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The 12 Best Clean & Natural Setting Sprays + Usage Tips & Tricks
As the weather warms up, foundation-wearers everywhere face the dreaded issue: makeup sliding off our faces. This is due to excess oil production, increased sweating, and in some cases humidity. As annoying as this may be, there are a few ways to keep your makeup intact even on the hottest of days. One essential step in your summer makeup routine should be setting spray, as it can help preserve your base makeup and keep your skin hydrated (besides, what feels better than a face mist on a hot summer day?)
We've been on the hunt for the cleanest and most effective setting sprays so you can feel confident in your makeup look all day long, without worrying about sneaky iffy ingredients. Some of the choices we've selected double as a facial mist, meaning the spray in general works to keep skin hydrated with or without makeup. We'll share our top picks so you can find your go-to summer spray. Let's get into it.
Best setting sprays
- Best for combination: January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist ($24); credobeauty.com
- Best for brightening: Indie Lee CoQ10 Toner ($36); credobeauty.com
- Best protecting: Ilia Blue Light Protect+Set Mist ($38); iliabeauty.com
- Best for sensitive skin: Tower 28 SOS Save.Our.Skin Daily Rescue Facial Spray ($28); sephora.com
- Best for calming: Ravanat Royal Tonique Hydrating Jasmine Mist ($45); credobeauty.com
- Best natural option: True Botanicals Nutrient Mist ($24); amazon.com
- Best for acne-prone skin: Goldfaden M.D. Mist RX Daily Nutrient Facial Mist ($45); credobeauty.com
- Best dewy finish: Fresh Vitamin Nectar Antioxidant Face Mist ($44); sephora.com
- Best SPF: Coola Full Spectrum 360 Refreshing Water Mist Organic Face Sunscreen SPF 18 ($36); sephora.com
- Best cooling: OSEA Sea Mineral Mist ($38); credobeauty.com
- Best for all-day wear: Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Setting + Refreshing Spray ($36); sephora.com
- Best for oil control: Volition Oil Control Mattifying Mist ($29); volitionbeauty.com
Best for combination: January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist
The near five-star review pretty much speaks for itself on this one. Packed with glycerin and aloe vera for ultimate hydration, this tonic mist works to restore your skin's balance without drying it out. Witch hazel and licorice extract work to reduce redness, balance oil, and combat blemishes. When combined with calendula extract (a totally underrated ingredient with anti-inflammatory properties), this spray can really help those with combination skin. This mist isn't only a setting spray and can be used throughout the day, morning and night as well.
Pro: Ideal for both hydration and oil control
Con: Witch hazel can be irritating
January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist ($24); credobeauty.com
Best for brightening: Indie Lee CoQ10 Toner
The ingredients in this spray are impressive, to say the least. Here are a few of our favorites and what they're doing for your skin: aloe vera and hyaluronic acid keep skin hydrated, cucumber and chamomile calm redness, and CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant that works to combat oxidative stress.* If you're looking for a skin care product that doubles as a setting spray, Indie Lee has the solution. You can use this toner after cleansing and follow up with another spritz over your makeup or throughout the day for even more hydration.
Pro: Full of antioxidants
Con: Large glass bottle that's not travel-friendly
Indie Lee CoQ10 Toner ($36); credobeauty.com
Best protecting: Ilia Blue Light Protect+Set Mist
Formulated with tara extract, this mist helps protect skin from blue light exposure by neutralizing free radicals. Another standout ingredient, hydrolyzed algae, works overtime to firm, hydrate, and protect as well. Whether you're just wearing some SPF or a full face of makeup, this product is more than just a hydrating mist.
Pro: Great to keep at your desk
Con: The spray can be uneven
Ilia Blue Light Protect+Set Mist ($38); iliabeauty.com
Best for sensitive skin: Tower 28 SOS Save.Our.Skin Daily Rescue Facial Spray
If you find that redness shines through your makeup no matter what (it happens), then this spray may be the ideal choice. Formulated with hypochlorous acid, this mist defends against bad bacteria and redness to soothe sensitive or stressed-out skin. You can spray this on makeup or a bare face to reap its glorious benefits.
