The Best Foundations for Oily, Breakout-Prone Skin

Updated 06/20/22. When you’re prone to clogged pores and breakouts, trying a new foundation can be more stressful than exciting. After all, foundations are notorious for causing closed comedones, which are clogged pores that can turn into full-blown blemishes. To avoid that, you want to find one that’s relatively lightweight, feels comfortable to wear all day long, and most importantly, works well with your skin. 

But how do you know if something will work well with your skin? Well, a few years ago, I did a test called the Oil-Migration Test to provide some guidance on which popular foundations might work best for people with oily, breakout-prone skin. I’ve recently seen it circulating on Instagram and Tik Tok, so I thought I would do it again with some updated foundations. Keep scrolling to see the results of the test, find out which foundations I recommend, and learn why even this test has its limitations. 

The Oil-Migration Test

While not completely scientific, the oil-migration test can give us a sense of how much oil or emollients (slipping agents) are in each foundation. It can also give us a sense of how far they spread (if they don’t spread very far, the idea is that the foundation might stay in place better). Here’s how it works: I started by selecting five popular foundations. The foundations I selected were: 

• Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation
• Make Up For Ever HD Skin Undetectable Longwear Foundation
• NARS Light-Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation
• Ilia True Skin Medium Coverage Serum Foundation
• Kosas Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation SPF 25

I then applied a small amount of each foundation to individual oil blotting sheets. After 24 hours, I checked each piece of tissue paper for oil rings. 

The idea is that the extent of migration (AKA the size of the ring) can give us some insight into how much oil is in the formula and how much that oil might spread. My intention was to find out which foundation contained the lowest percentage of oils/emollients, as these might be better suited for oily, breakout-prone skin. After all, anyone who has oily skin knows that when your skin’s natural oils mix with an oily foundation, your makeup can transfer, smudge, or vanish pretty quickly—especially in the t-zone. (That means the foundations that showed less oil migration might also stay put on oily skin longer). 

Check out the picture below to see the results of my oil-migration test after 24 hours! 

The Results

Based on this test alone, I would say that the Makeup For Ever HD Skin Undetectable Longwear Foundation would be the best one for oily, breakout-prone skin types because it has the least oil migration out of all five foundations. From there, the NARS and the Kosas foundations would be next, because had fairly small oil rings. The Ilia and Chanel foundations would be last because they had the largest oil rings. In order, my foundation picks would be: 

1. Make Up For Ever HD Skin Undetectable Longwear Foundation
2. NARS Light-Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation
3. Kosas Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation SPF 25
4. Ilia True Skin Medium Coverage Serum Foundation
5. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation

However, before you completely write off a foundation based on this test, know that it’s not a 100% accurate depiction of how a foundation will interact with your skin. In other words, this test has its limitations. 

Everyone’s skin is different, and just because a foundation contains oils and emollients, it doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work for you. After all, you can’t judge a product based on the ingredient label alone. One ingredient, or type of an ingredient, can’t tell you everything about the overall formula. It also has to do with the combination of the other ingredients that are included. Still, though, I’m hoping this test provides you with a good jumping-off point when it comes time to try a new foundation! 

It’s also worth noting, that when I did this test a few years ago, the foundations that came out on top (in no particular order) were: 

1. Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation
2. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
3. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation

The Bottom Line

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know I consider makeup an extension of skincare. In fact, I believe everyone should wear makeup daily to offer additional sun protection. (Yes, makeup can actually benefit your skin!)

As is the case with skincare, choosing the right makeup for your skin is a very personal process, and there is never any guarantee that a product will work for you just because it works for someone else. Take your time, accept that you might need to do some trial and error, and always patch test a new product before applying it to your skin! Choosing a new foundation can be challenging, but hopefully, this post gives you a good place to start and takes some of the guesswork out for you!

Watch the video below to see the full oil-migration test. 

Next, find out whether or not silicone ingredients in skincare products cause breakouts. 

Renée Rouleau

Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”