When shopping for cosmetics, it’s important to keep your specific skin concerns in mind, especially as you age. Finding the best concealer for mature skin (and the best foundation for mature skin) can make or break your look. “They need to have the right balance between creaminess and pigment because you don’t want it to settle into any wrinkles, but it needs to be able to cover any problem areas,” explains Gucci Westman, professional makeup artist and founder of Westman Studio. Mature skin will benefit most from a formula that’s less heavy or powdery, and instead one that’s lightweight, smooth, and glowing.
For makeup artist Jenna Scavone, that means choosing a concealer based on its ingredients. “Choose a skin-care-based concealer that will help protect and replenish the delicate skin around your eyes,” she explains. “Focus on vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and ceramides because they help brighten, protect, and repair skin. If you have blemishes or wrinkles, choose a concealer with caffeine; it will help firm the skin under the eyes. From SPF-rich concealers to formulas that eliminate dark circles, these are the best concealers for softening mature skin.”
Askme’s favorite concealers for mature skin:
Best for Hydration: Chanel Sublimage Le Corrector Yeux, $95
Best product for brightening: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat All-Over Brightening Concealer, $40
Best for Dark Circles: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Concealer, $39
Best for sun protection: Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer SPF 27, $75
Best for long-term use: Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer, $40
Best for a Matte Finish: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer Duo, $36
Best for Color Correction: Bobbi Brown Under Eye Corrector, $33
Best for Anti-Aging: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Multi-Use Concealer, $5
Best for Skin Care: Victoria Beckham Concealer Pen with TFC8, $68
in this article:
What to keep in mind when using concealer for mature skin
How to choose the right concealer for yourself?
What type of concealer won’t stain fine lines?
How to stop concealer from sticking under your eyes?
How to Use Concealer on Mature Skin
Meet the experts
Best for Skin Care: Victoria Beckham Concealer Pen with TFC8
Why we love it: This is the first cosmetic product to contain Dr. Augustinus Bader’s TFC8 complex. Its proprietary ingredients–a blend of anti-aging vitamins, lipids, and peptides–have many celebrity fans. Among them, of course, is Victoria Beckham, who recently told British Ask: “No one can match Professor Bard’s 40 years of scientific lab experience and I truly trust him and his technique.” It’s easy to understand why: This ingredient helps skin cell turnover, and adding it to concealer can make the skin around your eyes smoother and more supple in as little as 28 days.
Key Ingredients: TFC8, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (for wrinkle treatment), Polyglutamic Acid (for moisturizing), Squalane (for moisturizing and antioxidant protection)
Shades: 16
More info: This formula contains Acetyl Hexapeptide 8. This peptide has been shown to reduce the appearance of fine lines caused by repetitive facial movements such as smiling and frowning – in short, you can use concealer around your mouth too!
Coverage Type: Light to Medium
Surface treatment: Natural color
Best Drugstore: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Multi-Use Concealer
Why we love it: Its anti-wrinkle formula not only helps reduce fine lines, but also instantly fades dark circles and blemishes. Plus, you can easily find it at most pharmacies.
Key Ingredients: Wolfberry, Haloxyl
Shades: 18
More details: It’s oil-free and non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog pores and is safe for use by even the most sensitive skin types. Another plus? The sponge applicator is perfect for on-the-go, mess-free use.
Coverage Type: Medium Coverage
Surface treatment: Natural color
Best for Full Coverage: Merit The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick
Why we love it: Merit’s minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick is a longtime favorite among Askme editors and comes in 30 shades. Shortly after its 2021 launch, former beauty director Celia Ellenberg wrote, “This is a game changer for me. Whether it’s Target or all over, the shade matches are perfect and the natural-look coverage you get from this nourishing stick really appeals to me.”
Key ingredients: Fatty acids (moisturizing), sea wormwood extract (brightness)
Shades: 30
More info: The stick can also be used for contouring. The brand recommends using a color three shades darker than your base color to sculpt and define your face. Then, use the brush mentioned above to blend the contour.
Coverage Type: Buildable, light to medium coverage
Surface treatment: Natural color
Best for Weight Loss: Danessa Myrieux Yummy Skin Lift and Flex Concealer
Why we like it: Askew — An editor favorite, Danessa Myricks’ formula is enriched with botanicals, including orchid and echinacea extracts, to nourish mature skin. Senior beauty shopping writer Kiana Murden praises the product’s hydrating and concealing abilities, and it has simplified her makeup routine. “Depending on the situation, I’ll choose a hydrating and concealing concealer, but Yummy is the best combination of skin lifting and softening,” Murden wrote in her review. “When blended with a brush, sponge, or fingertips, this lightweight concealer provides medium to full coverage — applied lightly for a natural, skin-like finish.”
