'Cosmo' Beauty Editors Tested All the Viral Setting Powders (2024)

No roundup of the best setting powders would be complete without the mention of the iconic Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder (I legit have a jumbo size sitting next to me rn at my desk, lol). You’ll find this in the makeup bags of celebrities (*cough cough* Lori Harvey, who has the smoothest damn skin I’ve ever seen), makeup artists, and editors alike. Why? It has a fine, airy texture that ​​feels light on your skin while giving you a smooth, blurred, matte finish.

To really nix shine, Jafri recommends pressing the powder into your skin with a powder puff instead of brushing it on, which “creates a sweeping motion and moves the product around instead,” she says, “while pressing the powder into the skin results in long-lasting makeup,” she says.

• Type: Loose powder
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 4

Glowing customer review: “This product is SO good. I get oily skin throughout the day, so when I started using this, it made a significant difference. It leaves my skin looking soft and matte.”

As much as I love the weightless feel of a loose setting powder, sometimes I need something with a little extra coverage to smooth out my textured, acne-prone skin—and that’s where this GOAT pressed powder from Charlotte Tilbury comes in. It has a ~smidge~ of tinted coverage that helps even out your makeup and skin tone without looking heavy or obvious, thanks to its super-fine consistency. The result is incredibly even-looking makeup that legit lasts.

• Type: Pressed powder
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 4

Glowing customer review: “Love this product! After setting my makeup, I noticed the difference in my face both in photos and in person. You definitely don’t look cakey. This is my second time buying it.”

After covering one too many jeans with powder dust, I honestly swore off messy setting powders. And then this Uoma powder and its brilliant packaging brought me back. You just turn the bottom of the powder while the lid is still closed, and when you open it, you can dip your brush or beauty sponge into the bottom of the jar without powder flying everywhere. Plus, the powder is formulated with glycerin and mushroom extract, so it lightly hydrates your skin to help reduce cakiness and dry patches.

• Type: Loose powder
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 5

Glowing customer review: “Let me just say the packaging is genius. If you've ever tipped over or dropped a jar of loose powder, you know what I’m talking about. Never again with this product. It goes on like a dream too, even over products from different brands.”

Ever since my skin turned on me and became as greasy as a teenage boy’s, I always have this setting powder nearby to mattify my skin (no joke; looking at it right now). It’s full of talc, silica, and dimethicone, which makes my skin look luxe, smooth, and velvety. Just a lil tip tho: If you’re not ready to commit to a full-size version yet, grab the mini. You only need a light dusting across your entire face, so you’ll def be able to make it last a while.

• Type: Loose powder
• Finish: Matte/natural
• Shades: 8

Glowing customer review: “On my T-zone area where I have large pores with some texture from past breakouts and where foundation usually gets cakey, my skin stays baby smooth all day with this powder. Before this powder, I'd actually press the Fenty blotting powder over the most textured pore areas on my cheeks to blur the pores, and now using this powder, I don't have to do that step! It's so blurring.”

When I first reentered the powder game, I wasn’t ready to drop $$$ for a setting powder, which led me to this drugstore fave (like, there are so many positive reviews). And now that I’ve tested dozens, I’m shocked at how well it sets my makeup for the price. I just brush it lightly across my skin for a satin finish or press it in with a sponge to seriously mattify. And when I feel like baking (aka when you cover your makeup with a heavy layer of powder, let it sit for a few minutes, then dust it away), I don’t feel bad using so much product since a refill costs less than $10.

• Type: Loose powder
• Finish: Satin
• Shades: 8

Glowing customer review: “I was recommended this powder by a friend, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a light/sheer-feeling powder, but it gives you good coverage if you build it up. I use it to set on most days, but if I want to bake, it’s also a nice powder to use. It doesn’t have a scent, and it lasts me all day unless I need to touch up my T-zone area. I like how it looks and feels on my skin too.”

I didn’t believe this hype with this brightening, pink-toned powder for a long time. But I’m eating my words now, as I sit here looking like I got the best eight hours of rest when I actually took a four-hour red-eye flight next to a screaming baby. The rosy pigments counteract the dark tones under my eyes to disguise them a little bit, even without a full-coverage under-eye concealer. And on the days that I need some extra help, I can dab it on with a sponge, and it smooths out my skin to slightly create an illusion that my under-eye bags are a bit flatter.

"My face has always been a grease blob since I was a teenager—and as a gal who loves to glam up, it was hard to find a setting powder that kept my look matte, without looking dry, for hours," says associate shopping editor Meg Uy, a self-proclaimed Miss Certified Oily Girl. That was, until she found this Huda powder, which now she refuses to use anything else. "I use setting powder in my T-zone since that’s where all my oil builds up," she says. "A couple of pats of this into those areas, and I look Kardashian-style airbrushed for 10+ hours," she adds. FWIW, she also uses a sponge or powder puff to press the powder into her skin.

