The best concealers are capable of oh-so-many things. Some can brighten, while others are the best color-correctors. A few cover redness or are capable of decreasing under-eye puffiness with a hint of caffeine and a metal applicator. But, as we age, there are added factors to consider when choosing a coverage product. The best concealers for mature skin must be lightweight (cakiness is avoidable) and deeply hydrating to prevent product from settling into little lines. Thankfully, the concealer sector, which is expected to be worth a shocking $12 billion by 2031, is constantly releasing new formulations—and revamping existing items to perform at a higher standard.
In the past year, Charlotte Tilbury and Fenty entered the concealer game for the first time, while Anastasia Beverly Hills and Estee Lauder expanded their current offerings. Of course, brands like NARS and YSL have amassed a cult following (including yours truly, Jennifer Lopez, and Kendall Jenner) for their seemingly magical concealers that work to brighten, highlight, and color correct. Those few just make up the highlight reel.
Read ahead to get the full breakdown on the concealers in my personal collection (I’ve tested well over 100 formulas, FYI) and those loved by makeup artists and celebrities. That's not all, though. We also had five women over 45 put these products to the test—and share their honest thoughts.
The Best Concealers for Mature Skin
- The Best Concealer for Mature Skin Overall: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Face and Under-Eye Concealer
- The Under Eye Concealer for Mature Skin: Bobbi Brown Concealer Stick
- The Best Multi-Purpose Concealer for Mature Skin: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
- The Best Brightening Concealer for Mature Skin: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Medium to Full Coverage Radiant Concealer
- The Best Hydrating Concealer for Mature Skin: Sarah Creal Face Flex
- The Best Non-Creasing Concealer for Mature Skin: Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Lift & Flex Hydrating Concealer
- The Best Drugstore Concealer for Mature Skin: Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind
As we age, our skin has a tendency to get drier, which makes it even more important to find a concealer that is going to add moisture into the skin. Enter: Armani’s Luminous Silk Face and Under Eye Concealer, the counterpart to their wildly popular foundation, Luminous Skin Foundation. The concealer shares the same blurring and airbrush finish as the foundation, while having the added benefits of caffeine, glycerin, and vitamin E to help brighten and moisturize the skin.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural Radiant
Key Ingredients: Caffeine, vitamin E, glycerin
Pros: Lightweight; soft focus
Cons: Has a slight sparkle
Our Tester's Review: "I'm 56. My skin is drier and I have more creases, so I've had to accept that less is more when applying concealer. Armani has been my go-to for years because it honestly checks every box. It feels lightweight on my skin and leave my under-eye feeling super hydrated. It's almost like putting a refreshing serum on. I think I look pretty damn good with it." — Mindy
Mindy Holender wears Armani Luminous Silk Face and Under Eye Concealer in shade 1.5.
A staple in celebrity makeup artist Shadi Malek's kit, this cream concealer is her first pick for on-the-go applications or touch-ups thanks to its stick packaging. The formula inside speaks for itself: It’s creamy, long-wearing, and extremely blendable. You can build up the layers for additional coverage and stay confident that you won’t look cakey, crease, or pill.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Coffee seed oil
Pros: Great for under-eye
Cons: Not a wide color selection
Our Tester's Review: "It has a creamy, smooth texture that easily glides on the skin. I use it on the dark circles near my eyes and the edges of my lips. It stays on for a long time, but since it is a stick, I can reapply it quickly if needed. The Bobbi Brown Skin Stick is amazing!" — Darlese
Darlese Robinson wears Bobbi Brown's Concealer Stick in shade Golden.
A best-seller at every retailer, a TikTok sensation, and my personal go-to, NARS’ Radiant Creamy Concealer gets five stars across the board. I apply it almost like a secondary foundation in any area where I need brightness, coverage, or color correction. It gives a subtle glow that seemingly plumps up the skin rather than sinking into it. I even keep a darker hue on hand to use as my bronzer—the texture is stunning.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Vitamin E, grape seed oil, light diffusing mineral powder
Pros: Editor-approved; good for under-eyes and face
Cons: Not enough pigment to conceal blemishes
Our Tester's Review: "I’ve been using NARS concealer for over five years because I simply love it. It blends with my skin and doesn’t look too heavy. At this stage in my life (49 years lived), I don’t want anything too thick on my face as it tends to make me look older, which is why I continue to use NARS all these years.” — Marcia
Marcia Perry Dix wearing NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in shade Hazelnut.
