12 best foundations for mature skin that deliver on radiance and hydration

A big “ta-dah” for the Tilbury touch, this buildable, medium-coverage foundation was a hit with our expert. A daily go-to base, it’s super-hydrating and plumping, thanks to hyaluronic acid (an asset for mature skin), spreads smoothly and blends like a dream. With the addition of a rose complex to brighten, it actively helps to improve the condition of your skin over time. We also like the easy-squeezy, recyclable tube that makes it portable.

The shade range is extensive, with 30 shades representing a pro-calibrated spectrum. You won’t find names such as “peach sorbet” or “sunset flow” here, rather, each shade is simply numbered and falls into one of three tones: neutral, warm or cool, which are designed to work seamlessly with your natural colouring.

While this means selection can seem a bit daunting, help is at hand with three ways to assess your shade choice: an AI-powered find your flawless match tool; a virtual try-on option; and for those who already have a favourite match in other brands, a data library will suggest a Tilbury equivalent.

A fixture in the foundation field for 30 years, the latest upgrade to the true match foundation encompasses new skin-matching technology – it uses up to six different pigments to ensure a more precise match. It’s also enriched with hydrating hyaluronic acid.

We found the consistency to be more liquidy than we’d expected, but liked how easily it spread over the skin without feeling oily. Its fluid consistency also gives you time to work the product and blend it into the skin properly. We were also impressed by how well this could provide medium coverage without looking at all heavy. While its finish is not shiny, it does become more ‘glowy’ as time goes on, but our tester felt that was a positive, in that it didn’t flag up fine lines.

While foundations come and go, this one has remained an iconic player, winning awards for more than two decades – and for good reason. Inspired by the fashion house’s love of charmeuse silk, the oil-free formula is suitable for all skin types and offers buildable, medium coverage. It helps to blur imperfections with sophisticated subtlety, which is why it is so good for mature skin. Infused with glycerin, it also provides lasting hydration. In short, it’s a glow-up in a bottle.

The formula is fluid and lightweight, and our tester was wowed by the fondant-like way it glides on and melds with the complexion, for exceptional smoothness. It’s versatile, too, in that you can use less for a relaxed but elegant finish for the daytime or amp it up for a perfectly polished look. A bonus is it looks good in photos, so, on the off-chance you’re being papped, it will show you in the best light.

Lightweight, luminous yet long-lasting, Shiseido’s serum-like foundation launched last year, and our tester really rates it. Not only does this product create the bare skin but better look, it earns its keep by actively improving the complexion, day by day.

The formulation contains fermented kefir+ to support the good bacteria on the skin, and niacinamide to brighten. An SPF 30 plus UVA protection (PA+++) adds to its credentials. However, when you’re out in the sun, experts say you should use a dedicated sunscreen product first and apply your SPF foundation on top. That’s because the amount of foundation people apply varies and often doesn’t meet the required amount to comply with lab-measured levels. That said, having SPF in your foundation certainly helps reinforce protection.

In terms of application, our tester particularly liked how well this product glides onto mature skin, providing instant, even coverage without the need to over-blend. It doesn’t set up home in wrinkles, either. A versatile pick, it can be built up to cover imperfections, or you can simply keep it sheer for a glow-and-go finish.

This is a classy all-rounder. A luxury, long-wear, perfecting foundation, it offers medium-to-full coverage, the skincare qualities of a serum and a finessed finish. In other words, lots of benefits for those with mature skin who want to cover imperfections without obvious heaviness.

Infused with a bouquet of florals designed to hydrate and enhance radiance, the formula also contains UVA protection and either SPF 15 or 20, depending on the shade.

The range of 43 hues is impressive, all based on the six Dior forever undertones: neutral, warm, warm olive, warm peach, cool and cool rosy, so, there really is something for everyone. The pigments are also designed to stay true all day, with negligible oxidisation (which is when make-up reacts with the air and the oil in your skin and turns a tad orangey). Although, its claim to last for 24 hours seems a little unnecessary – who wears foundation for a day and night straight?

Our tester found that, unlike a lot of higher coverage bases, creasing is not a noticeable issue with this product, so you may want to go easy with the amount you pump and apply, as a little goes a long way. All in all, for those who seek a fusion of smoothness and coverage, Dior’s formula marries this union with sophistication.

Gorgeous and glowy, yet finely textured with silicate powders to create a seamless finish, this exquisite foundation offers medium coverage without heaviness, and provides radiance without shine.

Containing more than 40 per cent water, the emulsion is super-fresh and airy, with humectants such as glycerol helping to keep the top layers of the skin hydrated. The formula also features two polymers – one that instantly helps to minimise the appearance of imperfections, uneven tone and even fine lines, while the other is designed to blur the visibility of pores.

We liked the fact this product is neither matte nor shiny but seems to strike the right balance between confidence-boosting concealment and natural radiance. Our tester was won over by the product’s velvety consistency, which flattered her mature skin, without the need for powder. She also loved the unmistakably ‘Chanel’ fragrance – a source of pleasure in the brand’s iconic skincare.

