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We’ve officially entered the dog days of summer, which means no beat is safe against the sweltering heat — that is, unless you have the best setting sprays on hand. A quick and simple spritz can be the difference between flawless glam and a makeup meltdown, but not all face finishers are created the same. We’ve been testing the best makeup setting sprays during New York City’s most recent heatwave to determine the top summer makeup bag secret weapons that are worth every penny.
So, what does a setting spray do exactly? It’s a fine mist that deposits a quick-drying film over your face to set budge-able complexion products like foundation, cream contour, and liquid blush. It makes for a non-cakey swap for blotting powder that you can apply in between makeup steps or to refresh your look throughout the day. The best makeup setting sprays vary between mattifying and dewy finishes for different skin types, and some even offer extra features like a sticky priming grip or waterproof protection. It may seem counterproductive to flood your carefully applied creams and powders with a wet shower, but makeup setting sprays won’t smudge your base (as long as you don’t touch your skin as it dries).
That brings us to the next distinction: Setting sprays vs. finishing sprays. Setting sprays are particularly formulated to absorb oil and freeze product in place, while finishing sprays may smooth texture, boost glow, soothe irritation, and nourish the skin with hydrating ingredients. However, the best setting sprays on the market serve both purposes, so not only do they extend the wear of your makeup, they also leave your glam looking even better than it started.
If you’ve never tried a setting spray before or keep striking out with products that do nothing but drain your beauty budget, allow us to introduce you to the nine best setting sprays that WWD Shop editors swear by to beat the heat.
The Top Setting Sprays of 2024
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Editor’s Choice: Top 3 Setting Sprays of 2024
Applying your makeup is an ultimately personal ritual, so it’s important to create a reliable routine that works with your skin type and daily activity. Whether you live in a hot climate, have a special event on the horizon, or wear your glam through long hours of work and play, the best setting sprays can relieve you from wasting precious time doing touch-ups and even refresh your skin with cooling, hydrating, mattifying, or complexion-enhancing ingredients. Since they come in a myriad of formulations and finishes, our editors selected the top three setting sprays worth the daily spritz. Below, our holy grail setting sprays:
- One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Waterpoof Setting Spray: Hands down, One/Size is the best makeup setting spray for oily skin and sweat-prone shoppers. Its waterproof hold prevents your base from slipping and sliding — and our editors especially swear by it for heavy summer heat. The aerosol spray deposits a light-as-air mist that absorbs oil and tightens pores, and, according to our testers, doesn’t leave the skin feeling dry, making it an all-around stellar option for all skin types.
- Urban Decay All Nighter Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Dewy Setting Spray: If you’re familiar with Urban Decay’s cult-favorite All Nighter Setting Spray, consider this its summer-ready twin with a dewy finish. It smells like watermelon and quenches the skin with watermelon extract, making it best for dry and combo skin, or those who are looking to achieve a “glass skin” glow without the risk of melted makeup.
- Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray: The name of this setting spray doesn’t lie. Whether you apply it before, during, or after your makeup — or all of the above like Alix Earle — it magically enhances every product you sandwich it with. Consider this a correction for cake-face. It blurs the skin, tightens pores, soothes skin, and somehow makes everything lay thinner and more seamless for longterm, flawless wear.
Editor’s Choice
One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Waterpoof Setting Spray
Editor testing review rating: 5/5 rating
Finish: Matte
Key ingredients: Green tea extract, witch hazel
The internet considers the One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Waterpoof Setting Spray “hairspray for your face,” and it’s a mainstay in GRWM videos on the app with over 97 million views. Beyoncé famously wore it on tour through heavy humidity and rainstorms, and it routinely sells out at Sephora. It’s matte, waterproof hold is ideal for keeping sweat and oil at bay, and it comes powered with pore-tightening green tea extract and oil-absorbing witch hazel that keeps your complexion looking flawless for up to 16 hours. Our editors love that it dispenses a super-fine mist, ensuring even coverage and no heavy, makeup-displacing droplets of formula.
Editor testing and review notes: “This is the final flourish everyone needs in their beauty routines for big events and long days outside. It lends Elnet-caliber hold to your makeup — there’s not a chance your foundation or mascara will budge, even if you end up laughing so hard that happy tears start trailing down your face. Ever since I purchased it a few years ago, I never spend a summer without it.”
