15 Foundations That Cover Up Acne Without Making You Breakout (2023)

The sibling of Tarte’s downright iconic Shape Tape concealer is the more recent addition—Face Tape foundation. This full-coverage foundation has a natural-matte finish that effectively covers problem areas and leaves the face looking like you’ve put a skin-smoothing Insta filter over it. Skin-loving ingredients like apple fruit extract, snow mushroom, and hyaluronic acid keep skin hydrated.

Want to make sure you’re treating your breakouts while concealing them? Look for a formula like Neutrogena’s SkinClearing foundation, which has salicylic acid blended in and will actually help keep pores unclogged, rather than contribute to the problem. This one gives a natural finish and provides an even skin tone—even if you’re just faking it.

This makeup artist obsession is famous for its special micro-fil technology, which gives skin a luminous finish (and who doesn’t want that?). It's also an oil-free formula (with 40 shades), and it's buildable so you can keep coverage light, like a veil, or amp it up.

This liquid-to-powder formula leaves a soft, matte finish and contains a protein complex to help smooth skin. Its lightweight, sweat-resistant formula is perfect for oilier skin types and helps keep shine at bay. An extra? It contains SPF 20 for added sun protection (on top of your daily SPF, of course) and ingredients that protect against blue light, too.

This 4-in-1 product works to cover, clear, calm, and control breakouts and does so with the help of pimple-fighting salicylic acid. It leaves a soft matte finish and provides medium, but buildable coverage.

Most beauty junkies have heard the origin story of It Cosmetics. Founder Jamie Kern Lima was once a TV anchor who couldn’t find the right makeup to address her skin concerns (one of which was hard-to-mask rosacea). And so a brand, developed with the help of dermatologists and plastic surgeons, was born. The CC cream is undoubtedly one of the hero products—with SPF 50, this full-coverage cream acts like a pore-blurring primer andanti-aging serum (there’s collagen, peptides, and hyaluronic acid). Itmasks imperfections, blurring lines and pores.

This oil-free foundation is another one that doesn’t just happen to benefit acne-prone skin, but was actually designed for it. Salicylic acid fights present breakouts—and works to prevent them from coming back later on, too, while ingredients like laminaria sacharina extract (aka brown algae)help control oil. This liquid makeup blends away blemishes and helps even out redness.

Rihanna’s first foundation is best for normal-combo-oily skin types. It features special climate-adaptive technology that’s resistant to sweat and humidity and won’t clog pores. It’s an oil-free, lightweight formula, but lightweight doesn’t mean light coverage—it buildsfrom medium to high.

This powder foundation has everything acne-prone skin needs: salicylic acid, calming oat protein, and a blend of oil-absorbing, blemish-tackling minerals like zinc, sulfur, and kaolin clay. This one provides breathable, buildable coverage with a natural matte finish.

This ultra-luxe formula keeps skin hydrated all day but also features fancy technology that responds to and controlsoil production as it changes throughout the day. But, also, since acne-prone doesn’t necessarily mean you want a matte face, this option gives a naturally dewy finish.

The base of this foundation is soothing aloe vera, which is also antibacterial. Salicylic acid helps decongest pores, while antioxidant-rich grape extract protects skin. It’s got a weightless feel and is sheer but buildable, so the finish is customizable.

This serum-foundation hybrid is a true multi-tasker. Hyaluronic acid and noncomedogenic squalane oil feed skin with essential hydration and moisture, while niacinamide improves skin texture—plus there’s SPF 40 from non-nano zinc oxide.

If you have acne, scarring from past acne, hyperpigmentation, or rosacea, these drops will cover it all up with very little product needed—and due to a weightless suspension, they never look cakey.

This lightweight, silicone-free formula is unique, thanks to powder-filled microspheres that blur pores and lines as you swipe it on. They also diffuse light, giving skin a soft, smooth look.

This high-tech liquid-to-powder formula features oxygenating solvents to deliver oxygen to the skin, which helps clear pores, and kaolinite clay to control oil as well as draw out impurities from the skin. The velvety finish leaves imperfections concealed.

This article is part of Women's Health 2020 Acne Week. Click here for more.