I tested the top seven clean setting powders that are talc-free and toxin-free to take the guesswork out for you. The best ones help lock in your foundation, keep shine under control, reduce the appearance of pores and leave skin with an airbrushed finish.

I compare each non-toxic setting powder so you can find the right one for your skin type and budget while still achieving that flawless, filter-like finish. To learn the pros and cons of each type of makeup setting powder, what ingredients to avoid and a comparison of each product I tested, keep reading.

Types of Clean Setting Powders

Below I’ll explain the different types of setting powders from loose to pressed and finishing to translucent along with their unique benefits and drawbacks.

• Loose Setting Powder are loose particles that feel airy and are more breathable on the skin.
  • How it feels: Fine, loose particles.
  • How to apply: Loose setting powder is applied with a fluffy brush or a puff, typically after foundation to set makeup. If you have dry or mature skin, use a fluffy brush. If you have oily skin, use a powder puff and press into skin.
  • What it does: It absorbs excess oil and locks in cream and liquid foundation and concealer for longer wear, giving a matte or natural finish. It’s great for achieving a lightweight, airbrushed look.
• Pressed Setting Powder is solidified powder that’s great for on-the-go touch-ups.
  • How it feels: The loose powder is compacted into solid form.
  • How to apply: Pressed powder is easier to apply with a sponge or brush, more travel-friendly and mess-free than loose powder.
  • What it does: It sets makeup similarly to loose powder but provides more control and is convenient for touch-ups on the go. It can offer a slightly heavier finish compared to loose powder.
• Finishing Powder:
  • How it feels: Can be loose or pressed but is typically finer than setting powders.
  • How to apply: Applied after setting powder and foundation, often with a light brush to blur imperfections.
  • What it does: Gives the skin a smooth, perfected finish by minimizing the appearance of pores and fine lines. It’s more about providing a soft-focus effect rather than setting the makeup for longevity.
• Translucent Powder: This is a type of finishing powder that’s colorless (some setting powders have added color). It works to absorb shine and blur the appearance of pores, fine lines and blemishes. Some translucent powders can cause flashback in photos or look chalky on deeper skin tones.

Ingredients to Avoid in Setting Powders

Always choose talc-free, fragrance-free, and non-comedogenic setting powder. It’s SO important to avoid ingredients that can cause irritation, clog pores, or worsen the health of your skin, especially since loose face powders can easily enter the nasal passageways. Here are some ingredients to watch out for:

• Talc: Talc can sometimes be contaminated with asbestos, which is a known carcinogen.
• Parabens: These are preservatives that may cause hormonal disruptions and have been linked to potential long-term health concerns. Look for paraben-free options.
• Bismuth Oxychloride: This ingredient can cause irritation or breakouts for those with sensitive skin or acne-prone skin. It’s also known to cause a heavy, itchy feeling.
• Fragrance/Perfume: Synthetic fragrances can be irritating, especially for sensitive skin. Opt for fragrance-free powders to reduce the risk of irritation or allergic reactions.
• Mineral Oil and Petrolatum: These are occlusive agents that can clog pores and lead to breakouts, particularly in those with oily or acne-prone skin.
• Artificial Dyes: Some setting powders use synthetic colorants that can cause irritation or allergic reactions, especially for sensitive skin.

A Note on Makeup Flashback

If you’re not familiar with makeup flashback, it’s when white patches on the skin show up in flash photos. Setting powders tend to have flashback-causing ingredients like silica. Silica works to scatter light at different angles and give skin a blurred, mattified texture except when faced with direct flash from cameras. Some setting powders cause more makeup flashback than others, so if you need to be wearing makeup where flash photography will be present, opt for one with no flashback.

Best Clean Setting Powders Compared

I Tried ILIA Soft Focus Finishing Powder

ILIA’s translucent finishing powder is super finely milled and has a simple ingredients list making it perfect for sensitive skin. Because it’s a finishing powder it works more to provide a soft, natural-looking finish rather than make your makeup last all day. It feels super airy, breathable and lightweight on the skin and helps give my cream makeup a softer more natural looking finish. As a finishing powder, it’s not as heavy duty as the other clean setting powders and doesn’t work to blur blemishes or imperfections. Ilia also has one of the most skincare-centric formulas compared to other non-toxic setting powders. The main ingredient is organic corn starch and it’s further infused with organic castor seed oil, bamboo stem extract, organic sunflower seed oil, passionflower extract, organic rosemary, aloe and Vitamin E. I’m pretty impressed by all the botanicals they packed into this product!

Price: $36 for 0.32 oz
How it looks: soft-focus finish
Shades available: comes in one colorless shade
Key ingredients: Organic corn starch, castor seed oil, aloe, bamboo, rosemary
✔ Talc free ✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ No flashback

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I Tried 100% Pure Bamboo Blur Powder

100 Percent Pure’s Bamboo Blur powder is the HEALTHIEST setting powder on the clean beauty market. It’s loaded with the most skin-beneficial actives compared to any other non-toxic setting powder. I love the antioxidant-rich formula and how it sets and blurs without every looking powdery. The powder is super finely milled and soft and works seamlessly at controlling shine and setting makeup. It’s a close call between 100% Pure and ILIA’s as my top favorite pick. The only downside to 100% Pure’s is that you get a little less product than the average amount.

