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What it is: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Dewy SPF 30 provides sheer to light coverage in a buildable, layerable, lightly hydrating formula that contains a combination of chemical and physical sunscreen ingredients.
Price/Quantity: There are two sizes available. The larger one is $50 for 45 ml / 1.5 fl oz and there is also a smaller one that is $25 for 15 ml / 0.5 oz.
Availability: Laura Mercier, Sephora, Ulta, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Amazon
Shade Range: 20 Shades. Looks like a pretty wide range from light to deep. Coverage is sheer to light so choosing a shade that’s a bit “off” will probably still be workable. The undertones for the lighter shades I was choosing from are somewhat “strong”. I could see the pink and yellow tones in them easily.
Packaging: Large squeeze tube with a twist off lid. There is no pump, so you have to gently press on the tube to dispense the amount you want. The product is not too liquidy or too thick, so it’s easy to control how much I dispense. I can leave it laying on its side on the counter while I apply it without worrying that the product will spill out.
Smell/Fragrance: It doesn’t smell fragranced to me but it does have a light version of a typical sunscreen smell. It’s less intense than a true standalone chemical sunscreen and I don’t find it bothersome. The last similar product I tried was the Elf Camo Hydrating CC Cream SPF 30 and I felt that one had a stronger sunscreen smell than this product does.
Expiration/Shelf Life: Mine has an expiration date printed on the top of the squeeze tube of 05/2026 and I purchased it 02/2025. There is no “after opening” shelf life printed on the packaging.
Ingredients: These are the ingredients for the shade I chose. The four deepest shades have another ingredient list that looks mostly the same except for the pigments at the very bottom of the list.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: OCTISALATE 4.5% (SUNSCREEN) OCTOCRYLENE 5.0% (SUNSCREEN) TITANIUM DIOXIDE 0.84% (SUNSCREEN) ZINC OXIDE 3.04% (SUNSCREEN)
All shades except Brunette, Umber, Sable and Mahogany: WATER, DICAPRYLYL ETHER, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, POLYGLYCERYL-3 POLYRICINOLEATE, TRIBEHENIN, GLYCERIN, SILICA, MAGNESIUM STEARATE, SODIUM POTASSIUM ALUMINUM SILICATE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, SORBITAN ISOSTEARATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, PHENOXYETHANOL, ZINC STEARATE, STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE, POLYGLYCERYL-3 DIISOSTEARATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, POTASSIUM SORBATE, MICA, TOCOPHEROL, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, ALPHA-GLUCAN OLIGOSACCHARIDE, POLYMNIA SONCHIFOLIA ROOT JUICE, MALTODEXTRIN, RUBUS IDAEUS (RASPBERRY) LEAF EXTRACT, ROSA HYBRID FLOWER EXTRACT, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) FRUIT EXTRACT, LACTOBACILLUS. +/- (MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR) TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)
Source: Laura Mercier
Performance
Shade: I chose the shade 1C Cameo, which had a noticeable pink tone but was a good depth match. One shade lighter looked more like a true neutral but was too light for me. One shade deeper was a teensy bit warm and slightly too dark for me.
Application: I have been using my fingers for the vast majority of application and only using a brush sparingly at the end to blend out some tricky spots (like near the brows and the corners of my nose). It blends really easily and really well just with my hands. If I had to skip using tools completely that would be just fine.
If you’re using this as sun protection, I found it is possible to layer more over itself later in the day without it looking cakey.
Texture/Consistency/Finish: It has the perfect “medium thick” consistency. It’s not too thin or runny and it’s not mousse-y either. If I squeeze out a dab on the back of my hand and hold my hand up vertically, it doesn’t run down with gravity. At the same time, it feels lightweight and easy to spread over the skin. Once it is completely blended out on the skin it leaves the skin with a slight tack, similar to the way a moisturizer would. It’s not a sticky, greasy, oily feel though. If you are incredibly sensitive to the way things feel, it might feel a bit “heavy”. I’m somewhat sensitive but I don’t feel it is bothersome at all left unset without any powder on top.
It is described as having a “natural dewy” finish and that is the perfect way to put it. It’s not shiny or oily looking but it adds a bit more glow than what my skin has by itself. Looks healthy and natural.
This isn’t a blurring product and I don’t feel it emphasizes or enhances my texture or pores. The texture of my skin for the most part looks like it does without the product, but the color overall is more even which creates the illusion that the skin is smoother.
Coverage: Sheer to light with one layer. I can build it up to a light medium coverage with 2 or 3 layers. The product layers very well over itself without picking up or sheering out previous layers. The coverage this provides is more like a natural skintone evening effect instead of “covering”. It isn’t mask-like. It’s the type of thing that’s easy to wear if you don’t want to apply any other makeup at all whereas with a foundation, I’d feel weird wearing foundation by itself. It does provide a noticeable improvement though.
Longevity: I’ve worn this all day for about 4 days now. What I’ve noticed is that, without any powder, it will develop an intense glow, bordering on shine by the end of the day, but otherwise it stays in place. I haven’t noticed it gathering in lines or looking splotchy near the end of the day. Also haven’t
noticed any oxidation though that’s rarely been an issue for me in general. The level of glow/shine at the end of the day isn’t that bad and I don’t feel self-conscious about it. I’ve set it with powder on a couple of those days and that definitely helped tone down the shine and keep it toned down all day. It still developed more shine as the day went on but to less of a degree.
Pros and Cons
Things I like:
- Great for no-makeup makeup. Looks fine all by itself with no other makeup because of the lighter coverage and natural finish.
- Applies well with just my hands. Tools help but I can skip them if I want.
- Forgiving on texture (so far).
- Is not “too sheer”. Provides a noticeable improvement without looking “makeup-y”.
- It gets along well with my current favorite primer/sunscreen (Supergoop Matte Screen).
Drawbacks and other considerations:
- It has a slight tacky feel to it. Nowhere near as bad as, for example, Elf Power Grip primer, and not something I personally find irritating.
- It might be too dewy for someone with oilier skin. (There is apparently a matte version of this tinted moisturizer as well.)
- Has a light sunscreen smell to it that is not as strong as other sunscreens, but is still noticeable.
Do I Recommend It?
Yes for someone with a drier or more normal skin type that likes super easy/natural looking foundation. If you live near a store where you’re able to get a sample of this to try first, I’d recommend that for someone that maybe has oilier skin or thinks they might prefer a higher coverage product. Personally I do not feel regret purchasing this one.