The best setting sprays are an essential part of my makeup routine —and I’d argue, they should be a key part of your routine too, whether you’re a makeup minimalist or maximalist. After all, what’s the point of applying any blush, concealer, or bronzer, just for it to fade or separate a few hours later?

“Setting spray is for anyone who knows that they need extra long wear time or wants their makeup to look perfect in any weather condition,” makeup artist and brand founder Jenny Patinkin tells Vogue. While she tends to reach for setting spray more often in the summer, she also recommends it as a must-have for any special occasions (including brides and bridal parties), to ensure “makeup looks perfect in photos from start to finish.”

Vogue’s Favorite Setting Sprays

• Best Airbrush Finish: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, $38
• Best Clean: Saie CitySet Ultra-Fine Mist Setting Spray, $34
• Best Drugstore: L’Oréal Paris Infallible 3-Second Setting Spray Mist, $14
• Best Staying Power: One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray, $34
• Best Blurring: Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Liquid Blurring Balm Mattifying Setting Spray, $36

And for those who think any hydrating face mist can do the trick of securing makeup—you’re sorely mistaken. “A setting spray prolongs makeup longevity and acts like a sealant,” pro makeup artist Natalie Dresher tells Vogue. “It works by spraying a mixture of polymers and water to the face, preserving the makeup and setting it in place on the face.” In short, a generous spritz of a setting spray is the finishing touch that locks everything in place, ensuring that throughout the day, your makeup stays nearly as fresh as when you first applied it.

I started delving into makeup tutorials on YouTube as a teen in the 2010s. Youtubers like British MUA sister Duo Nicole and Samantha Chapman (AKA Pixiewoo) were my virtual mentors, alongside Desi Perkins, and I was an online apprentice. Back then, Urban Decay’s All Nighter setting spray reigned supreme for most beauty creators, and I was a loyalist to it from high school and through college. Post-Uni, my makeup exploration expanded, and my eyes were peeled for the many setting spray launches that emerged.

My criteria for a good setting spray are simple. Firstly, my non-negotiable is that the formula has to actually preserve my makeup despite my hyper-oily complexion. Something that’s lightweight, doesn’t have a spritz that feels like it’s attacking me, and ideally won’t cause a breakout. So, how can anyone possibly narrow down the best setting sprays to a top-five starting lineup? Well, I have! Having tested countless options, I finally have a rotation that I not only trust to get the job done, but would recommend to anyone.

In This Story

• How To Choose a Setting Spray:
• How and When To Use Setting Spray:
• Who is a setting spray best for?
• What’s the difference between a setting spray and a finishing spray?
• *Other Setting Sprays We Tested
• *How We Tested
• Meet The Experts

Best Airbrush Finish: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray

• Why We Love It: This is the setting spray that made me redefine my relationship with my former favorite. The lightweight mist can work as both a prep and final step in your makeup routine, hydrating skin with a blend of aloe vera leaf juice and Japanese green tea extract. It's the aromatic resin and film-forming polymers that make this pick waterproof; it also offers a wear time of up to 16 hours.
• Editor’s Experience: “When Charlotte Tilbury’s setting spray launched back in 2020, I very well may have been its biggest fan. My old favorite was sold out, so I purchased this one as a blind buy. I can still confidently say this formula gets the job done. While my skin still skews oily in my T-zone and the center of my face, my makeup still doesn’t separate—I may just need to reach for my blotting papers more frequently than if I used a mattifying setting spray. Overall? No complaints. Though one flag—if you loathe fragranced makeup, this does have a strong floral scent upon initial spritz (though it dissipates quickly).” —Conçetta Ciarlo, beauty shopping writer

