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Tired of searching for the right foundation to cover your acne blemishes and scars, make your skin glow, and stay on all day? We were, too, and that's why we decided to take matters into our own hands. Our editors researched the most popular foundations for acne-prone skin on Japanese e-commerce sites like Amazon, Rakuten, and Yahoo! Shopping. Then, we tested each foundation in-office for the following:
1. How good the finish looked
2. How well it stood up to sweat and oil
The result is our top 9 list, a detailed explanation of how we tested each foundation, and some tips on how to find a foundation that's perfect for you.
She's a freelance hair and makeup artist and an expert in aromatherapy certified by the Aroma Environment Association of Japan. She also pens beauty columns. She studied under Mr. Hiroki Murooka from the hair and makeup studio ThreePEACE for four years before going independent.
mybest US' editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in the US in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
The expert oversees the Buying Guide only, and does not determine the products and services featured.
Table of Contents
Here are four things to look out for when choosing a foundation for your acne-prone skin.
The number one thing to confirm in a foundation is whether or not it can even out your skin texture. Then you can start to worry about how well it covers redness and conceals pores.
However, foundations with high coverage tend to look heavy, and in turn this can age your skin. What you should look for is a balance of decent coverage and a dewy, glowing finish. You can see some examples of these in our ranking above!
Durability is also an important factor to consider when looking for a good foundation, which is why we tested it out! They won't budge or smudged even when faced with sweat and oil.
Ultra-adherent foundations and waterproof formulas tend to be the most durable. This can be pretty difficult to judge unless you try them out, though, so you can narrow down your options a bit by looking at our ranking.
If you want to know which shade is right for you, we recommend testing it out on the area where your face meets your neck. That will help you see how well the shade blends in or stands out in a natural way.
Choosing the wrong shade can make your face appear larger, paler, or older than it actually is. Your hands tend to be tanner than your face, so we recommend testing it out on your neck instead.
Getting a foundation that offers some sort of UV protection is a must! It lets you skip the extra step of putting on sunscreen under your makeup. However, that doesn't mean you should always go for a higher amount of protection.
If you spend at least an hour outside everyday between your commute and lifestyle, look for those higher numbers. But if you're mostly indoors, you can get away with a lower SPF and PA count.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kose Visee Richer Nudy Fit Liquid | $21.70 Low Mid | Our Top Choice! A Breeze to Apply and Covers Acne Blemishes and Scars | ||
2 | 24h cosme 24 Mineral Stick Foundation | $29.99 Mid | A Reliable Foundation to Target Redness | ||
3 | Nature's Way naturaglace Cream Bar Foundation N | $38.62 Mid | Layerable Foundation to Conceal More Than Just Acne | ||
4 | Nature's Way naturaglace Clear Powder Foundation | $44.20 High Mid | Lasts Long Without Drying Out or Giving Up Coverage | ||
5 | Shiseido d Program Medicated Skincare Foundation|Liquid | $30.52 Mid | Great for Acne-Prone, Dry, or Sensitive Skin | ||
6 | Attenir Fusion Skin Foundation Luster Finish | $23.16 Low Mid | Covers Acne Redness but Not Enlarged Pores | ||
7 | Shiseido d Program Medicated Skincare Foundation|Powdery | $19.62 Low Mid | Moist Powder Foundation for Sensitive or Irritated Skin | ||
8 | Tokiwa Pharmaceuticals NOV Liquid Foundation UV | $52.00 High Mid | A Heavy Texture, but it Stands Up to Sweat | ||
9 | Only Minerals Mineral Moist Foundation | $49.50 High Mid | Covers Redness but Does Nothing for Texture |
This foundation does it all for acne-prone skin! It moisturizes, makes your skin look dewy, and covers all your problem spots. That includes acne scars, existing spots, and redness (even the super red ones!).
We also liked that despite its heavy coverage, it felt light on the skin. It won't budge even if you sweat a lot, so it's perfect for active days or summer days.
This stick foundation specifically aims to reduce redness, making it perfect for acne-prone skin. It will cover redness from existing marks as well as that annoying inflammation around your nose, giving you a natural finish (though it is a bit stiff in texture).