Key Ingredients: Caffeine, Sophora flavescens extract (an antioxidant that reduces dark spots and discoloration), Orchid extract (cleanses and brightens), Echinacea extract (an anti-aging antioxidant), Centella asiatica (to lighten the skin), Purslane extract (moisturizes and reduces wrinkles, inflammation and irritation)
Shades: 20
More to know: A mix between a serum and a concealer, this lightweight formula is designed to move (or, as the name suggests, “bend”) with your skin. It creates flawless coverage in targeted areas, like under the eyes, or all over the face.
Coverage Type: Medium to Full
Surface treatment: soft matt
Best Concealer: Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Concealer
Why we love it: Westman Atelier’s latest concealer targets dark circles with a blend of natural ingredients. The vegan formula includes sustainably sourced gentian root, coffee leaf extract, and licorice root to brighten skin and reduce the appearance of dark circles. Plus, its pro pigments, available in 16 shades, blur imperfections with a soft-focus touch. The brand calls its skin-like finish “supernatural,” and it’s true: When I tested this concealer, my under eyes had an airy finish that lasted all day. Plus, the dermatologist and ophthalmologist-tested formula is gentle on my sensitive eyes.
Key Ingredients: Gentian root (an herbal ingredient that fades dark circles, reduces inflammation, plumps and tightens), coffee leaf extract, licorice root, mini hyaluronic acid, peptides
Shades: 16
MORE: The soft female foot applicator is designed to take the guesswork out of application: delivering the perfect amount of product every time. It’s ideal for mature skin, as using too much concealer can cause the product to settle into fine lines.
Coverage Type: Medium to Full
Surface treatment: Natural color
Best Moisturizer: Chanel Sublimate Eye Corrector
Why we love it: Makeup expert Autumn Moultrie has four words to describe this Chanel concealer: luminous, radiant, lightweight and buildable. With such a good application, it can be considered one of the best eye creams.
Key Ingredients: Glycerin, Vanilla Fruit Water
Shades: 10
MORE: Intense Vanilla contains a blend of water, cedarwood extract and reflective particles to protect the delicate skin under the eyes, leaving it soft, moisturized and smooth.
Cover Type: Lightweight and buildable
Surface Treatment: Glossy
Best for Sensitive Skin: Ritual de Fille Soft Sorcery Weightless Serum Concealer
Why we love it: As someone with sensitive eyes, I usually avoid concealer. (Crying all day isn’t the end goal of my glamorous look.) However, Rituel de Fille’s new Soft Magic formula might just change my routine. When applied in the morning, the highly pigmented ointment keeps my eyes glowing from morning to night without any irritation. Rich in antioxidants, this concealer has a silky, second-skin finish that’s crease-resistant. My new invisible look earned me compliments at the dinner table, and my husband said, “Your eyes just got even more beautiful!” I thought it was magic.
Key Ingredients: Denoxanthin (a new carotenoid used to nourish the skin around the eyes)
Shades: 24
More info: This formula is believed to be the first cosmetic product to contain a breakthrough fermentable carotenoid called diflavin. This ingredient has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that soothe and regenerate the delicate skin around the eyes.
Coverage Type: Buildable, medium coverage
Surface treatment: Natural color
Best Brightening: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat All-Over Brightening Concealer Pen
Why we love it: For Moultrie, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat is “the best.” She calls it the face eraser, and the formula promises to brighten, conceal, and lift areas of the face.
Key Ingredients: Vitamin E, Rascus Extract, Moroccan Calendula Extract
Shades: 14
MORE: Jennifer Lopez is also a fan. In our Ask Us Beauty Secrets issue, we see the icon whipping out a pen to brighten her under-eye area, nose and forehead to get a glamorous glow. The shimmer-free formula is enriched with vitamin E, rhododendron extract and Moroccan calendula extract to keep skin looking youthful and protected.
Cover Type: Lightweight and buildable
Surface Treatment: Glossy
Best for Dark Circles: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Concealer
Why we like it: “I love Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk under eyes for dark circles because its formula contains tiny particles of synthetic mica, a light-reflecting ingredient that helps brighten and conceal [pigmentation],” Scavone explains.
Key Ingredients: Glycerin, Caffeine
Shades: 22
MORE: This concealer has a natural-looking, luminous, medium-coverage finish that doesn’t crease. Plus, vitamin E, caffeine, and glycerin promote hydrated, even-toned skin.