Think of this product like an eye cream—but with pigment. Packed with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, this concealer hydrates and brightens the skin as it deposits pigment, ensuring that your texture never looks heavy, dry, or settles into fine lines. Comparable to “shapewear for your face,” according to Tilbury, the radiant finish truly helps lift, contour, and brighten where you need it most. It's truly one of my favorite Charlotte Tilbury products.
Coverage: Full
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, niacinamide
Pros: Infused with skincare; Radiant finish
Cons: Can separate throughout the day
Our Tester's Review: "I'm a Charlotte girl. Most of my makeup is from her line—I love it, I love it, I love it. Her formulas are the best. I find this concealer to be a bit similar to Cle de Peau in its texture. It has that really creamy, smoothing, and blurring feel. I will say this one is better for short-term wear. I like it for going out to dinner or a big event, but it starts to settle into my lines a bit if I wear it all day." — Randi
Randi Becker wears Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation in shade 2.
If you're in the beauty industry, you know Sarah Creal. She's the product developer who has had her hands in pretty much every big cosmetic line: Victoria Beckham Beauty, Prada, Tom Ford, Bobbi Brown—to name a few. This year, she decided to go out on her own, creating a line specifically for women over 40. The brand's concealer is the unsung hero. It's incredibly hydrating and a little goes an insanely long way; you only need a dot.
Coverage: Full
Finish: Velvet
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, caffeine, aloe leaf extract
Pros: Can be used as a foundation too; brightening
Cons: Only 10 shades to choose from
Our Tester's Review: "When I first looked at this concealer I wasn't sure the shade would match, but it ended up being a really flexible color. I used it all over my face and it evened out my skin tone with very little product; I probably only used about 10 dots for my whole face. It coved dark circles better than anything else I've tried and didn't settle into lines throughout the day. It was very hydrating, too." — Joele
Joele Amster wears Sarah Creal Face Flex in shade 4.
It's a good sign when you can tell that a concealer was formulated specifically with a mature woman's skin in mind. Such is the case with this Danessa Myricks creation. It contains sodium hyaluronate, which is an ingredient that not only hydrates the skin—but also moves with it, ensuring that the product won't crease as you make facial expressions throughout the day. You'll also find caffeine as a brightening pick me up, and centella asiatica, which will hydrate and soothe redness.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, caffeine
Pros: Great ingredients like caffeine and centella asiatica; hydrating; not too shiny
Cons: Will look cakey if you apply too much; not the most forgiving
Our Tester's Review: "I am pretty low-maintenance (aka lazy) when it comes to concealer, but I may be a believer now. I like the Yummy Skin concealer. The application stick makes it easy and mess-free to apply. Plus, it's lightweight. It provides coverage and brightens up my blemishes, making my tinted moisturizer much smoother. It's hard to find concealers for my skin color because most are a little pasty and wash me out. Yummy was much more natural and subtle." — Amber
Amber Randolph wears the Daness Myricks Yummy Skin Lift & Flex Hydrating Concealer in shade 7.
I’m always asking makeup artists about their go-to drugstore products, and without fail, this Maybelline product always manages to come up. The plush topper is unique, making on-the-go applications incredibly easy. The formula is fragrance and oil-free, and it contains ingredients like goji berry to provide a radiant finish. You’ll get a full 12 hours out of one application—and no under-eye creases.
Coverage: Radiant
Finish: Medium
Key Ingredients: Goji berry, glycerin, dimethicone
Pros: Lightweight; hydrating; easy to use; affordable
Cons: Not great pigment for blemish coverage
Our Tester's Review: "Is it crazy if I say I might like Maybelline for the win? I've tried so many luxury concealers, but I literally got stopped five times today by people to tell me how good my makeup looked! It can feel a little chalky when it dries down, but it doesn't actually look that way in person. It's really blurring and very brightening." — Mindy
Mindy Holender wears Maybelline's Age rewind in shade 120.
Also Recommended
With five-star reviews across the board and a cult-like following, Revealer Concealer is the real deal. It’s so good in fact, that many consumers, including Hailey Bieber, are known to use the formula in place of foundation. “I just love that it’s creamy and hydrating,” the Rhode founder shared in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video. “It leaves this dewy finish on the skin.” She’s right—try it for yourself to see.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Caffeine, hyaluronic acid, arnica
Pros: Contains caffeine for puffiness and arnica for redness; Good for dark circles
Cons: Doesn’t last the whole day
Our Tester's Review: "When I first put this on, I loved it. It covered dark circles and instantly brightened any area I put it. I loved the creamy texture at first, but it was a bit thick, and I found it settling into lines and emphasizing texture throughout the day. I feel like it's great for brightening certain areas on my skin, but not my go-to for under eyes or acne." — Mindy
Mindy Holender wears Kosas Revealer Concealer in shade 3.8N.
