The 14 best setting powders to blot away shine this summer

Setting powder does two things: it locks makeup in place and controls shine. Applied over foundation and concealer, it creates a barrier between your skin and the outside world (sweat, humidity, and the general chaos of a full day) that stops your base from pooling around your nose by 2pm. Loose powders tend to give more natural, buildable coverage while pressed powders offer more portability and precision. Some formulas go further, adding colour-correcting pigments, skincare ingredients, or blurring technology. But at its core, setting powder is about longevity. It is the step that makes the difference between makeup that lasts six hours and makeup that lasts 12.

They are related but not the same. Setting powder is applied during makeup application, typically over concealer and foundation, to lock product in place and control oil. Finishing powder is applied last, over a completed look, to refine texture, add a soft-focus effect, or dial up luminosity. Finishing powders tend to be lighter and more finely milled, designed to sit on top of makeup rather than set it from beneath. Some products do both, but if you are choosing between the two, ask yourself: do I need my makeup to stay put, or do I want to refine how it looks? The answer tells you which one you need.

For a deeper breakdown, see our dedicated guide to finishing vs setting powder.

Loose powder is the more traditional format, and for good reason. The finely milled texture disperses easily across the skin and tends to give a more natural, skin-like finish. It is also more customisable, considering you control how much product lands on a brush or puff. The trade-off is portability: loose powder is often an accident waiting to happen. Pressed powder compacts that same formula into a solid, travel-friendly form. The payoff is slightly denser and more buildable, which makes it better for targeted touch-ups. Neither is categorically better, and the right choice depends on when and how you are using it. In short: for home application, go with loose. For your midday touch-ups, opt for pressed.

• For loose powder, use a large fluffy brush for an all-over set or a powder puff pressed gently into the skin for higher-coverage areas like under the eyes. Always tap off excess before applying. Overloading the brush is how powder becomes visible on the skin.

• For pressed powder, a brush gives a softer result, while pressing the powder directly with the compact's sponge provides more coverage.

• For baking, pressing a small amount of loose powder beneath the eyes and leaving it for a few minutes before dusting away the excess, a plush powder puff followed by a fluffy brush is your best bet.

A key note on brushes: a dense, flat-topped brush presses product into the skin for more coverage, while a large dome brush sweeps it on for a lighter, more diffused result. For most people, the dome brush is the better everyday choice.

It can, and the culprit is almost always silica or high concentrations of white-cast minerals that reflect light differently on camera than they do in real life. If you have ever seen someone with a white patches around their face in flash photography, that is flashback. The fix is to choose formulas that are specifically labelled as flashback-free, or to avoid applying powder heavily where flash hits first. Translucent powders with a yellow or neutral base tend to be safer than those with a stark white or lavender tint. Banana powders, which lean warm and yellow, are particularly good in this regard.

For oily skin, setting powder is less of a finishing step and more of a necessity. The right formula will absorb excess sebum throughout the day and prevent the kind of slip that causes foundation to move. Look for mattifying formulas with silica, which is one of the most effective oil-absorbing ingredients in cosmetics. Avoid powders with high shimmer or luminising pigments in them as they tend to amplify rather than control shine on oilier skin.

What it is: A finely milled loose powder in a universal translucent shade designed to set makeup without adding colour, coverage, or visible finish. Formulated with silica to absorb oil and control shine for up to 24 hours, with a claimed 16-hour makeup hold. No flashback.

Why we love it: There are very few products in beauty with this level of consensus, and the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder earns every bit of it. It disappears on the skin so completely that you forget you are wearing powder at all, with zero chalkiness or white cast. The oil absorption is impressive. In fact, we're confident enough to leave home without our usual touch-up compacts and blotting papers when wearing it. It is the product we'd recommend to anyone who says they "don't get on with setting powder," because nine times out of ten, they just haven't tried this one yet.

What it is: A mineral-based loose setting powder from Swedish brand LH Cosmetics, available in five shades. Formulated with silica and kaolin for a soft-matte, blurring finish. Talc-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, and vegan.

