The 14 Best Concealers for Covering Acne Scars
Photos: Courtesy of Brands
EtherArts Product Photography1/14Clove & Hallow Conceal + Correct
This vegan and cruelty-free concealer is a green beauty pick that offers medium-to-full coverage. It's also a favorite of makeup artist Benjamin Puckey, who loves "how smooth and spreadable [it] is. For a non-toxic brand, they're super long-wearing and the coverage is amazing." This liquid concealer comes in 10 shades, which range from pale to very deep.
$18 (Shop Now)
2/14Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof 12-Hour Concealer
This formula is super buildable, making it ideal for adding a little (or a lot) of extra coverage around scars. Plus, it's spiked with Tarte's iconic Amazonian Clay, which is a soothing treat for skin.
$25 (Shop Now)
3/14Dermablend Quick-Fix Concealer
"The first time I used this was on a model with significant acne scarring and it completely concealed everything," says Robin Black, a makeup artist and the founder of the website Beauty Is Boring. That means, of course, that this stuff is heavy. "It's the type of concealer used on film sets for extreme coverage," says Black, who uses a small, pointed concealer brush to dab it over each scar before patting lightly with her finger.
$25 (Shop Now)
4/14Make Up for Ever Ultra Hd Concealer
Not every acne scar needs a super thick concealer. If you're mainly dealing with discoloration and a few dark spots, this is your new BFF. A staple in Oquendo's kit, the formula is sheer, buildable, and insanely creamy, so you can easily blend it over larger blotchy areas or dab it on a dark mark to immediately disguise it.
$27 (Shop Now)
5/14It Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Concealer
The big, fluffy, doe-foot on this applicator makes concealing — dare we say — fun? In addition to being incredibly opaque and buildable, this formula is spiked with blemish-busting ingredients to keep any new zits at bay.
$28 (Shop Now)
6/14Urban Decay All Nighter Full-Coverage Waterproof Concealer
You can never have too much of a good thing, right? The latest from Urban Decay is a riff on their super popular long-wear foundation, and boy, does it last. This super opaque formula can be easily dotted on pesky ghosts of blemishes past and stay in place until sunrise the next day. Plus, this formula is totally waterproof, so it's a no-brainer for pool parties, sweaty 3 A.M. dancing, and anything involving (happy) tears. A little goes a looong way, so one tube of this stuff lasts and lasts.
$29 (Shop Now)
7/14Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer
This is an Allure Best of Beauty winner and one that our editors all hoard for its ability to melt into the skin with a seamless finish but full-on coverage. Those talents happen to make it a popular makeup artist pick as well.
Says Puckey of this sauce: "I love the creamy texture of the Soft Matte Complete Concealer by Nars because it has such an extensive shade range. It applies very easily and dries down to a long-wearing matte finish. I recently worked with a model suffering from a bad case of inflamed hormonal acne and this concealer covered it up perfectly."
$30 (Shop Now)
8/14Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer
"This can cover up just about anything," says makeup artist Vincent Oquendo. "It's incredibly emollient and blends easily, so it never looks cakey on pockmarked skin." Concealer pots generally offer thicker coverage, so to create a lighter finish, Oquendo suggests using a large, clean blush brush (his favorite: Gucci Blush Brush 11) instead of a standard concealer brush to pick up and buff the concealer into your skin.
$35 (Shop Now)
9/14Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation
"This can cover up just about anything," says Oquendo. "It's incredibly emollient and blends easily, so it never looks cakey on pockmarked skin." Concealer pots generally offer thicker coverage, so to create a lighter finish, Oquendo suggests using a large, clean blush brush (his favorite: Gucci Blush Brush 11) instead of a standard concealer brush to pick up and buff the concealer into your skin.
$35 (Shop Now)
10/14Charlotte Tilbury the Retoucher Conceal & Treat Stick
Another favorite in the lightweight family, this click-brush pen has a formula that's "really smooth and velvety, so you don't need to buff out the edges to make it look natural," says Oquendo. And we love the fact that you can keep one in your purse or at your desk for quick touch-ups, without needing to lug around a brush, a primer, and a powder to get the job done.
$35 (Shop Now)
11/14Dermaflage Acne Scar Filler
This stuff is one step beyond concealer. Formulated as an alternative to dermatological fillers, it literally fills in indentations caused by scars with a layer of smoothing silicone, creating an even surface for the rest of your makeup.
$40 (Shop Now)
12/14Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup For Face and Body SPF 15
OK, so technically this is more of a foundation, but the formula is so full-on that you can use a teeny bit of it as a spot concealer if you're not after a full-face look. "I've been using the Estée Lauder Maximum Cover Foundation for years as an incredibly high coverage concealer," Puckey says, of this concentrated liquid formula. "Unfortunately, the shade range is very limited but it's amazing for discoloration and even tattoos."
It's so full-coverage and waterproof that Puckey says it needs to be removed with a "proper cleanser" if you want to get every last bit of it off at the end of the day.
$42 (Shop Now)
13/14Kevyn Aucoin the Sensual Skin Enhancer
As with all of the best things in life — hair spray, glitter, spandex — a little goes a long way with this concealer. "The formula is a bit too heavy for all over the face, but since it's so pigmented, it's excellent when used in tiny amounts to cover acne scars," says Black. "Dab the smallest amount imaginable on your scar, then quickly press it into the skin with your fingers to blend and set it."
$48 (Shop Now)
14/14Clé De Peau Beauté Concealer
There's a reason why this medium-coverage concealer is a favorite among makeup artists: The texture is ridiculously creamy, making it a breeze to blend over uneven skin. If your scars are still new and bright, layer this concealer over a sheer color corrector, like Sephora Collection + Pantone Universe Correct + Conceal Palette in a shade of peach, tangerine, or dark orange to tone down the brightness, since "acne scars tend to be dark with cool undertones," says Black.
$70 (Shop Now)
