Best Setting Spray for Every Skin Type (Including Drugstore Picks)

The best setting spray for most people is Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray: it's waterproof, sets makeup for up to 16 hours (the brand's claim), and Yahoo's beauty writer named it best overall after testing more than 20 sprays. If you want a drugstore bottle, Milani Make It Last won the same test's drugstore spot and shows up on almost every expert list we read.

Below are six picks by skin type and budget, plus what setting spray actually does and how to use it so your makeup lasts.

Quick picks

What does setting spray do?

Setting spray is a fine mist that goes on over finished makeup. TODAY explains that it leaves "a soft veil on top of your skin to 'lock-in' makeup," and that depending on the formula it can also absorb sweat, control oil and melt powder into skin. Many use film formers; Charlotte Tilbury, for example, says its film formers create "an invisible shield on top of makeup."

Celebrity makeup artist Emily Gray told SheKnows there are really two jobs: "'setting' the makeup, or in other words, locking in your makeup look to last all day and night," and refreshing your face by melting powders together. Some sprays do both. Others lean one way.

The finish matters too. Makeup artist Jennifer Goff told SheKnows that "dewy sprays add a fresh glow, while mattifying sprays help control shine."

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray

Best for: an everyday, natural-finish setting spray that holds up to a long day, especially on normal, dry or combination skin.

What we love

• Yahoo's Marie Lodi named it best setting spray overall after testing more than 20 sprays in hot LA weather. She says everything stayed put, "including my liquid eyeliner," and it "had a comfortable feel all the way through."
• Charlotte Tilbury says it's a hydrating, waterproof formula that sets makeup for up to 16 hours, based on a 30-person test.
• TODAY's editor says it "doesn't feel tacky or crunchy like other setting sprays can." Makeup artist Brielle Pollara calls it "a great option for most skin types, especially normal to dry or combination skin."
• Makeup artist Nydia Figueroa told NBC Select it "prevents makeup from settling into fine lines" on her mature clients.

Keep in mind

• It's scented (the brand calls it "fresh + floral"), so skip it if fragrance bothers your skin.
• TODAY notes it "may make makeup feel stiff" for some people.
• On amazon.com we saw the matte version and gift sets more easily than the original single bottle. That makes it an easy present: it's one of the splurge picks in our beauty gifts for her guide.

Key ingredients: Japanese green tea, film formers, aromatic resin, aloe, glycerin.

How to use: shake, then mist over your whole face from 6 to 8 inches away after makeup. The brand also suggests misting before makeup to prime.

Check price on Amazon

Milani Make It Last Original Natural Finish Setting Spray

Best for: the best drugstore setting spray for most skin types, especially combination skin.

What we love

• It's Yahoo's best drugstore setting spray. Lodi says it "primes, hydrates and corrects" as well as setting.
• Milani says it gives up to 24 hours of waterproof, sweatproof wear, with glycerin and 2% niacinamide, in a vegan formula.
• A TODAY editor with combination skin wore it on a sweaty commute and found that after "about 11 hours ... everything, including my mascara, was still in place."
• Makeup artist Jennifer Goff recommended it to SheKnows "for busy days when you don't have time for touching up."

Keep in mind

• Yahoo notes it has fragrance.
• TODAY says it "may require some blotting" if you're oily.
• Some bottles still say 16 hours. Milani says the formula is the same as the 24-hour label.

Key ingredients: glycerin, 2% niacinamide.

How to use: a few mists over finished makeup. It can also go on bare skin first as a light primer, the brand says.

Check price on Amazon

e.l.f. Stay All Night Micro-Fine Setting Mist

Best for: a budget-friendly setting spray for everyday makeup.

What we love

• Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Dara Spearman recommended it to SheKnows, which made it the top pick on its drugstore list.
• e.l.f. says it sets makeup for up to 16 hours and is "suited for all skin types," with green tea, cucumber and aloe.
• The brand says the newer "micro-fine mister" gives a smoother, more even spray. It's vegan and comes in a 2.7 fl oz bottle.

Keep in mind

• Alcohol is the second ingredient on e.l.f.'s list and it contains fragrance. If your skin is sensitive or very dry, choose Milk Makeup Hydro Grip instead.

Key ingredients: green tea, cucumber, aloe.

How to use: e.l.f. suggests using it over primer and foundation. Mist over your face once your makeup is done.

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Urban Decay All Nighter Waterproof Makeup Setting Spray

Best for: heat, humidity, weddings and long days when your makeup has to stay put.

What we love

• It won best waterproof setting spray in TODAY's 2026 Beauty Awards. TODAY says the updated formula has better wear and a finer mist.
• TODAY says it works for prepping skin, blending cream and powder products, and extending wear up to 24 hours. Its testers liked that it "does well in harsh weather."
• It comes in a 4 oz full size and a 1 oz travel size, with a natural finish and glycerin.

Keep in mind

• TODAY flags that it has no continuous-spray nozzle.
• We couldn't open Urban Decay's own product page, so these details come from TODAY and the amazon.com listings.

Key ingredients: glycerin.

How to use: mist over finished makeup and let it dry. A light layer is enough, even on long days.