Why we love it: This really does what it says on the tin. Like a real-life blurring filter, it softens texture and erases the look of pores while allowing your skin to show through for that buttery your-skin-but-better effect. I've worn it over a full base and on near-bare skin and it behaves well in both situations, which, for a powder, is rarer than it should be. The fact that it's Swedish-designed matters: the formula handles Nordic winter skin (the kind that goes tight and dull within an hour of application) without ever looking dry or settling into texture. The talc-free formulation is a bonus if you're ingredient-conscious, but the real reason to buy it is the finish.

What it is: A finely milled pressed powder from Charlotte Tilbury designed to set makeup and blur imperfections. Micro-fine pigments diffuse light to soften the look of pores and fine lines. The compact format is great for portability and precision touch-ups.

Why we love it: Pressed powders have a reputation for looking heavier than their loose siblings, but Charlotte Tilbury's formulations really is flawless. The texture is soft enough that it does not pile up on dry patches or settle into lines, and the blurring finish earns that "airbrush" claim: makeup looks slightly softer after application. It's also the powder I'd pack for a trip where I need one product to multitask across day and evening, because the compact is travel-proof and the result holds up under low light without looking flat.

What it is: A loose powder in a pale pink shade designed for baking under the eyes and setting base. The pink pigment provides subtle brightening and warmth while the lightweight formula provides a soft, luminous finish.

Why we love it: Pink setting powder serves two purposes depending on your skin tone and what you are trying to do. On fair to medium skin, it works as a brightener. The warm pink pigment counteracts dullness and gives the under-eye area a more awake appearance without the stark contrast of a white-cast powder. It is less of a strict oil-controller than a translucent and more of a finishing choice, so if full-day mattifying is the priority, combine it with a more targeted formula underneath.

What it is: A loose banana-toned powder from Drag Queen-founded brand KimChi Chic Beauty, designed to colour-correct yellow and counteract redness, dullness, and uneven tone. The warm yellow pigment is sheer and buildable and the finishing powder texture provides a soft, natural finish.

Why we love it: Banana powder has a devoted following for good reason: the yellow undertone neutralises redness and warms up complexions that tend to photograph grey or ashy. KimChi Chic's version is one of the more nuanced takes on the format. It is warm but not orange, sheer enough to be buildable from barely-there to noticeable, and the finish is soft and subtle. It is particularly well-suited to medium and olive skin tones where the yellow undertone enhances rather than clashes, and it is the answer for anyone who wonders why their base looks so ashy and flat in pictures.

What it is: A loose setting powder from cult US brand One/Size formulated with blur-tech ingredients to minimise the appearance of pores and fine lines while setting makeup. Designed to be inclusive across a broad range of skin tones, with a soft-focus, skin-like finish.

Why we love it: The word "blurring" gets used loosely in beauty to the point of loosing all meaning, so it is worth highlighting the fact that this formulation holds up to that claim. It visibly reduces the contrast between pores and surrounding skin, giving the face a more uniform surface texture without looking filtered or airbrushed in an obvious way. For anyone who struggles with large pores around the nose and chin, or with textured skin that tends to look more pronounced after foundation, this is the setting powder that addresses that specific problem. It wears cleanly throughout the day and does not turn patchy or chalky as the hours pass.

What it is: A loose setting powder from NYX designed specifically for oil control. Lightweight formula with a matte finish that claims up to 24-hour oil absorption. Available in a translucent shade designed to work across a range of skin tones.

Why we love it: Oily skin is unforgiving when it comes to setting powder: the wrong one will look fine for the first two hours and then turn shiny and slippery before you can say "touch-up". The Wonder Snatch, however, holds its ground. The heavy-duty oil absorption here means that foundation does not migrate, and the matte finish does not cross into the flat, dried-out territory that some powders are guilty of. If you are also dealing with summer heat, layer it with a long-wear primer underneath and read our summer makeup guide for the full picture.

What it is: A tinted loose setting powder from Kosas formulated with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and peptides alongside traditional setting powder ingredients. Available in a range of shades rather than a single translucent option, designed to add a light veil of colour alongside the skincare benefits.

Why we love it: Dry skin and setting powder have a complicated relationship. Most powders (even the good ones) can emphasise dryness if you apply too much or choose a formula that strips moisture as it sets. The Kosas Cloud Set sidesteps this by building skincare ingredients directly into the formula: hyaluronic acid and peptides mean the powder is not actively working against your skin's hydration levels. The tinted formula is worth noting, as this is not a traditional translucent powder, meaning shade matching matters. Choose well and the payoff is a complexion that appears more even and hydrated than when you started, which is not something you can say about most setting powders.