Multi-purpose, full-coverage, and luxurious by every sense of the definition, this Cle de Peau concealer will change your makeup routine for the better. Just hear out Malek: “The formula is super buttery and not too thick, so it doesn’t seep into lines. The medium coverage is better for mature skin too because a fuller coverage will actually end up sinking into pores and accentuating wrinkles.”
Coverage: Full
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Color correcting pearl supplements, glycerin, dimethicone
Pros: Great coverage; Very blendable
Cons: Some say it’s drying
Our Tester's Review: "Easily one of the best concealers I've ever tried. It makes me look airbrushed and lasts a full day. I do my makeup at 7 a.m., and this stays on—and looks perfect—until I wash it off at around 8 p.m. It's almost like a blurring filter on my face. It smoothed out any texture or blemishes, too." — Mindy
Full-coverage concealers that work with dry and thinning mature skin can be tough to find. But Anastasia Soare, the founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, set out to make a product that would do just that. The result, Magic Touch Concealer, is a blurring, brightening, and color-correcting concealer that dries down into a second skin finish.
Coverage: Full
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Sunflower seed extract, glycerin, dimethicone
Pros: Great coverage; covers dark circles and blemishes
Cons: Heavy and thick; better for under eyes than whole face
Our Tester's Review: "Figuring out the best way to apply this one was a learning curve. At first I thought it was really heavy and too thick, but I was actually just using too much product. I really only need a tiny drop to cancel out under-eye darkness completely." — Mindy
Mindy Holender wears Anastasia Magic Touch Concealer in shade 15.
Marie Claire’s Beauty Director Deena Campbell sings this concealer’s praises regularly, so I naturally had to test it out for myself. Long story short: I get why she is this concealer’s number one fan. It maintains a hydrating, radiant texture and finish, while also managing to never settle into fine lines or creases. I use this medium coverage formula under my eyes, on my nose, my chin, on top of blemishes—it’s a do-it-all product. It's one of my favorite Tom Ford makeup products of all time.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, caffeine
Pros: Good for multiple areas; Doesn’t settle into lines
Cons: Expensive
Very rarely do we get a glimpse into Meghan Markle’s beauty routine. But, during her Suits days, the Duchess of Sussex shared with Birchbox that this YSL concealer was a staple in her makeup bag. Her tip: “To open up your eyes, apply a highlighter like Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Éclat in the inner corner," Markle said. Given the formula’s radiant finish and antioxidant-infused formula (vitamin E reduces signs of fatigue), this product couldn’t be better for an eye-brightening boost.
Coverage: Light
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Soothing marigold; Moroccan marigold extract; vitamin E
Pros: Celebrity loved; Creamy formula
Cons: Not the most overage
While matte and full-coverage typically aren’t what you want for mature skin, Rihanna’s concealer innovation is the exception. It’s able to cover up dark circles, redness, and hyperpigmentation with such a small amount of product (less really is more here) that it actually sits very natural and light on the skin. Plus, it stays on—no fading, no smudging, no transferring—for the entire day.
Coverage: Full
Finish: Matte
Key Ingredients: Centella asiatica, glycerin, dimethicone
Pros: Covers dark circles; Long-wearing
Cons: Can be a little drying
While radiant finishes typically work best on mature skin, Lawless Beauty’s concealer is a great matte option if you’re committed to a shine-free face. It has a soft focus finish that’s capable of blurring over fine lines or pores, rather than drawing attention to the area. I’ve found that this is great on the face, but, as with any matte product, needs to be used very sparingly around the under eye area to avoid creasing.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Matte
Key Ingredients: Caffeine, proprietary antioxidant complex
Pros: Great coverage; Blurring
Cons: Drying
Pigment is packed into just a small amount of this natural-finish concealer, making it one of the best for disguising dark circles under the eyes. Two to three dots is all you need to counteract purple blue tones. It works so well in fact, it’s Ana de Armas’ red carpet staple. “It’s incredible, and it’s pretty much all I need on my face,” she previously told Who What Wear.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, dimethicone
Pros: Great coverage; Celebrity-loved
Cons: Can crease
What to Look for in a Concealer for Mature Skin
As a general rule of thumb, hydrating, radiant concealers are going to work better on mature skin types. “Matte formulas tend to enhance fine lines and can look very harsh on drier skin,” explains makeup artist Michele Shakeshaft. She recommends looking for descriptive words like “creamy” or “blendable” when selecting a product to ensure it lays smoothly.