Pro: National Eczema Association approved
Con: Some note the smell
Tower 28 SOS Save.Our.Skin Daily Rescue Facial Spray ($28); sephora.com
Best for calming: Ravanat Royal Tonique Hydrating Jasmine Mist
This mist is a dream in a bottle. The ingredient list is simple: 100% Organic Jasmine Officinale. Yep, that's it. So if you're looking to keep your mist simple but still want that luxurious feel, this one is a great option. Jasmine does more than just smell divine, though. This extract has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties to ensure your skin is in tiptop shape. Bonus: You can spray this mist on your face before bed, too, for a relaxing boost of hydration.
Pro: Simple ingredients & smells amazing
Con: Don't use if you are sensitive to fragrance
Ravanat Royal Tonique Hydrating Jasmine Mist ($45); credobeauty.com
Best natural option: True Botanicals Nutrient Mist
If you're trying to keep your cosmetics on the more natural side, True Botanicals in general is a great brand to look to. And this mist stands out among their many great products. This blend of rose, neroli, and jasmine works to give the skin a boost of hydration. It's formulated with green tea and kombucha, which work together to balance the skin's pH and help balance at the same time. This is another one of those two-in-one products; it can act as a setting spray, but it's stellar in its own right.
Pro: Organic ingredients & travel-friendly
Con: Contains essential oils (some are sensitive to them)
True Botanicals Nutrient Mist ($24); amazon.com
Best for acne-prone skin: Goldfaden M.D. Mist RX Daily Nutrient Facial Mist
If you're worried about setting sprays clogging your pores, you're not alone. The struggle to find products that work well without causing breakouts for those of us with blemish-prone skin isn't an easy feat, but we found an A+ option for you. The base is kale sprout water and aloe vera, which are two light botanicals ideal for blemishes. This blend also has powerful antioxidant properties from the Kakadu Plum, which is extremely high in vitamin C as well.
Pro: Non-clogging & antioxidant-rich
Con: The mist is on the heavier side
Goldfaden M.D. Mist RX Daily Nutrient Facial Mist ($45); credobeauty.com
Best dewy finish: Fresh Vitamin Nectar Antioxidant Face Mist
This citrus mist is the perfect vitamin C booster that will leave your skin looking bright and feeling great. Packed with vitamins E and B5, as well as lemon and orange extracts, this vitamin cocktail works wonders for the skin (not to mention it smells fantastic). If you're going for a minimal, no-makeup makeup look, this mist will add the finishing touches a highlighter typically would, but by encouraging your skin to glow from within. It's amazing to keep around for a pre-makeup treatment as well.
Pro: Fine mist & great smell
Con: Citrus extracts can be irritating for some
Fresh Vitamin Nectar Antioxidant Face Mist ($44); sephora.com
Best SPF: Coola Full Spectrum 360 Refreshing Water Mist Organic Face Sunscreen SPF 18
If you're one to lounge in the sun, you of course need to be sure you're always reapplying SPF. If you have a full face of makeup on, that isn't the easiest task in the world. This refreshing mist makes it easy to keep your makeup looking great without forgetting to protect it at the same time. Even if you aren't wearing makeup, this spray is a perfect to-go SPF that you'll want around all summer long.
Pro: Easy to reapply SPF
Con: We typically recommend mineral sunscreens, and this uses chemical blockers
Coola Full Spectrum 360 Refreshing Water Mist Organic Face Sunscreen SPF 18 ($36); sephora.com
Best cooling: OSEA Sea Mineral Mist
Nutrient-rich seaweed works wonders for evening skin tone. This, blended together with our summer go-to ingredient aloe vera extract, works to immediately calm skin and replenish any lost hydration. If you're looking for a post-sun calming spritz, this is ideal. If you want to refresh your makeup look and skin throughout the day, you can place this bottle in the fridge for an even more refreshing experience.