What it is: A silica-based loose translucent setting powder from Hourglass, ultra-finely milled to minimise the appearance of texture and fine lines. Designed to be weightless on the skin while providing long-wearing hold. Flash-friendly formula.

Why we love it: The distinction between this and the Laura Mercier in slot one is less about performance and more about what they prioritise. The Hourglass is milled to a fineness that means it sits above fine lines rather than in them. That difference is subtle but visible, particularly around the eyes and mouth where expression lines tend to catch powder. It's also the more reliable choice for flash photography, where the Laura Mercier can occasionally leave a faint cast in certain conditions. If you're past caring about the Instagram finish and more concerned with how your makeup looks in real life, this is the one to test first.

What it is: A non-comedogenic mattifying powder from Fenty Beauty's Invisimatte line, designed to control oil and set makeup without clogging pores. Lightweight pressed-powder format with a buildable matte finish. Available in a range of shades to suit deeper skin tones as well as lighter ones.

Why we love it: For acne-prone skin, a non-comedogenic certification is the minimum requirement. But most non-comedogenic setting powders stop there and deliver a compromised product in exchange for not blocking pores. The Invisimatte 2.0 does not feel like a compromise. The oil control is effective, the finish is properly matte rather than just slightly less shiny, and the formula does not irritate or aggravate skin that is already temperamental. Fenty's shade range also means that deeper skin tones are not an afterthought here, which remains a meaningful differentiator in the setting powder category.

What it is: A loose setting powder designed specifically for the under-eye area. Brightening pigments and a finely milled texture work to reduce the appearance of dark circles and prevent concealer from creasing. Lightweight formula with a soft finish.

Why we love it: Under-eye setting is one of the more technically specific applications in a makeup routine, and most general setting powders are not optimised for it. They are too heavy, too matte, or they cause the very creasing they were meant to prevent. Caia's Wake Me Up is built for this one job specifically, and it does it well: concealer stays put, the brightening pigments make the under-eye look more awake, and the powder is light enough not to settle into fine lines beneath the eyes. Still, a light hand is recommended.

What it is: A loose setting powder from e.l.f. designed to set makeup while adding a subtle luminosity. A lightweight formula positioned as a more accessible alternative to higher-priced luminising powders.

Why we love it: E.l.f. has made a habit of producing products that challenge formulas costing three or four times as much, and the Halo Glow is one of the more convincing examples. It is not a strict matte-setter, considering the finish has a natural luminosity that makes skin look healthy rather than flat. This means that it is a better match for normal to dry skin than for anyone in serious need of oil control. Our testers all agree: it holds makeup, avoids the dryness problem that plagues many drugstore powders, and delivers a finish that punches well above its price point.

What it is: A loose setting powder from Chanel in a compact on-the-go format. Finely milled formula designed for a natural, skin-like finish with a veil of soft colour. Available in multiple shades.

Why we love it: Luxury setting powder is a category that requires some serious justification. After all, the functional job of holding makeup in place does not inherently demand a high price tag. Chanel's complexion products are famous for their subtlety, which is a big skin-benefitting bonus here. But what does the French Maison deliver that its more accessible counterparts do not? A sensorial experience that provides a tiny bit of luxury with every application. After all, there's nothing better than whipping out that double 'C' for desk-side touch-ups.

What it is: A loose talc-free setting powder from Morphe available in multiple shades including a translucent option. Lightweight silica-based formula designed to absorb oil and control shine for up to 24 hours while minimising the appearance of pores and fine lines.

Why we love it: Talc-free setting powder used to result in a lack-lustre performance. Morphe's Bake & Set is the formula that has largely put that concern to rest. The silica base delivers genuine oil absorption without the drying effect associated with some talc-free alternatives, and the translucent shade works across a wide range of skin tones without leaving a white cast. At its modest price point, it is also one of the more approachable powders in this edit, which means experimenting with baking technique (pressing powder beneath the eyes and along the T-zone for a few minutes before dusting away) does not feel like a high-stakes investment.