Coverage Type: Medium Coverage
Surface Treatment: Glossy
Best for Sun Protection: Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer SPF 27
Why we love it: In Scavone’s experience with the Clé de Peau concealer, she found that it blends seamlessly and lasts all day: “It’s lightweight, provides full coverage, and creates a seamless airbrushed finish.”
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Argan Oil, Chestnut & Rosa Fruit Extracts
Shades: 10
More to know: While pros often use this formula to cover blemishes, we’re most impressed by its SPF, ginger extract, hyaluronic acid, and the brand’s skin-powering brightener, which work together to…help brighten skin.
Coverage Type: Full Coverage
Surface Treatment: Natural, Seamless
Best long-lasting makeup: Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer
Why we love it: If you’re looking for a concealer that lasts all day (or all night), there’s no better option than Dior Forever Skin Correct—it’s Moultrie’s top pick for its excellent consistency.
Main Ingredients: Iris extract, wild pansy extract, nasturtium extract
Shades: 30
MORE: “Unlike concealers for young skin, concealers for mature skin should have a consistency that can withstand setting powder,” she explains. Botanical extracts (iris, wild pansy, and nasturtium) keep skin supple and hydrated, and the entire formula is formulated to stay put for up to 24 hours.
Coverage Type: Full Coverage
Surface treatment: Natural color
Best for Multitasking: Make a Fake-Pretty Concealer
Why we love it: Scavone considers this Make Beauty lightweight, medium-coverage concealer her personal favorite. “It blends seamlessly, is invisible, and truly looks and feels like a second skin,” she says, adding that its moisturizing properties are an added bonus.
Key Ingredients: Red Algae Extract, Green Coffee Extract, Caffeine
Shades: 20
MORE: The skin care includes red algae extract to hydrate, adenosine to soften, and green coffee extract and caffeine to reduce inflammation and dark circles.
Coverage Type: Buildable, medium coverage
Surface Treatment: Glossy
Best Matte: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer Duo
Why we love it: “The Laura Mercier Secret Camo Stick is a staple in my kit,” admits Scavone. “They’re lightweight, high-coverage, and have a matte finish that’s great for hiding blemishes. The stick has two shades, one to help you correct and one to conceal.”
Key Ingredients: Lotus flower extract, Plant squalane, Murumuru seed oil
Shades: 16
For more information: This product has two ends. The first is a touch-up, using round blurring powder and lotus flower extract to soften skin and blur imperfections. The second, for a radiant glow, contains brightening pearls, botanical extracts and murumuru seed butter to eliminate dark circles and tone the skin.
Coverage Type: Full Coverage
Surface Treatment: Matte
Best Color Corrector: Bobbi Brown Under Eye Corrector
Why we love it: “If needed, I like to use Bobbi Brown Color Corrector after eye cream and before concealer,” says Moultrie. Think of it as a tool to even out your skin tone and hide dark circles, redness, or pigmentation issues.
Key Ingredients: Kaolin, Silica, Vitamin E
Shades: 10
MORE: Enriched with kaolin clay and vitamin E, this corrective cream easily neutralizes discoloration underneath concealer.
Coverage Type: Full Coverage
Surface treatment: Natural color
Best Creation: Kosas Revealer Concealer
Why we love it: If you’re looking for a concealer that’s also great for skin care, you’ve found the perfect option for you.
Key Ingredients: Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, Arnica, Provitamin B5
Shades: 28
MORE: Medium to full coverage all day This formula is buildable and never shrinks, so it’s suitable for everyone—whether you want a subtle tint or to conceal annoying blemishes.
Coverage Type: Medium Coverage
Surface Treatment: Glossy
Material
Robin Black, makeup artist and resident artist at Sisley Paris, says skin can become dry and rough as we age, so in general, it’s best to look for a hydrating formula.
Fellow makeup artist Jalissa Jaikaran agrees. “Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or squalane are all great ingredients because they all hydrate the skin and prevent the concealer from settling into fine lines and wrinkles,” she says. Peptides are also good for stimulating collagen production, she adds, while antioxidants like vitamins C and E can help protect against environmental damage, improving skin tone over time.
finish
Glossy finishes are ideal for mature skin, while matte finishes can accentuate fine lines. But beyond your overall look, Blake recommends using more than one concealer for different areas of your face.
“Use a different concealer for your under-eye area than the rest of your skin because the more mature skin under your eyes is more prone to wrinkles,” she says. “Sheer, tinted formulas are more likely to refresh your look and minimize the appearance of dark circles.” Her favorite products for the under-eye area include Sisley Paris’ Phyto-Cernes Eclat.
Coverage
Black says lightweight, buildable formulas, rather than heavy matte formulas, are best for a natural look for mature skin. “But if you want more coverage, try a light to medium coverage concealer rather than a full-coverage concealer,” she advises.