Pro: Plumps skin
Con: Chlorophyll gives the water a green tint
OSEA Sea Mineral Mist ($38); credobeauty.com
Best for all-day wear: Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Setting + Refreshing Spray
There's a reason grip is in the name. This spray uses blue agave extract to seal makeup on the skin to ensure it stays put all day long. Formulated with hydrating ingredients like (one of our favorites) hyaluronic acid, cannabis seed extract, and moringa seed oil, this one certainly won't leave you feeling dry in the slightest. If you're looking to leave your look on for more than a few hours, this should be your go-to.
Pro: True all-day wear
Con: Has a slightly shiny finish, so not great for matte looks
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Setting + Refreshing Spray ($36); sephora.com
Best for oil control: Volition Oil Control Mattifying Mist
If you constantly feel the need to reach for oil blotters, you may want to consider this spray an easier alternative. A natural humectant powder is used to ensure the skin is hydrated but not to the point of showing too much shine. Many mattifying products work by drying out the skin, but this formula is different. The amino acid complex works to maintain the skin's pH balance while hydrating and soothing skin for a mattified, even finish.
Pro: Keeps skin shine-free
Con: Small size for the price
Volition Oil Control Mattifying Mist ($29); volitionbeauty.com
How to use a setting spray.
While you're here, let's do a mini-tutorial on how to use these options, shall we?
- To set makeup: As we said earlier, when the warmer weather comes, it tends to get a bit more challenging to wear makeup all day long without it slipping off. Using a setting spray can help keep your makeup in place so you don't have to keep reapplying. In addition, the sprays with oil control or mattifying effects can help decrease oil production in general, helping your skin regulate to warmer temperatures.
- As a makeup primer: If you want to keep your skin hydrated and balanced, add a spritz of your mist before you apply makeup. This will help your makeup glide on with ease.
- To touch up midday: Perhaps one of the worst side effects of warmer weather is that grimy feeling you get on your skin midday. This is, again, likely because of oil production and increased sweat. Nevertheless, you can use oil blotting papers and give your skin a quick spritz to refresh without stripping off essential moisture. Then, go ahead and dab some setting powder over extra oily areas. Voilà! Your makeup is good as new.
- As a cooling mist: Trust, nothing feels better than coming home on a hot day and misting your face with a chilly spritz. Simply pop your setting spray in the fridge and enjoy the refreshing mist as a way to help you and your skin chill out.
- To manage oil: If your setting spray doubles as a toner, you can use this to your advantage if you have oily skin. When you feel oil coming on, spritz on your mist and wipe it off with a cotton round. If you're wearing makeup, you can dab the areas to ensure you're not wiping off your base.
- To keep your skin hydrated: One common mistake when it comes to skin care in the summertime is avoiding moisturizer. You may think hydrating your skin will only increase oil production, but that's actually a common misconception.
mbg review process
At mbg, high standards are earned—and there are no shortcuts. Our beauty editors stay up to date on the latest ingredient research and innovation. It's a dynamic, continuously evolving space, and it's important we look into the science so we can make informed choices about which formulas earn our stamp of approval (figuratively speaking).
Our high standards also come from testing products—many, many products. Our editors and writers rigorously test and research the products featured in our roundups to offer you the best, most informed recommendations. When we write reviews, you can trust we spend quality time with the formulas: We don't simply rave about products we've slathered on the back of our hands. We endorse products we've tried and loved.
Learn more about our testing process and clean beauty standards here.
The takeaway.
When it comes to choosing the right setting spray, you should consider what benefits you're after. Do you want your makeup to stay all day long? Keep your skin hydrated, or maybe manage oil production? There are tons of options out there, but these are our favorites. Use your setting spray to set makeup, refresh your skin midday, or double as a toner. Many of these sprays can be used both before and after makeup but won't replace a high-quality moisturizer.
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