• Type: Loose powder
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 9

Glowing customer review: “Wow! After months of hearing about the hype surrounding this product, I finally was able to get it, and it’s literally so stunning. It brightens the under-eyes so well and definitely is the best pink setting powder I’ve tried!”

This cult-favorite powder is a mix between a traditional setting powder (which helps “set” your makeup so it lasts longer) and a finishing powder (which helps “blur” visible texture in your makeup). The result? Softer, smoother, airbrushed-looking makeup that actually lasts until you take it off, according to associate editor Siena Gagliano, who co-wrote this story with me.

It's a lil different from your standard powder, since four sheer, color-correcting powders are housed in one compartmentalized jar. Just flip the jar over, tap the powder into the lid, and mix the shades together to brighten, smooth, and neutralize, all at once.

• Type: Loose powder
• Finish: Natural
• Shades: 6

Glowing customer review: “I am NOT a powder girlie, I have incredibly dry and acne-prone skin. I bought this on whim during the sale, and WOW, it blurs imperfection without totally mattifying my skin. My skin maintained a glow while looking blurred and healthy, which I loved.”

A powder that makes your skin look glowy, not flat? YUP, Saie’s clean loose setting powder is filled with itsy-bitsy flecks of mica (ethically sourced!) that give a bit of radiance back to your skin, which makes it look surprisingly seamless and natural. Plus, it’s made with hydrating squalane, which won’t moisturize your skin like a face cream or facial oil would, but it will help keep the naturally drying silica from clinging to any dry patches you might have.

• Type: Loose powder
• Finish: Radiant
• Shades: 3

Glowing customer review: “I think this powder is amazing. Not only did it prevent creasing, but it didn’t dry my under eyes out. I was worried about the shimmer, but it isn’t noticeable on your skin and adds a nice, subtle glow.”

This just launched (ofc, as a beauty editor, I got to test it ahead of time), and I'm actually shocked that it hasn't sold out yet, as most Tower 28 newness flies off shelves. Fine by me, because then I get to wax poetic about how fab it is, all while having a clean formula that's suitable for even the most sensitive skin types. I just use the included puff to press the powder into my T-zone to ward off shine, and it blurs and sets my face. I also don't have to touch up for quite a few hours, which is strong praise considering my v-oily face.

I've mostly been using the translucent shade (pictured here), but there's also a light pink for brightening and a yellow for color correcting dark circles. But don't worry, because both colored shades are extremely sheer. They don't make my face look pink or yellow by any means—instead,I just look a lil more awake.

• Type: Pressed powder
• Finish: Natural
• Shades: 4

Glowing customer review: “Tower 28 is literally creating some of the best products on the market. I'm obsessed with the fineness of the powder and how seamless it makes my skin look. I use it to set my concealer, and there is never any creasing."

Associate shopping editor Daisy Maldonado wears this powder basically every day (so much so, it's her desert island product), she told me. Which led me to, obviously, test it in hopes of achieving the same smooth, velvety skin she always has at the office. “I love how well it sets, blurs, and brightens all in one," she adds. And while the finish is matte, it doesn't give her a cakey feel. "Instead, it has a nice satin finish that makes you look like an IRL TikTok filter," she notes. "Since I have oily skin, I usually have to dab on a good amount of product around my t-zone so it lasts all day, but a little goes a long way with this powder," she explains.

My one caveat is that the peach and pink are quite pigmented, which can be a little too intense for fair skin. With my current summer tan, I've been enjoying the peach shade to brighten, but it was a bit too much when my skin was lighter in the spring. But the translucent shade is always a winner, IMO.

• Type: Loose
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 7

Glowing customer review: “This powder does exactly what it is supposed to do! I saw several reviews on TikTok. It makes me skin look flawless and hides wrinkles. It also helps with my hereditary dark under-eye circles! I love it so much and will continue to use it forever!"

I’m convinced Pat McGrath created this under-eye-setting powder just to fulfill my previously unattainable list of requirements, namely that a formula be lightweight (check), that it reduces creasing (check), and that it has a luminous-but-not-glittery finish (check). I just dust it under my eyes with a fluffy brush to set my concealer, then swipe the excess over my smile lines and forehead. It leaves my skin looking truly natural, without highlighting any of my fine lines. Ty, Pat.

• Type: Pressed powder
• Finish: Radiant
• Shades: 4

Glowing customer review: “I am 53, and I have tried every powder known to man on my dry skin and under eyes,” reads one review. “I am FLOORED at how nice this looks on my under eyes. I will never be without this.”

If you don’t like the chalky, heavy feeling of loose powder, try Kosas’s talc-free pressed powder. It’s so lightweight you can barely feel it on your face, even though it leaves behind a satin, skin-like finish. FYI: Hailey Bieber swears by this setting powder to lock her makeup in place without ruining her signature “glazed donut skin” glow. And I, too, would like to have Hailey Bieber’s skin, so pls give me three.

