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Over the past few years there’s been a huge shift away from full-coverage foundations in favour of lighter, sheerer formulas. Low coverage options come in handful of forms: BB creams, tinted moisturisers and everyone’s newest fave… skin tints.
I’m a huge fan of skin tints (I rarely buy foundation anymore!) and have been on the hunt for a formula that gives a decent amount of coverage but still has a natural finish.
L’Oreal’s True Match Tinted Serum and Maybelline’s Super Stay 24H Skin Tint were two products that kept popping up so, of course, I had to buy them and give them a go.
The L’Oreal tinted serum was released at the end of 2021 I believe, while the Maybelline one came out early 2023. Maybelline is owned by L’Oreal so I was quite intrigued to see how the new Maybelline skin tint would differ to L’Oreal’s own offering.
Here’s a comparison of the two…
What is a skin tint?
If you’re wondering what makes a skin tint different to a tinted moisturiser or foundation, let me quickly break it down…
Skin tints typically have a serum-like texture, and are designed to be lightweight and comfortable on the skin. They tend to offer less coverage than traditional foundations, with the main goal being to even out the complexion rather than to completely conceal spots or redness.
Skin tints will often contain added skincare ingredients, like vitamin C or hyaluronic acid, to hydrate and brighten the skin. However, they may not offer quite as much hydration as tinted moisturisers which can essentially replace your regular everyday moisturiser. A skin tint, on the other hand, is generally applied after your moisturiser and sunscreen.
Product comparison
Ingredients
Both the L’Oreal and Maybelline skin tints offer skincare benefits, though of course these are primarily makeup products. The star ingredient in Maybelline’s formula is vitamin C (in the form of Ascorbyl Glucoside). Ascorbyl Glucoside is meant to even out skin tone and reduce hyperpigmentation.
L’Oreal’s key ingredient is sodium hyaluronate, the salt form of hyaluronic acid, which helps to intensely hydrate the skin.
Both tints contain tocopherol, a form of vitamin E that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
They also both contain denatured alcohol and various silicones, which is something to be aware of if your skin is sensitive to these things.
Shade range
L’Oreal’s tinted serum comes in nine shades which is pretty limited, especially when you consider that the Maybelline one comes in 20.
While the L’Oreal skin tint is more adaptable (than the Maybelline tint), I still think it would be great to see a wider shade selection.
Coverage
When it comes to skin tints, these are both on the more full-coverage side of the spectrum (though obviously they’re still not quite on the same level as a full-coverage foundation!). If you compare them to something like Glossier’s Perfecting Skin Tint, for example, you’ll notice quite a big difference in just how much redness and pigmentation the L’Oreal and Maybelline ones can cover.
When compared to each other though, there’s not a lot in it. The Maybelline offers a bit more coverage, but I wouldn’t say that the L’Oreal tinted serum is super sheer by any means.
If you’re looking for a skin tint that’s going to minimise the appearance of redness and blemishes, either of the two would be a good option.
Texture and finish
Texture-wise, the L’Oreal tinted serum is runnier than the Maybelline skin tint and spreads onto the skin slightly easier. Maybelline’s skin tint has a foundation-like consistency, which – because it’s quite a bit thicker than other formulas I’m used to – doesn’t really resemble a skin tint at all!
I also find that the Maybelline formula can often feel a little drying on the skin. It tends to highlight texture and dry areas, which is a problem I don’t really have with the L’Oreal skin tint. The L’Oreal one just seems to be a bit more blurring.
In terms of luminosity, the Maybelline tint comes out on top. Just looking at the product in the bottle (though it’s kind of hard to see in the picture below), you can tell that the Maybelline skin tint has a much more pearlescent finish. It almost gives a toned-down Flawless Filter type of glow.
The L’Oreal tinted serum, on the other hand, has more of flat (not necessarily matte, but not luminous either) finish. I find that it looks more skin-like because it doesn’t have that added pearliness.
Wear
According to the brand’s website, the Maybelline skin tint is supposed to be resistant to ‘sweat, humidity and fading’. It dries down pretty quickly and, once it does, I don’t feel like it’s going to move about during the day – I usually don’t need a fixing spray with this skin tint. However, I find that this can often look a little powdery and, as the day goes on, it has a tendency to settle into fine lines and pores.
L’Oreal’s tinted serum seemingly does the opposite. It actually gets slightly dewier the longer I wear it (though I don’t often find that I need to powder it during the day).
Overall, I’d recommend both of these if you’re after a long-lasting skin tint. Just be aware that the Maybelline one may just need some touching up around the nose and smile lines at some point.
Applicator
We HAVE to talk about the applicator as this is something that many people have criticised about both products. Both the L’Oreal tinted serum and Maybelline skin tint have a squeeze-top dropper, which isn’t uncommon for runny skincare products like serums and ampoules, but doesn’t tend to work so well for thicker foundation formulas.
Many other brands (like Glossier, Summer Fridays and Fenty) have opted for squeezy bottles / tubes for their skin tints, which makes the product much easier (and much more hygienic) to dispense.
Because, with the dropper applicator, it’s kind of difficult to control how much product you’re applying, you basically end up using the dropper as a spatula to spread the product on your hands or face.
The skin tint also coats the outside of the dropper and the rim of the bottle which means it can get quite messy after a few uses. This is a bit of drawback for both products.
Price
The L’Oreal True Match Tinted Serum usually retails for around £15 and the Maybelline Super Stay 24H Skin Tint is typically £12.99. This makes the Maybelline one a tiny bit cheaper, but the difference isn’t huge!
I’d say these are on the pricy side for a drugstore skin tint / foundation. For reference, L’Oreal’s original True Match Liquid Foundation is just £9.99 in Boots. Having said that, both of these are often on offer so make sure to keep an eye out for discounts – I bought both when they were on sale!
Overall thoughts
Though these skin tints contain similar ingredients, I actually think they’re quite different in terms of texture, finish and wear.
Maybelline has marketed their product as a skin tint – perhaps because that’s what’s trending currently – but I do feel that it’s essentially a foundation. Rare Beauty have recently done a similar thing with their lip oils, which are more akin to lip tints / stains than they are oils!
Maybelline’s tint is probably the thickest of all the skin tints I’ve tried and it undoubtedly has the most coverage. Because it conceals so much and feels slightly heavier on the skin, it does have that traditional foundation feel.
I tend to reach for the L’Oreal skin tint more just because it feels lighter and more breathable. It also looks better the longer I wear it (it gets slightly dewier), whereas the Maybelline one seems to separate and crease over time (at least on my skin).
I’ve seen lots of great reviews about the Maybelline skin tint, and I’m sure it does work for certain skin types. But if your skin is dry or combination with dry patches, I think the L’Oreal tinted serum may be better suited.
Where can I buy these skin tints?
The L’Oreal tinted serum and the Maybelline skin tint are widely accessible and can be bought from beauty stores on the highstreet, online beauty retailers and even your local supermarket.
Shop the L’Oreal skin tint from:
Or shop the Maybelline skin tint from:
Have you tried the L’Oreal tinted serum or the Maybelline skin tint? Which is your favourite? Or which would you be tempted to buy? Let me know!
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