Many of us have struggled with acne at some point in our lives, and it’s a great feeling when you get your skin under control.
But nobody ever talks about the lingering acne scars that are often left behind after a serious breakout. Not only can the scars appear dark or red, they can also have a pitted, hollow appearance which can be quite noticeable under harsh lighting.
Luckily, there are lots of great foundations, creams, and makeup these days that do a really good job of hiding pitted acne scars.
What are the best makeups for pitted acne scars? Usually, it’s makeup that provides good coverage but is thin enough so that you can apply multiple thin layers onto your skin. Multiple layers are the key to hiding those scars.
If you’ve been on the lookout for your next foundation that can help smooth out those scars, keep reading – we will go over the best products and how to apply them to conceal any remnants of those breakouts!
Pitted Acne Scar Makeup – Buyer’s Guide
When selecting the best makeups for pitted acne scars, we looked for the following qualities to make sure these products work well:
Coverage
Despite what you might think, you don’t need full coverage to cover up your acne scars, but you do need at least medium coverage.
In fact, we’ve found that medium coverage products work better because they allow you to build up several layers without looking cakey or washed out.
Multiple thin layers are much better at covering up acne scars than one thick full-coverage layer.
Texture
Because you’ll be layering the makeup over the parts of your face where the acne scars are most visible, you’ll want a product that has a light texture. It needs to look natural even when layered.
This means the product cannot be overly greasy or tacky and needs to have a light and malleable formula.
Color
If your pitted acne scars have a dark or reddish tone to them, the best way to cover them is to neutralize their color first, before applying the rest of your makeup.
Neutralizing is best done with a special concealer that has opposite undertones from the color of your scars.
For example, if your scars are red, you’d want to use a concealer with greenish tones. Then you’ll want to cover your whole face with a foundation that matches your skin tone. You’ll be surprised at how well the green-toned concealer neutralizes the color of your scars.
Best Makeups For Pitted Acne Scars
Here are the best products we found that effectively tackle pitted acne scars and make them disappear:
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dermablend Insta-Grip Jelly Primer | Incredible primer for filling in deep acne scars and giving the skin a smooth airbrushed look |
| 2. | Stila Correct And Perfect All In One Color Correcting Palette | Neutralizes and erases pitted acne scar discoloration, redness, and dark spots |
| 3. | BareMinerals BAREPRO Liquid Foundation | Buildable, skin-friendly foundation with a natural-looking flawless finish |
| 4. | NARS Sheer Matte Foundation | Lightweight, buildable foundation that has a matte finish |
| 5. | Dermablend Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation | Great smoothing foundation with buildable coverage for people with dry skin |
| 6. | IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream | A multi-tasker that smoothes out and evens out your skin while providing it with skincare benefits |
| 7. | Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Loose Powder | Great last step in your makeup routine, blends away acne scars and removes shine |
1. Dermablend Insta-Grip Jelly Primer
To have flawless makeup, you have to start with a flawless canvas. This primer is the best one out there for prepping your skin for makeup while smoothing out any texture like pitted acne scars.
This primer provides your skin with moisture, fills in your scars, and provides a perfectly smooth surface for your concealer and foundation to go on. By the time you’ve applied this primer, half of the scarring on your face will be invisible.
It’s also non-comedogenic and safe for sensitive skin, so it won’t cause a breakout. If you have deep pitted scars, you won’t regret getting this primer.
2. Stila Correct And Perfect All In One Color Correcting Palette
If your acne scars have severe pigmentation, like brown or red spots, look no further than this color correcting palette.
Regular concealers can hide minor spots, but when it comes to covering up dark acne scars, you need to use the science of color to neutralize the splotchiness.
This palette contains different color creams that are incredible at covering up various discoloration. Use the green to cover up any red scarring, yellow for brown spots, and peach for covering up your undereye circles.
The palette also comes with two powders: yellow and lavender – to help set the creams in place and help even out your skin tone before you apply additional makeup.
3. BareMinerals BAREPRO Liquid Foundation
This BareMinerals liquid foundation is one of the best we’ve found for pitted acne scars, and here’s why.
Firstly, it’s great for your skin. Using natural mineral pigments and non-comedogenic ingredients, this foundation won’t irritate your skin or clog your pores.
Secondly, it has the perfect texture that you can layer, without it looking cakey. You can build it up in the areas where you need a little extra coverage while keeping it light on areas where you don’t.
We love the finish it has – it’s matte enough to disguise any textural irregularities, without being so matte that your face looks flat.
Oh, and did we mention that it contains SPF 20? Yeah, this foundation has it all.
4. NARS Sheer Matte Foundation
This NARS foundation is perfect for building coverage over pitted acne scars.
It’s lightweight and provides you with light to medium coverage, allowing you to build up multiple thin layers that hide and blend over any scarring and textural irregularities.
The best way to use this foundation is to pat it into your skin, rather than just spreading it over the skin.
When you pat it in, it will help fill in some of the acne scars and put more coverage in the areas that need it most.
Although it’s a soft and malleable foundation, it has a nice matte finish which further helps reduce the appearance of pitted acne.
We love that this foundation is dermatologist-approved and non-comedogenic, so you don’t have to worry about it causing breakouts on your skin.
5. Dermablend Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation
This Dermablend foundation is amazing at smoothing out uneven textures. It’s also very hydrating, so if you suffer from dry skin, give this one a try.
Formulated for buildable converge, it covers freckles, acne scars, age spots, and other imperfections right away.
We definitely consider this a matte foundation, however there is a slight glow to it that gives your skin a very healthy statin finish.
The foundation is safe for sensitive skin, won’t clog your pores, and contains SPF 25! If you have pitted acne scars and dry skin, this product would be perfect for you.
6. IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream
If you don’t love the way foundation feels on your skin, or you’re looking for something a little lighter for those casual days, don’t worry, you can still effectively cover up your pitted acne scars while wearing this super lightweight product.
The IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream is a color-correcting cream that has a gorgeous finish and blends away any imperfections, including deep acne scars.
The best part about CC creams is that they act like a 2-in-1 product: skincare and makeup combined.
This CC cream has it all: hyaluronic acid for hydration, SPF 50 for protection, collagen for skin repair, peptides to replenish your natural moisture barrier, and of course buildable medium to full coverage to even out your skin tone.
This baby will become your multi-tasking skincare bestie, and you won’t feel like you’re wearing a full face of makeup while wearing it.
7. Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Loose Powder
This may be surprising to some, but one of the best ways to cover up pitted acne scars is to use a loose-powder foundation over your liquid foundation.
Not only does this set your makeup and keep it where it needs to be for the whole day, but it also removes any unnecessary shine. A dewy face is nice and all, but nothing highlights pitted acne scars more than a shiny complexion.
This mineral loose powder is the perfect last step to your makeup routine. It’ll help further blend out any imperfections, remove shine and oil, and keep your face looking airbrushed all day.
We love that it gives your skin a bit of a satin finish so you don’t look dull. The ingredients are really clean too, and it contains a bit of SPF for extra protection.
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