• Type: Pressed powder
• Finish: Satin
• Shades: 10

Glowing customer review: “My absolute favorite. I love how this wears! I am always reaching for this because I love using it to refresh my makeup. I’m obsessed with the texture (or lack thereof) it leaves on my skin—it feels nearly weightless.”

​​True story: When I became a beauty editor, I gifted this smoothing powder to my mom as repayment for all the times I ~borrowed~ it from her makeup bag. She’s got an oily T-zones with prominent pores (especially with all those dewy skin tints I’ve made her test with me), and this powder sets down her makeup and eliminates shine without emphasizing her pores or uneven texture. Tbh, my mom’s skin is so smooth, she gets mistaken for my sister now at 52 more than she did 10 years ago.

• Type: Pressed powder
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 3

Glowing customer review: “I never hear anything about this powder, but it’s STUNNING. It leaves a matte finish on my face without drying me out and is perfect to help control oily skin.”

Tbh, this is the powder for people who think they hate powder. It was my starter-powder a few months ago (and look at me now!), because it feels and looks like absolutely nothing on my skin. It helps tone down excess shine without fully mattifying the dewy finish from my creamy concealers and blushes, helping me keep my ~lit-from-within~ glow. I just sweep it all over my skin with a big, fluffy brush, and then, with a smaller brush, layer a bit more over oil-prone areas, like around my nose and over my T-zone.

• Type: Loose powder
• Finish: Natural
• Shades: 3

Glowing customer review: “This is the gold standard of setting powders. It helps to blend and melt makeup together wonderfully and sets my makeup all day. Looks good with literally any liquid/cream product I use it over too.”

Legit, this powder feels like actual silk when you pat it into your skin, which is how it creates a velvet-y-smooth finish on your skin. So don’t worry about it highlighting or settling into fine lines, forehead wrinkles, or skin texture. Just be sure to press the powder into your skin with a puff or brush instead of dusting for that blurred effect.

• Type: Loose powder
• Finish: Natural
• Shades: 5

Glowing customer review: “I love it. It's so good. I have been using it to set my makeup, and it does not crease! I can use it to set the concealer for my dark circles, and it keeps it in place and does not accentuate my fine lines.”

No, setting powder and finishing powder are not the same thing, and yes, using the incorrect formula can seriously mess with the results you’re trying to get. Here’s the general breakdown:

• Setting powder: Medium-weight formula without coverage for setting and prolonging makeup
• Finishing powder: Lightest formula with no coverage that is dusted over your skin as the final step in your makeup routine to blend everything together and sometimes add a glow
• Powder foundation: Densest formula with coverage meant to even skin tone and replace liquid foundation (not meant to be used as a setting powder)

“​​One of the biggest mistakes I see is people using powder foundation to ‘set’ their base foundation,” says makeup artist Tayaba Jafri, “which can add a heavy layer to your skin and look cakey or dry.” Basically, powder foundation is foundation; it’s not meant to be used as a topper. But if you’re trying to keep your makeup matte and locked in place? Reach for setting powder. And if you want to save your shiny glow but “blur” your skin, finishing powder will be your BFF.

Consider your skin type.

Every single skin type can use setting powder, but the formula and finish you choose will definitely impact your results. For dry skin, look for a sheer, lightweight powder formulated with moisturizing ingredients like squalane or hyaluronic acid. Workin’ with dull, meh skin? Try a setting powder filled with micro-shimmers for a luminous or “radiant” finish. And if you’ve got oily skin, go for a mattifying setting powder with a velvet-matte finish, or a pressed powder for fuller coverage.

Look at how much coverage it has.

If you’re nervous about trying setting powder, or you want the lightest finish possible, opt for a loose, translucent formula with absolutely no tint or coverage. But if you want a little help evening out your skin tone, choose a loose or pressed setting powder that comes in different shades, since it’ll add a subtle tint to your skin. Similarly, if you want to brighten your skin or color-correct, choose a lavender or rose-toned powder to brighten, or a peach or yellow-toned powder to counteract under-eye circles.

Determine if you want loose or pressed.

Whether you choose a loose or pressed setting powder mostly comes down to personal preference. Loose powder tends to be more finely milled, so it feels lighter on your skin and blends more easily. But pressed powders are easier to travel with or touch up your makeup. I typically keep a loose powder at my vanity for when I do my makeup at home, then bring a pressed setting powder or blotting powder in my purse (with, of course, a lil powder puff).

• Tobi Henney is a celebrity makeup artist based in New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA. She’s worked in red carpet, editorial, and advertising with celebrities like Megan Fox and Ashley Graham. She also has a makeup brush collection with Trademark Beauty.
• Tayaba Jafri is a makeup artist based in Toronto, ON, CA. She’s the global beauty director of Laura Mercier, where she is involved in education and artistry.