, or dabbed onto your cheekbones in lieu of a highlighter. Just keep in mind that it doesn’t necessarily offer a ton of coverage on its own, and there’s also no SPF in the mix, so you will want to add some stand-alone sun protection.