Check price on Amazon

One/Size On 'Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray

Best for: oily skin, shine and heat, when you want a matte finish.

What we love

• Yahoo named it the best matte setting spray, with a "waterproof, no-budge finish" that's easy to apply.
• Celebrity makeup artist Brielle Pollara told TODAY, "For clients with oily skin or anyone who needs their makeup to truly stay put through heat, humidity or long events, I love [the] One/Size On 'Til Dawn Setting Spray."
• TODAY lists 16-hour wear, an oil-absorbing feel and green tea and witch hazel. It's vegan, per Yahoo.

Keep in mind

• It contains alcohol and has a strong fragrance, Yahoo says.
• TODAY says it can feel "tight" on dry skin. If that's you, look at Milk Makeup below.
• On amazon.com we mostly saw duos and multipacks, not single bottles.

Key ingredients: green tea extract, witch hazel.

How to use: hold the can 8 to 10 inches away and spray a light, even layer over finished makeup. Lodi says the metal can and fine mist make it feel like the old trick of setting makeup with hairspray.

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Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Set + Refresh Spray

Best for: dry skin that feels tight after most setting sprays.

What we love

• TODAY made it the best setting spray for dry skin. Its editor writes that "the tight feeling post-setting spray might be all too common," but never with this one, and that her skin feels "wrapped" with moisture.
• Milk Makeup says it's alcohol-free, fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.
• The brand says it can set makeup, melt powder, refresh skin mid-day, or go on between layers of makeup.

Keep in mind

• Milk's own wear claim (up to 12 hours) is shorter than most here, and it comes from a 20-person perception study.
• TODAY notes "some don't like the smell," even though the brand lists it as fragrance-free.

Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, blue agave extract, hemp seed oil.

How to use: mist over finished makeup, or spray once after foundation and again at the end for longer wear.

Check price on Amazon

How to choose a setting spray

Start with your skin type, then your finish. Dr. Spearman's advice to SheKnows lines up with what the expert picks above show.

Setting spray for dry skin

Look for a hydrating setting spray with humectants. Spearman suggests "glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or squalane." Alcohol-free formulas like Milk Makeup Hydro Grip are the safest bet. Pollara told TODAY that if you have dry or mature skin, "you can often skip powder and rely on setting spray."

Mattifying setting spray for oily skin

Spearman says mattifying ingredients such as "silica, polymers, or very light alcohol" help control shine. Pollara's tip for oily skin: press a little powder on your T-zone first, then finish with spray.

Setting spray for sensitive skin

Choose alcohol-free or low-alcohol sprays, Spearman says, with soothing ingredients like aloe, green tea or chamomile. Fragrance-free helps too. Of our picks, Milk Makeup is the one to try first. Patch-test a new spray on your jaw before misting your whole face.

Best drugstore setting spray

Milani Make It Last is our drugstore pick, with e.l.f. Stay All Night as the lower-cost option. Both are on expert lists, and both have fragrance.

Mature skin

We'd lean toward a natural or dewy finish. Figueroa uses Charlotte Tilbury on mature clients, and TODAY's pick for mature skin is Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin Soft Setting Spray, which makeup artist Billie Gene says helps keep makeup from settling into fine lines.

How to use setting spray

1. Finish your makeup first. Gray says, "If you're looking to lock your makeup in for all-day wear, I like to use setting spray once the makeup is complete."
2. Hold it 8 to 10 inches away. That's Pollara's distance.
3. Spray in an X, then a T. Spearman says this pattern avoids over-saturating your face.
4. Let it air dry. Don't pat it in with a sponge or your fingers, Pollara says.
5. Use less than you think. TODAY: "A light, quick mist of setting spray is always enough."

Want to melt powder so it looks less dry? Gray uses a spray after your base is done, before blush and bronzer. Not sure about base order? See concealer or foundation first.

Comparison table

FAQs

Does setting spray work?

Yes, if you choose one for your skin type and don't overdo it. Yahoo's tester found her eyeliner held up past the eight-hour mark with Charlotte Tilbury, and a TODAY editor saw her mascara still in place after about 11 hours with Milani. It won't fix a base that's patchy to begin with, though.

Setting spray vs fixing spray: what's the difference?

Mostly the name. "Fixing spray" is the term some brands use for the same kind of product. SheKnows lists essence's Fix & Last fixing spray alongside setting sprays. Read the label for finish (matte or dewy) and alcohol instead of the name.

Can you skip setting powder and just use setting spray?

Sometimes. Pollara told TODAY that dry or mature skin can often skip powder and rely on spray. Oily skin usually does better with a little powder on the T-zone first, then spray.

Is primer or setting spray better?

They do different jobs. Pollara says primer creates "a smooth canvas" before makeup, while "setting spray is designed to extend the wear of your finished look. Ideally, they work together."

Can you use rubbing alcohol as setting spray?

Don't. Yahoo's Lodi warns it "can also dry out your skin, strip it of its natural oils and cause irritation." A real setting spray uses film formers and usually some moisturizing ingredients, too.

Pick for your skin type, mist lightly from 8 to 10 inches away, and let it dry: that's most of the trick.