3 Dermatologist-Approved DIY Tinted Moisturizer Recipes to Try at Home

When it comes to face makeup, foundation and concealer often get all the praise, but that’s not to say that other face makeup products aren’t equally as worthy of your attention. Case in point: tinted moisturizer. 

Tinted moisturizers are exactly as they sound—hydrating products that have a slight tint to make skin look its absolute best. They’re less about full coverage and more about letting your natural skin shine through while still acting as a slight filter. 

While beauty stores and drugstores have plenty of tinted moisturizer options to choose from, we’re here to let you in on a little secret: You can whip up your own tinted moisturizer with items already in your home. And while one surefire way is to add a bit of your foundation to your favorite foundation, there are a few other ways (that boast more skin benefits) to DIY a tinted moisturizer recipe.

Don’t believe us? We chatted with S.W. Basics founder and Skin Cleanse author Adina Grigore to get three efficacious DIY tinted moisturizer recipes (one for dark, one for medium, and one for light skin tones). And, to back her up, we had board-certified cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick weigh in on all the benefits of the color-perfecting kitchen items Grigore recommends. 

Ahead you’ll find five different DIY tinted moisturizer recipes geared toward dark, medium, and light skin tones, as well as common red and blue undertones.

Meet the Expert

• Adina Grigore is a natural beauty expert, the founder of S.W. Basics, and the author of Skin Cleanse.
• Dr. Marisa Garshick is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in medical and cosmetic dermatology in New York City.

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For Dark Skin Tones: Clove-Based Tinted Moisturizer

Alternatively, if you have cool blue undertones, Grigore says that sprinkling ginger into any of the three recipes above can help balance them out. 

As you may have guessed, ginger does more than just fine-tune the color of the tinted moisturizer. According to Garshick, it’s a rejuvenating ingredient that can relieve inflammation. “Additionally it contains antioxidants, specifically gingerol, which not only helps to fight free radical damage but also can even skin tone, making it a good option for those with blemishes or discoloration,” she says.

A Final Word

See? Creating quality tinted moisturizers at home isn’t so difficult after all. Grigore wants folks to know that these recipes are totally customizable. Which is to say that, if you like the sound of the benefits of a particular light-, medium-, or dark-recommended ingredient, you can always try to mix a little (or a lot) into your moisturizer to achieve the color you’re aiming for. After all, since those are all brown, they can be tailored to various neutral hues. 

While these tinted moisturizer recipes absolutely can benefit the skin, Garshick admits that you should exercise caution when using kitchen ingredients on your skin, as you don’t want to cause any unnecessary sensitivity or irritation to the skin. Good news though: She says that those side effects typically only coincide with high concentrations of kitchen ingredients, so sprinkling a little here and there shouldn’t hurt. Nevertheless, if you do experience any sort of irritation, be sure to keep the ingredients you used on hand so that you know what to tell your dermatologist if need be. 

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