Best Clean: Saie CitySet Ultra-Fine Mist Setting Spray

• Why We Love It: With a skincare-infused formula and the finest mist imaginable, Saie set out to make a clean yet high-performing setting spray. “Our goal was to have a formula that would prevent makeup from fading, smudging, and melting throughout the day,” Saie founder and CEO Laney Crowell previously told Vogue. “We wanted it to feel weightless, comfortable, and hydrating—but never greasy.” As pro makeup artist James Boehmer noted in our Vogue First breakdown of the brand’s December launch, the formula imparts a radiant finish, without disturbing any makeup underneath.
  Editor’s Experience: “I got to preview Saie’s setting spray a few months before it launched. To say this spritzes as a fine mist would be a total understatement—it’s so ethereal and light, it feels more like stepping into a cloud than spraying anything on your face. Of all my favorite formulas, Saie’s setting spray gives the most natural finish, with makeup that looks lived. It’s an excellent every day option, but because I’m so oily, I need a little extra help during the warmer months.” —C.C.

Best Drugstore: L’Oréal Paris Infallible 3-Second Setting Spray Mist

• Why We Love It: Those wanting maximum longevity at an affordable price point needn’t look further than L’Oréal’s option. It may look like a travel-sized hairspray, and even sound like one with its aerosol spray, but in fact, it’s not. While this most certainly isn’t a skincare-makeup hybrid type of formula, the product majorly locks makeup into place with a blend of vinyl copolymers; the non-comedogenic formula delivers up to 36 hours of wear.
• Editor’s Experience: “Picture this: I traveled to Paris for work and will be working from evening to the early morning. As always, I forgot something—this time, my setting spray. Even worse? It’s couture week, there’s a heat wave, and not an air conditioner to be found. With all that in mind, I trudged myself to the nearest French pharmacy and bought L’Oréal’s setting spray in a moment of desperation. I applied my makeup at 5 p.m. and got home at 4 a.m.–nothing budged, except for me being a bit oily (my natural state). I have no complaints other than it does smell like an aerosol hairspray—but it works, so who cares?!”—C.C.

Best Staying Power: One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray

• Why We Love It: It’s true that Drag queens did, in fact, use hairspray on their face as a decades-old trade secret to keep their whole face beat in place. So again, while this pick looks like a giant can of hairspray, it’s a surprisingly skin-friendly formula. With witch hazel to absorb excess oil, green tea extract to tighten pores, and heavy-duty, flexible polymers, the spray gives the skin a blurred, matte finish.
• Editor’s Experience: “Waterproof, sweat-proof, smudge-proof—it doesn’t get more long-lasting than this. Which is exactly why this is my go-to setting spray for special occasions. Take, for example, the Met Gala. I often do my makeup at 6 a.m. and return home, God knows when. Right before the event kicks off at 5 p.m., I do quick blush touch-ups and a little blotting, but otherwise my makeup remains perfectly locked in place. While the brand claims only up to 16 hours of wear, I’m slightly embarrassed to say I’ve gone a full 24 hours without it budging. Even more recent? I just maneuvered my way through the city, Post-Knicks-in-five win, in 90-degree weather—again, no budging! In short, I would never in one million years reach for any other setting spray when I need my look to last with minimal touchups.” —C.C.

Best Blurring: Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Liquid Blurring Balm Mattifying Setting Spray

• Why We Love It: Danessa Myricks has transformed the beloved qualities of her Yummy Skin Balm and Water Powder Serum into the newest addition to the Yummy Skin collection: a featherlight setting spray. This non-comedogenic mist is ideal for acne-prone skin, keeping makeup in place while providing a soft matte finish that feels comfortable and never looks dull or dry. That’s thanks to a blend of niacinamide and upsalite for light oil control, and hyaluronic acid to keep makeup from getting patchy.
• Editor’s Experience: “I’ve always wanted to dabble in Danessa Myricks’s viral blurring balm, but I find balm-type formulas too occlusive on my breakout-prone skin. The setting spray is the same concept, but instead, an entirely noncomedogenic, fine mist that gives an instantly soft-matte finish without being drying. While it’s not totally water or sweat-resistant, this does the trick for my everyday makeup. And for added assurance, I use this pick as the base layer to make my makeup look more lived-in, and finish it off with a spritz of One Size Beauty’s spray for extra oil control in my problem areas.” —C.C.

Everything You Need to Know