Hear us out, while the last thing mature skin needs is a matte foundation, which generally flags dryness and lines, not everyone wants the ultra-dewy look, either. Enter: this new foundation from Trinny London, which delivers a modern, natural matte finish that doesn’t sit in the creases or wind up looking cakey.

While some super-fans of the discontinued BFF rebalance serum foundation (which this base replaces) may be a little resistant when it comes to making the switch from a confirmed favourite, our tester noticed immediately how easily this formula spreads over the skin’s surface, blending in to look effortlessly smooth.

Our tester also said she would consider this more of a light, demi-matte base, because, while it doesn’t make the skin look ultra-moist, neither does it look opaque. With skincare ingredients such as pro-ceramide, which works to boost the skin’s lipids, and vitamin B3 to help reduce fine lines, the formula comes in a squeezable, bright yellow tube that’s super-portable. Not that you’ll need endless touch-up during the day, as it has pretty good staying power, too.

Serum foundations represent a relatively new sector. Hybrids of, well, serums and foundations, they offer a lightweight alternative to a medium/heavy base; deliver a hit of moisture, and contain skincare ingredients such as niacinamide and antioxidants. Consumers tend to fall into two camps: those who love serum foundations because they are caring and non-clogging, and those who find them tricky to apply and patchy. This version from Ilia, however, scored well and converted our tester, who had been a sceptic.

This product is very fluid in consistency (you’ll need to shake the bottle well) and spreads over the skin in seconds, giving light coverage – add another layer and keep blending, if you want more coverage. You can use your fingers when applying this product but a brush gives a more polished result. The aloe-infused formula also contains niacinamide to brighten, and allantoin to refine texture and tone over time. Great for mature skin, if you want a veil of radiant coverage.

This foundation hails from pro-ageing brand Studio 10, which is on a mission to celebrate mature women’s beauty and provide them with make-up that meets their skin’s needs, with a minimalist touch.

Once our tester got over the fact this foundation comes in a palette, rather than a bottle, the positives started to emerge. Offering medium to full coverage, it conceals pigmentation, imperfections, high colour and dark circles, to the extent you don’t necessarily need concealer. With optical diffusing pigments, it doesn’t look flat, either, and it has skincare ingredients to amp up your complexion’s condition, as well as SPF 30 to help protect it.

Two complementary shades are included within the compact, so you can mix the ideal shade to suit your skin tone. Using a foundation brush, our tester found this process was surprisingly easy – apply in dots down the centre of the face and blend out. The result is dewy and non-drying.

We ummed and ahhed about including this new tinted serum, because it’s not exactly a foundation, but then it’s not exactly a tinted moisturiser, either. Nor is it just a tinted sunscreen. After trialling various foundations, we came to the conclusion this product fills a gap in the base stakes and, frankly, it’s too good not to shout about it.

It features SPF 30 broad spectrum protection in the form of non-nano zinc oxide (so won’t penetrate the skin) yet doesn’t leave a white cast. If you’re using this as your sole form of facial sunscreen, you need to apply it liberally on the face and neck (as a guide, squeeze two lines along the entire length of your index and middle finger) and reapply regularly. Used as a simple complexion enhancer, it delivers super-illumination to the skin, thanks to its GlowPlex, crammed with natural peptides.

Our tester was impressed that it easily competes with – and even outperforms – many standard serum foundations she’s tried, blurring lines and beauty blips and giving the skin a natural looking radiance. Although there are only three shades – light, medium and rich – they do have a universal quality and you could always combine two to match your tone throughout the year.

This is a brand famed for everything from glowy highlighters to buttery lip balms that play with light to bring life to your face. Our tester was keen to see how this foundation performed, and expected it to be infused with the brand’s characteristic light-diffusing pigments and blurring spheres, designed to minimise imperfections and wrinkles. However, she was surprised it applies quite matte at first but becomes more velvety as it melds into the skin. Indeed, this foundation offers medium coverage that you can build to full coverage.

It turns out you only need to apply a tiny amount (it’s easy to overload) and it’s best to aim at the centre of the face first and buff out, to create a seamless finish that goes the distance from day to night. It proved resistant to changes in temperatures and humidity levels during testing, too.

This is a new version of Rimmel’s lasting finish 25 hour formula and contains hyaluronic acid and two per cent niacinamide (which helps even up skin tone over time). Our tester loved the smooth quality of this foundation but, as she found the texture slightly powdery rather than super-slippy, preferred applying it with fingertips. She liked the way it covers beauty blips, such as redness, and rated the fact it contains skin-caring actives. She also appreciated that, although foundations shouldn’t be used as a sole form of sunscreen, its SPF 20 offered a valuable layer of protection. It also has a nice smell that isn’t overpowering.

While diehard fans of the 25 hour formulation might be resistant to change, on the whole, it’s a good, everyday foundation that would enable you to achieve a higher-end base.