Lasting hold: 5/5 rating |: Comfort: 5/5 rating
Price upon publish date of this article: $17
Editor’s Choice
Urban Decay All Nighter Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Dewy Setting Spray
Editor testing review rating: 4.9/5 rating
Finish: Radiant
Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, watermelon fruit extract
Urban Decay setting sprays trail-blazed the entire setting spray category back in the day with the OG Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, but the brand has gone on to elevate its bestseller with skin-loving ingredients for thirsty complexions. This waterproof formula is designed to boost radiance and plump the skin, with hyaluronic acid and watermelon extract that gives it a sweet and summery fragrance. It can be used as a hydrating base before you go in with foundations or skin tints, as a final step before you head out the door, or as refreshing spritz throughout the day to extend the wear of your makeup.
Editor testing and review notes: “Urban Decay’s classic setting spray was my go-to choice during college — and I consider this a grown-up version of the OG. With this setting spray, you can expect the same powerful hold as the original, but with more of a dewy finish. As someone with dry skin, many setting sprays tend to make my skin feel more parched, but this one does the opposite. It’s so refreshing that I often use it as a moisture-boosting face mist.”
Lasting hold: 4.8/5 rating |: Comfort: 4.9/5 rating
Price upon publish date of this article: $36
Editor’s Choice
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray
Editor testing review rating: 4.9/5 rating
Finish: Airbrushed
Key ingredients: Film-Former Polymers, Japanese green tea, aromatic resin
The Charlotte Tilbury Setting Spray is your best bet for an IRL filter effect. It especially ideal for sensitive skin, as it opts out of skin irritating-alcohol and oil for soothing and hydrating green tea. The Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray is a bestseller for its longwear and finishing capabilities; Polymers work to form a weightless hold over your base, while aromatic resin blurs the skin like a finishing powder — but without the cake. It’s got you covered for 16 hours of wear, and editors deem it a must-have for photoshoots and special occasions when you want to take your glam up a notch.
Editor testing and review notes: “After I saw Alix Earle use this setting spray as a makeup primer and a setting spray, I realized she was onto something. When I previously tested out Charlotte Tilbury’s setting spray, it provided a lovely skin-mimicking result, but the hold was a little soft for my taste. But if you layer it on after skin care and before makeup then mist it on as a finishing touch, you can say hello to glass skin that truly doesn’t budge. Although it locks down your makeup, it still feels breathable and light when you apply it with a heavy hand.”
Lasting hold: 4.8/5 rating | Comfort: 5/5 rating
Price upon publish date of this article: $38
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Dewy Long-Lasting Setting Spray
Editor testing review rating: 4.8/5 rating
Finish: Radiant
Key ingredients: Blue agave extract, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, hemp seed extract, aloe extract
Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip setting spray ranks as the best makeup setting spray for dry skin among WWD Shop testers. Dewy skin that looks wet to the touch can typically lead to smears and transfers, but this formula allows product to adhere to the skin with a non-sticky feel. Compared to other setting sprays on the market, it boasts an exemplary skin care-infused formula with hydrating hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, hemp seed, and aloe, and gets its natural grip from blue agave extract that also works to soothe the skin.
Editor testing and review notes: “Because I have perpetually parched skin, I always reach for hydrating serums and thick daytime moisturizers. Yes, these products keep my skin bouncy and quenched, however they also make any foundation, skin tints, or concealer I apply more prone to sliding off of my face throughout the day. This bi-phase setting spray actually moisturizes the skin, so I’ve found that I can lighten up my base moisturizer and go in with a few pumps of this to both glue down my glam and keep my skin properly hydrated. Shake it up and spritz away — you really can’t overdo it with this setting spray.”