If you are really in touch with the skincare side, do a quick scan of the product’s INCI list. “Hydrating hyaluronic acid and brightening niacinamide and vitamin C are excellent ingredients to look for in a concealer for the under-eye area,” adds celebrity makeup artist Sofia Tilbury, who has worked with Salma Hayek, Kate Moss, and Penelope Cruz. Glycerin is very hydrating, vitamin E is soothing, and dimethicone will help provide that silky texture. If dark circles are your concern, seek out a formula with caffeine.
The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Concealer, Marie Claire's top overall concealer for mature skin, provides a hydrating, luminous finish.
When Do I Apply Concealer on Mature Skin?
Less is more when it comes to concealer, so you should only apply extra coverage where you need it. After applying one of the best primers for mature skin and putting the finishing touches on your foundation, you’ll want to apply concealer to any areas that need color correction or brightness. “Precise coverage will perfect the look of the skin without building texture or creating a heavy look,” notes Shakeshaft.
Do I Need Different Concealers for Different Concerns?
The number of concealers you need in your collection really depends on the intensity of your concerns. By all means, you can use one formula on your under eyes and complexion. That said, you might want to throw a color corrector into the mix. “It’s a great way to cancel out blue, purple, and green pigments in the skin that can otherwise show through your foundation or powder base,” notes Tilbury. These get applied directly after moisturizer. “Let the color corrector dry until it becomes a little tacky and less moveable,” explains Malek. “Then go in with your concealer on a flat brush and blend it out with a beauty blender.”
The Cle de Peau concealer stick, which was one of Mindy's favorites, doubles as foundation—and contains SPF 27.
What Shade Concealer Do I Choose?
This is largely personal preference. A few years ago, most makeup artists would tell you to go two shades lighter than your foundation in order to brighten the under-eye. Now, the trends have changed slightly. In order to achieve a more natural look, you should pick a concealer that’s one shade lighter. “We are looking to bring that area forward, brighten, and lessen the look of depth,” says Shakeshaft.
Depending on how bright you like your under-eye concealer, you might also want to consider having an alternative, slightly darker concealer on hand for touch ups on the face.
How to Apply Concealer for Mature Skin
Picking the right concealer formula is only half the battle. Knowing the proper way to apply your concealer? That’s equally—if not more—important. “It’s all about building up in sheer layers to achieve your desired coverage and only focusing on using products where you feel that you need it,” notes Tilbury. This slow-and-steady technique ensures that the concealer looks airbrushed and natural anywhere on the skin.
If you’re specifically concerned about applying concealer in the under eye area, Shakeshaft suggests working from the bottom up. “Unless you are trying to neutralize redness in the lash line, don’t take concealer up to the base of the lashes. Apply it at the outer corner of the eye or deepest area of the under eye pocket, then tap it upwards, towards the lash line.”
When it comes to powder, you’re probably better off skipping it altogether, as it can draw attention to fine lines. Shadi suggests using minimal translucent powder with an eyeshadow brush if you need to set your makeup.
Meet the Experts
Shadi Malek’s career of nearly a decade in the make-up industry is a testament to her passionate practice, one that has resulted in an extensive list of life-long clients. She first began honing her unmistakable style from her home city of Vancouver, Canada. Today she works in one of the world’s major make-up industry hubs, Los Angeles, transforming models, influencers, and brides with her signature artistic method.
Today, Malek infuses every make-up look she creates with her mastery of aesthetic principles and her passion for an individualized approach to every client. Make-up has never been a one-shade fits all field; Shadi Malek has made it her mission to create beautiful, tailored looks that will match every client’s unique visage.
Sofia took on the role of Lead Artist at the Charlotte Tilbury Beauty counter in Selfridge’s, London. Two years later, she began assisting Charlotte with her work as a makeup artist, from fashion shows, including Temperley London, Tom Ford, Donna Karan, Versus Versace and Victoria’s Secret, to the world’s most glamourous red carpet events such as The Golden Globes, The Oscars, The Met Gala, The British Fashion Awards, BAFTAs, and The BRIT Awards. Sofia has also led the makeup direction for beauty editorial (Vogue Netherlands) and cover shoots (Cosmopolitan Middle East). Sofia has worked with VIP clients all over the world, including Sienna Miller, Irina Shayk, Shanina Shaik, Minnie Driver, Karolina Kurkova, and Olivia Palermo.
Michele is a Pro Artist for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.