Price: $42 for 0.2 oz
How it looks: Mattified, soft-focus finish
Shades available (4): Translucent, Light, Medium, Tan
Key ingredients: Bamboo Silica, Papaya, Green Tea, Apricot, Turmeric, Cocoa Bean, Peach Pigment
✔ Talc free ✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ No flashback

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I Tried Saie Airset Loose Setting Powder

Saie’s loose setting powder feels soooo velvety and soft. Even though it’s called translucent it still has a bit of a beige tint to it. The ingredients are very simple and it doesn’t have nearly as many skincare actives as other clean beauty setting powders at a similar price point. This does a great job at mattifying, blurring imperfections keeping shine and oil at bay and providing that soft-focus, natural looking finish. It feels sooo airy and lightweight too. I love how this performs but it falls short in both the value for money and ingredient quality criteria. While the size of the packaging looks normal, Saie Beauty’s contains less than half the amount of product of other clean setting powders (and a quarter of Honest Beauty’s).

Price: $39 for 0.14 oz
How it looks: Natural, airbrushed finish
Shades available (3): Translucent, Translucent Medium, Translucent Deep
Key ingredients: Squalane, Ethically sourced Mica
✔ Talc free ✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ No flashback

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I Tried Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder (Best for Dry Skin!)

This has got a fantastic skincare-forward formula that contains a blend of moisturizing oils, bamboo stem extract to absorb excess oil, passionfruit extract and peony extract. I love this formula because it feels so buttery and moisturizing and never looks cakey or dry. It gives my skin a very natural finish versus matte but still absorbs shine. Kosas’ setting powder is SO good for dry skin girlies and people who don’t love dealing with loose powders. Overall, this works well at setting makeup and giving a filter-like finish that isn’t too matte, so skin can still look glowy.

Price: $36 for 0.33 oz
How it looks: Natural, dimensional finish that isn’t too matte
Shades available: 10 shades
Key ingredients: Bamboo stem extract, passionfruit leaf extract, peony extract
✔ Talc free ✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ Non-comedogenic

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I Tried Well People Superpowder Brightening Powder

Well People’s Superpowder Brightening Powder is a pressed translucent powder that sets makeup and blurs imperfections. I find this to be a fantastic budget dupe to Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder. It doesn’t feel AS buttery and moisturizing but still performs just as well in my experience. It absorbs excess oil but doesn’t leave my skin a flat matte. I love that it’s not as mattifying as some other clean setting powders. It gives me a super natural and smooth finish that still lets my skin glow underneath. I find that it hard pans easily so I need to scrape it to get it working again. For a budget product I’m impressed that it’s got quite a few high-performance skincare actives like Niacinamide and Squalane.

Price: $22 for 0.32 oz
How it looks: Semi-matte natural finish
Shades available: Pearl (translucent) and Petal (Warm Champagne Glow)
Key ingredients: Olive-derived squalane, corn starch, lactic acid, niacinamide
✔ Talc free ✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ No flashback

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I Tried Fitglow Beauty Bamboo Hyaluronic Loose Setting Powder

Fitglow has just 4 super clean and simple ingredients including organic rice starch, bamboo extract and sodium hyaluronate. Because there are no synthetic ingredients it doesn’t have quite the same velvety, buttery texture that other clean setting powders have. It’s still quite soft and finely milled. I looove the way it smoothes out my skin, controls shine and sets my makeup for the entire day. Fitglow’s setting powder is great for all skin types, including problem-prone skin and acne-prone skin.

Price: $28 for 0.3 oz
How it looks: Blurred, smooth finish
Shades available: comes in one colorless shade
Key ingredients: Bamboo extract, Organic Rice Starch, Sodium Hyaluronate
✔ Organic plant actives ✔ Talc free ✔ Vegan ✔ Certified Cruelty-free ✔ No flashback

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I Tried Honest Beauty Invisible Blurring Loose Powder (Best value for money!)

Honest Beauty’s loose setting powder is the perfect budget friendly dupe to Saie Beauty’s Airset Setting Powder! I find that they have the exact same texture and finish. This feels super velvety and lays on the skin well without feeling heavy, dry or cakey. I appreciate that it feels weightless, blurs blemishes and doesn’t settle into fine lines. This has one of the simplest ingredients list out of all the clean setting powders I tried but it’s also super duper clean and natural. I would recommend this for all skin types, including acne prone and sensitive skin. I don’t know why, because there’s no natural fragrance added, but it smells a bit like yogurt to me. Honest Beauty also gives the most value for money with the waay more product than any other low-tox setting powder and for under $25.

Price: $24 for 0.56 oz
How it looks: airbrushed, matte finish
Shades available: comes in one shade
Key ingredients: Corn Starch, Rice Starch
✔ Talc free ✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ No flashback ✔ EWG Verified

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