In terms of application, Jaikaran has a great tip: “I find that the Beautyblender works best when applied damp, especially for those with dry skin and fine lines,” she says.
“First of all, you need to make sure you choose the right formula and shade for your skin type,” says Jaikaran. However, the formula you use will depend on your individual skin type (dry, normal, combination or oily) as well as the overall effect you want, your undertones and the areas you want to cover, and choosing the right shade is crucial.
While undertones generally fall into three broad categories: cool, warm, or neutral, you can choose specifically based on your needs. “Is it dark circles with a blue tint? Is it redness around the nose or some bothersome blemishes? Is it brown discoloration from melanoma or sun damage?” says Black.
Another important factor to note is that when it comes to under eyes specifically, Black says color correction will vary depending on your skin tone. “If your dark circles have a green undertone, try a formula with a red undertone,” she says. “If your dark circles are more blue-purple, try a formula with an orange undertone. Orange shades can range from light peach to bright tangerine.”
As for the rest of the face? “You want a yellow or deep gold formula that matches the red,” advises Black. “If you’re looking to hide melasma or brown spots, a peachy-deep apricot formula can help.”
Once you’ve identified your undertone (or undertones) and coverage issues, Jaikaran says you can test products in a store, where you can speak to a makeup artist or beauty consultant who can help you narrow down your options. But don’t rush to buy the first one that suits you. “It’s important to wear it for a few hours to check for oxidation (which can cause the color to change),” Jaikaran advises.
“Concealers are ideal for mature skin,” says celebrity makeup artist Shannon Pezzetta. “They hydrate and blend easily without creating fine lines.” “The key word here is hydrating: Hydrating formulas are key to preventing wrinkles and caking,” says Victoria Beckham, MD, MD, MD, of Concealer with Specifically Hydrating Properties Victoria Beckham’s Concealer Pen is enriched with polyglutamic acid and squalane. Another hydrating option, Danessa Myricks’ concealer is made with nine botanical ingredients to nourish mature skin.
Celebrity makeup artist Meg Bose also recommends liquid or cream formulas for mature skin; preferably ones that come with a stick applicator. “This makes it easier to control layering so the concealer doesn’t smudge into lines,” she says. In other words, the stick only applies a small amount of product at a time, which is ideal for aging skin. Using too much concealer will inevitably cause the product to build up over fine lines and wrinkles, making them more pronounced. (Oh, the irony.) Westman Atelier’s Vital Skincare Concealer took this into account and designed a tow stick for precise application. “For mature skin, I always use a brush [to smooth out the product], even if the concealer comes with an applicator,” Bose explains. “It also helps to avoid any kind of wrinkles or lumps.”
Pejeta always moisturizes her skin before applying concealer. This step alone will help skin appear plumper and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, helping the concealer prevent clumping. For some people, a moisturizer for aging skin is enough to keep skin supple and moisturized. Others may consider adding a mask, patch, or serum specifically designed for eye shape.
Bose says the next step should be a primer. “If you have wrinkles on your face, be sure to use a good primer or setting powder to set the product in place,” says Bose. The best primers for mature skin create a smooth, even canvas for concealer, while a good setting powder holds the product in place.
For the eyes, Pezzetta recommends applying a three-point concealer in a triangular shape on the skin from the inner corner to the outer edge. Often, makeup artists recommend using a matte primer to treat blemishes, as breakouts are often the result of excess sebum, and then applying concealer directly to the blemishes and blending them out. For full coverage using only concealer (which often results in a fresh, no-makeup look), the rule of thumb is to spot-treat any areas of concern and let the rest of your natural skin breathe. Merit’s Simple Complexion Perfecting Stick is a versatile option for concealing imperfections or creating a natural-looking facial complexion.
After applying concealer, Pezzetta recommends using a small, soft brush to blend it in. Finally, set the product with a fine translucent powder for a soft, natural-looking finish without creating lines.
Meg Boss is a celebrity makeup artist and hairstylist based in Nashville. Her clients include Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow, and Katherine Heigl.
Shannon Pezzetta is a celebrity makeup artist and men’s grooming expert. His clients include Travis Buck, Glen Powell, and Adina Porter.
Gucci Westman is an experienced makeup artist and founder of the celebrity-favorite makeup brand Westman Atelier.
Jenna Scavone is a New York-based makeup artist who specializes in fashion advertising and red carpet styling.
Robin Black is a Sisley Paris makeup artist, photographer, beauty consultant, and Los Angeles-based artist.
Jalissa Jaikaran is a New York City-based makeup artist, beauty teacher, and host of the Life of a Makeup Artist podcast.
