With summer in full swing, we’ve already made some of the necessary adjustments to our daily routines that newly sizzling temperatures demand. From updating our work-wear wardrobe with plenty of breathable (but still chic) staples to going that extra spritz to melt-proof our makeup, we’re all about doing whatever it takes to make sure summertime is a sweet, not sweltering, affair. And when it comes to skincare? Though we’re safe from struggling with the drying effects of winter air, it’s still as important as ever to keep skin happily hydrated. For those of us with oily skin, however, pretty much the last thing we want to do on a sticky summer day is slather on a thick, heavy moisturizer. But allow us to introduce you to the wonderful world of mattifying moisturizers. These shine-busting formulas help balance skin in order to minimize oil and impart a—you guessed it—matte finish to skin. To help you discover your matte match, we’ve rounded up the best of the best, from our favorite organic formula to our must-have option featuring that all-important SPF-factor.
Make It Matte
Best Lightweight Formula
This silky lightweight lotion melts seamlessly into skin without leaving behind any slick residue. Enriched with a blend of soothing organic grape water and java tea extracts, it effectively minimizes sebum production and delivers a blotting effect to impart a matte finish sans shine.
Best Organic Formula
Leave it to our clean beauty crush to offer an organic way to nourish oily and combination skin types when those humid days roll around. Packed with only skin-loving ingredients, like organic grape, pomegranate, aloe vera, cucumber and sea algae, this wholesome formula restores skin’s moisture balance and is free of parabens, petroleum, artificial dyes and synthetic fragrances.
Best All-Around Complexion-Enhancer
Just a dollop of this airy moisturizer, and your complexion not only enjoys a matte finish, it’s instantly perfected too, thanks to the innovative formula’s unique blurring action. No Facetune or filter required.
Best Gel-Based Formula
Luxe and refreshing, this one-of-a-kind moisturizer keeps oily skin sufficiently quenched, but still dries down to that coveted, shine-free finish, thanks to natural oil-busters like wild yam and licorice root extracts. Plus, it’s chock-full of antioxidant-rich and pore-minimizing ingredients to ensure a smooth, supple and flawless complexion.
Best Blemish-Buster
Control sebum production and clear up breakouts with this dual-purpose, anti-microbial formula. Developed with acne-eliminating salicylic acid and oligopeptide-10, this treatment-and-moisturizer hybrid deeply hydrates while helping to prevent new blemishes from forming, in addition to leaving behind a smooth, matte finish, of course.
Best SPF-Infused Formula
No best-of-the-best roundup would be complete without an SPF-infused star player. Enter: This oil-free lotion that’s not only infused with antioxidant-rich vitamins A, C and E plus moisturizing glycerin, it also delivers broad-spectrum UV protection.
Best Anti-Aging Treatment
If experiencing anti-aging benefits is as high on your priorities list as mattifying shine, this is your new go-to moisturizer. The multitasking formula visibly delays signs of aging (looking at you, fine lines and wrinkles) and diminishes the appearance of pores courtesy of apple stem cells and alpine extracts. Exclusive micronized powder handles the shine situation by absorbing excess surface oils for a clean, matte finish.
Best Makeup Primer
Fact: Oily skin and makeup do not play well together. Also Fact: This lightweight gel is the buffer that will basically make those two opposing elements the best of friends. Enriched with purifying aspen bark and tea tree oil and an exclusive oil-absorbing mineral, it quickly dries down to an invisible matte finish, leaving your now shine-free complexion prepped and primed for your beauty routine.
Best Customizing Drops
Mix a drop of this shine-busting, skin-balancing, soothing formula with your serum, primer or foundation to create an instant matte effect for your complexion. Add just a drop of it on its own to clear out pores (thanks, salicylic acid) and diminish the appearance of fine lines and other flaws (thanks, innovative, imperfection-blurring formula). And toss those blotting papers, because this can be used for oil-absorbing touch-ups throughout the day, too. Versatile? That’s an understatement.
Best Dual-Phase Formula
It’s true: The best things do come in pairs. Take, for instance, this dual-phase lotion, which kicks things off with a burst of fresh hydration via the moisture-rich, bamboo-infused water-based phase, then transitions to a powder-based phase, which makes things matte by soaking up oil without leaving skin parched.