However, since there's so little product in one package, it's probably better used as concealer or for touch-ups. Once you put it on, it will stay on!
The more you layer it, the fuller the coverage! This will shield not only redness, acne scars, and existing acne, but it will also take care of other concerns like dark under-eye circles and enlarged pores.
Since the coverage is pretty light with one layer, you can adjust the amount of foundation you need in different areas. We actually think this would make it a better concealer than a foundation! We also liked that it stands up to sweat pretty well, making it great to use in summer.
This powder foundation from naturaglace is so moist that even when it adheres to your skin for hours, it won't dry out. If you've got dry skin as well as acne, you should give this one a try! In our tests, it provided all the coverage we needed to conceal existing acne, scars, and large pores.
It stands up to sweat as well, so you can use this year-round. And if your skin is on the more sensitive side, you'll love that you only need soap to wash it off.
This foundation particularly specializes in concealing skin irritation, so it will hide redness from general irritation as well as existing acne and acne scars.
It does feel a bit heavy and sticky, though, so that might be a turnoff for some. We'd recommend this to those with acne-prone skin that's also dry or sensitive. It's also resistant to sweat, so you can use it anytime!
This foundation can feel a bit heavy for some, so this might be a better fit if you're dealing with skin dryness as well as acne. It will also help your texture appear a bit more even.
It's not enough coverage to conceal the appearance of large pores, but it will cover up your acne redness and scars. It's also pretty resistant to sweat!
This foundation provides just the right amount of coverage for your blemishes and acne scars. It will also keep your skin feeling smooth and hydrated! We think it would be great if your skin is already feeling a bit irritated or sensitive.
However, it didn't stand up to sweat very well in our tests. Since it's so moisturizing, though, we'd recommend using this as your wintertime foundation.
We'll admit that it took a bit of work to spread out this foundation evenly, and it does feel heavy. However, it will conceal irritation and stand up to sweat and moisture, making it great to use in a pinch when it's humid out.
If superficial acne scars and redness are your concerns, then you won't have issues using this foundation. However, it doesn't do much to even out bumps or indents caused by acne scars and enlarged pores.
Also, be aware that this powder does tend to fly! You'll want to put this on very carefully. It also doesn't have much staying powder, so if anything, we'd recommend having this as an emergency backup foundation.
We put each foundation through two tests to check for the following:
We then gave them a score from 0 to 5, then combined them into an overall score.
To test out the finish of each foundation, we asked Ms. Fujiwara to apply the makeup to one of our models and judge how well each foundation covered blemishes and how dewy of a finish it had.
Certain foundations in our ranking, like the d Program one, were great at covering not only existing acne and acne scars, but they also reduced the appearance of large pores in the nose area. They also didn't feel too heavy, giving them a great balance.
Foundations that feel heavy can actually make your face appear larger, so it has an unnatural finish. We understand the feeling of wanting to completely cover acne and acne scars, but we recommend going for just enough coverage to divert attention from blemishes rather than going for complete coverage.
Next, we wanted to see how durable each foundation was.
We spread each foundation on a piece of artificial skin and sprayed a mixture of horse oil and water to mimic the effect of sweat. Then, we saw how much of each foundation remained intact.
If you want a foundation that will stand up to the test of sweat, you'll probably be safer with a liquid or stick foundation. Ones that are heavy and adhere firmly to your skin will usually do the job, too.
The only thing you need to be careful of is putting on too much. With any foundation, applying too much product could cause it to melt not only from sweat, but also from excess oil being secreted from your skin.
If you're looking for even more great Japanese products to stock your makeup drawer with, here are some suggestions!
This expert helped test the products featured in this article. They did not participate in the product selection process, nor are they affiliated with any of our choices unless explicitly stated so.
No. 1: Kose|Visee Richer Nudy Fit Liquid
No. 2: 24h cosme|24 Mineral Stick Foundation
No. 3: Nature's Way|naturaglace Cream Bar Foundation N
No. 4: Nature's Way|naturaglace Clear Powder Foundation
No. 5: Shiseido|d Program Medicated Skincare Foundation|Liquid
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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