Lasting hold: 4.6/5 rating | Comfort: 5/5 rating
Price upon publish date of this article: $38
Rare Beauty Always An Optimist 4-In-1 Prime & Set Mist
Editor testing review rating: 4.7/5 rating
Finish: Radiant
Key ingredients: Niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, botanicals
Among all the A-list products Rare Beauty has to offer, the Always An Optimist 4-In-1 Prime & Set Mist remains an editor recommendation after nearly one year of testing. It practically performs as a plumping face serum you can apply over makeup, with revitalizing sodium hyaluronate, soothing botanicals, and niacinamide. Its finish isn’t too dewy or matte, but rather results in a supernatural, lit-from-within glow. The formula doesn’t boast extreme staying power, but rather serves as a finishing spritz for all skin types that improves the look of your makeup and helps creams and powders harmonize atop the skin.
Editor testing and review notes: “Long-wear setting sprays can leave my skin feeling dry and looking more cakey than where I started, but this one transforms my makeup when it looks powdery after baking. The formula feels so hydrating and refreshing, without being too wet or dewy on my combination skin. The pump stream distributes just the right amount of mist without being overwhelming – but I always look forward to a shower from about three to four sprays.”
Lasting hold: 4.5/5 rating | Comfort: 5/5 rating
Price upon publish date of this article: $27
Nars Light Reflecting Hydrating Makeup Setting Mist
Editor testing review rating: 4.8/5 rating
Finish: Radiant
Key ingredients: Extracts, polymers, cacoa peptides, moringa seed, microalgae spirulina extract
Not only does this Nars setting mist lock makeup in place, it also infuses the skin with hydration that lasts all day. The formula includes ingredients to help prevent your base makeup from fading and budging, while a superfood smoothie of peptides and plant-based extracts nourish the skin with a naturally healthy finish. Plus, it creates a shield against blue light and air pollution, effectively reducing future breakouts and pre-mature skin damage.
Editor testing and review notes: “The wrong setting spray can make a perfectly-applied dewy skin look turn matte and dull. But the right one will amplify the sheen exactly where you want it and extend the wear time of your makeup — and that’s what you get with this Nars setting spray. I found that it doesn’t provide as strong of a hold as other setting sprays I’ve tested, but it’s an ideal option when you’re wearing a mild amount of makeup, say for a casual day at the office with a dinner date after. It’s a super breathable formula, too, so I’m comfortable wearing it when I’m actively breaking out.”
Lasting hold: 4.7/5 rating | Comfort: 5/5 rating
Price upon publish date of this article: $36
Ilia Blue Light Protect + Set Mist
Editor testing review rating: 4.8/5 rating
Finish: Natural
Key ingredients: Sea water, hydrolyzed algae, mastic, tara extract
If you’re parked in front of a screen for long hours at the office, this clean, transfer-proof setting spray protects your skin as it sets your glam. Marine actives and tara extract create a soothing barrier between your skin and free radicals, while mastic blurs the skin and absorbs excess oil. This refreshing mist can be applied before, during, and after application for a dose of hydration, and Sephora reviewers especially recommend it for textured skin types.
Editor testing and review notes: “As a city slicker, I’m in a committed relationship with face sunscreens. While this spray doesn’t contain SPF, it does protect my skin from blue light damage I get from sitting in front of my monitor for hours on end, and I know that the antioxidants also help to defend against other environmental aggressors like pollution. Beyond all of that, it’s a great lightweight setting spray for those who don’t like the sticky feeling of formulas from the aughts. It’s breathable, lightweight, and extends the wear time of my makeup by about six hours.”
Lasting hold: 4.6/5 rating | Comfort: 5/5 rating
Price upon publish date of this article: $38
E.l.f. Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray
Editor testing review rating: 4.7/5 rating
Finish: Dewy
Key ingredients: 5% aloe, hyaluronic acid, squalane, green tea seed oil
This E.l.f. setting spray is a hidden gem — at least considering all the viral hype around the E.l.f. Power Grip Primer. If you’re looking for a makeup setting spray at the drugstore, this one will only run you $10, and delivers on a gripped-on glow. The bi-phase formula comes based with equal parts water and oil, which work together to deeply hydrate and deposit skin-soothing ingredients. According to testers, this top E.l.f. Cosmetics product is best suited for combination skin types who prefer a serious glow with hours of staying power.
