By Megan Prowd

No matter what your skin concerns are, it’s likely the one absolute must-have in your beauty bag is a great, trustworthy concealer. But as much of a staple as it is, (natural) concealers are not just your average makeup products and shouldn’t be an underestimated step in your daily routine. These little wonder products are serious natural beauty multitaskers – needed to treat conditions like dryness, acne and puffiness, while also staying in place and concealing such sins as dark circles, pigmentation, redness and breakouts, and not clogging pores at the same time, thank you. When you add clean and chemical-free to this list of requirements, it’s no wonder that the search for the perfect natural concealer is so tricky.

Maybe you’re one to embrace your flaws and let them be? But me? Nope, not there yet. I am not ashamed to admit that I do not leave the house without natural concealer – ever. So, in my quest for the elusive long wearing but natural, sheer and yet heavy duty enough to do its job concealer, I have tried more than a few.

For me, the search for the ultimate concealer started with the need to find a way to face the world and cover up a seemingly endless battle with breakouts. Later, in the midst of pregnancies, babies and sleepless nights, my needs shifted to finding something that was capable of hiding dark under eye circles, pregnancy-induced pigmentation and breakouts (lucky me).

Finding a concealer that ticks all the boxes is no easy feat, but it is possible! And when you find such a product, it is worth the investment, as it will help your skin to look its best, no matter which other daily beauty steps you follow. Here is our guide to the best natural concealers out there. 

RMS beauty “Un” Cover-Up

Touted as a concealer-come-foundation, RMS has managed a tiny miracle with this all-natural concealer that covers enough sins that you can wear it alone without foundation on light-makeup days. The creamy consistency, extra staying power and lovely flawless finish are what keep us coming back time and again. Equally good at covering dark under-eye circles, blemishes and even pigmentation, you’ll notice nice even coverage and no caking, although a little bit of creasing might creep in late in the day unless set with a dab of loose powder. As with all RMS beauty products, the hero ingredient is Buriti oil, with other hydrating oils like Jojoba Oil, Cocoa Seed Butter and Raw Coconut Oil to thank for the creamy consistency. It gets extra points from us for the recyclable glass packaging. 

Best for: all over coverage and pigmentation 

ILIA Beauty True Skin Serum Concealer

No beauty routine is complete without a dose of Vitamin C, and if you can get a little extra via your makeup, then all the better. Although it delivers great medium coverage for dark circles and pigmentation, it’s the skin benefits of the Vitamin C in this award-winning, lightweight serum concealer that really got us over the line. While covering up, it also treats the skin and brightens, smooths and evens out skin tone. We love using a little of this alone over an SPF or lightweight primer on patches of redness and pigmentation, for flawless and natural looking coverage on no makeup days. 

Best for: brightening and dry skin 

Nude by Nature Perfecting Concealer

This small-format liquid concealer is perfect to pop in your handbag for touch-ups on the go. Readily available and surprisingly good for a pharmacy brand (and at a price point that our wallets love), this lightweight, natural concealer is hard to beat for covering dark under-eye circles. This low-cost option seems far more luxe than its tiny price suggests, and manages to stay put throughout the day, although it won’t last as well as some of the others on this list, but for the price, we’re not even mad about it. 

Best for: touch ups on the go 

W3LL People Bio Correct Concealer 

As much a skin treatment as a makeup, this full-coverage concealer does some serious heavy lifting, and we really love a multitasking beauty product. Infused with plenty of plant-based ingredients like aloe, olive oil, pomegranate and caffeine, the list of skin-healing benefits is long and includes such miracles as soothing inflammation, hydrating, protecting against free radicals and – our personal favourite – reducing puffiness around the eye area thanks to the inclusion of caffeine, hooray! But as much as we love the skin benefits, it’s also a radically good concealer that blends in seamlessly, dries to a matte finish and stays on all day, without creasing.  

Best for: skin treating coverups

bareMinerals barePro

It would hardly be possible for me to overstate my love for this product – as a long-suffering victim of breakouts, this is a holy grail concealer. With gentle, skin-healing ingredients and yet heavy duty enough to cover up dark circles, major skin flareups and redness from both active spots and scarring, this concealer is really built to withstand the elements and stay put. It promises 16-hours of coverage (and I’m happy to confirm this claim), and is also waterproof, crease and smudge proof and even humidity resistant – making it the perfect year-round coverup. The star ingredient here is Kaolin clay, which absorbs excess oil and is a tonic for acne-prone skin with its mild anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. 

Best for: acne cover ups

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