Behold: The Under-$20 Primers Makeup Artists and Editors Love

The best primers will always help create a base for your foundation to grip onto and will help it stay in place all day. You’ll want to choose a primer based on your skin type. If you have oily skin, you may want to look for a formula that mattifies and controls shine. Those with acne-prone skin might benefit from a primer that includes acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid, but most importantly, your primer should be noncomedogenic, meaning it won’t clog your pores. You can check any formula for pore-clogging ingredients using Acne Clinic NYC’s ingredient checker. I should note that one or two ingredients labeled comedogenic in a formula won’t automatically clog your pores (as celebrity esthetician Renée Rouleau has pointed out, it’s all about the water-to-oil ratio), but it’s a great tool to use that will help you become more aware of what’s in your products and can help you identify any potential triggers.

Dry or mature skin types will want to look for primers with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalane, and glycerin. These super hydrators are honestly great for most skin types since they’re noncomedogenic and won’t irritate sensitive skin. I have sensitive, acne-prone skin myself, and I’ve found that primers with these hydrating ingredients, along with a noncomedogenic formula, work best for me. For makeup-artist recommendations and a few of my own favorite drugstore formulas, keep scrolling.