Editor testing and review notes: “This product uniquely serves as a sprayable face primer in my routine. After SPF and before complexion products, I mist my skin with a healthy dose of product, and I’m always amazed by the tacky finish it leaves behind. Like its sister primer, which ranks in our list of the best E.l.f. products, it holds my face in place all day. While I have other lightweight finishing and setting sprays I prefer, I do enjoy the dewy finish this leaves behind after I’m finished with my makeup.”
Lasting hold: 4.7/5 rating | Comfort: 4.7/5 rating
Price upon publish date of this article: $10
Caliray Surfproof Hydrating Setting Spray with Niacinamide
Editor testing review rating: 4.7/5 rating
Finish: Natural
Key ingredients: Niacinamide, prickly pear, agave, glycerin, zinc lactate, seawater minerals
Heading to the shore? Caliray’s Surfproof Hydrating Setting Spray has you set to catch some waves. It’s one of the finest mists on our list that practically feels like water upon application. It won’t dry your skin, thanks to its alcohol-free formula, and it deposits natural ingredients that nourish the skin for a natural, just-left-the-beach finish. Over 49,000 Sephora customers have it saved in their “favorites,” and it’s become a breakout star on TikTok with over 97 million views and searches.
Editor testing and review notes: “When my skin is feeling a little too dry, I reach for this spray as skin prep. It’s incredibly refreshing in the summer heat, too, and has a coconut scent that instantly transports you to a beach-side resort. I wouldn’t necessarily spritz this on for a photoshoot or my wedding day, but I keep this in my daily rotation as a skin pick-me-up that won’t budge my makeup, like other skin care mists.”
Lasting hold: 4.5/5 rating | Comfort: 5/5 rating
Price upon publish date of this article: $35
How We Selected and Tested the Best Setting Sprays
Since 1910, WWD — often referred to as “the fashion bible” — has been the leading industry voice of authority for senior executives in the global women’s and men’s fashion, retail and beauty communities, while also informing the consumer media that cover the market. Today, WWD’s breaking news and trend coverage continues to be a trustworthy resource for both fashion insiders and consumers alike. Our shopping editors continue to uphold WWD’s editorial standards and values with quality, expert-backed product selections.
WWD Shop editors test three of the best setting sprays in our New York City office.
WWD/ Claire Sullivan
To curate this top list of the best setting sprays on the market, our editors opened our makeup bags and spent hours scrolling through TikTok beauty videos and retailer bestsellers list. We took note of formulas that are beneficial for the range of skin types and environments, including mattifying, hydrating, and waterproof sprays that holds up to different climates and humidity levels. We compared customer reviews and internet testimonials to narrow down a list of 20 setting sprays, then ran to our vanities to begin testing. Four WWD Shop testers applied each of the best makeup setting sprays before, during, and after makeup application in order to determine whether the formulas caused breakage, smudging, or altered the overall finish of our faces. We took notes throughout eight to 16-hour days on whether our makeup faded and transferred, and paid special attention to specific formulas that boasted special claims like oil-absorption and waterproof hold. The makeup setting sprays included in this list successfully held up through heat waves, beach days, sweaty workouts, and typical hours at the office. Learn more about us here.
Meet the Testers
A panel of four testers evaluated 20 setting sprays for this tested shopping guide. WWD Shop testers include Olivia Cigliano, the Commerce Writer & Producer at Footwear News and WWD and the author of this story, Claire Sullivan, the Senior Beauty and Lifestyle Commerce Editor for WWD and Footwear News, and two additional testers. Our panel represents a variety of skin types, including dry, oily, combination, and sensitive skin, as well as those prone to sweat like hyperhidrosis. Makeup setting sprays were tested against varying levels of makeup application, from no-makeup-makeup looks to full-glam beats, in order to determine the most universally satisfactory formulas on the market.
Meet the Author
Olivia Cigliano is a Commerce Writer & Producer at Footwear News and WWD where she writes and edits shopping content across fashion, beauty, footwear, TikTok style trends, and more. Cigliano received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Emerson College, and her byline can be found in publications including Elite Daily and CR Fashion Book. She is currently based in New York City. At WWD, she regularly tests and reviews makeup products, including setting sprays, for a variety of skin types and makeup preferences.
Source: Shop – wwd.com
