Japanese beauty products are popular worldwide. From skin care to makeup, there are thousands of classic and the latest cosmetics items on the market, and many great beauty items are sold at Japanese drugstores at affordable prices.

Out of various Japanese makeup products, I’d especially like to recommend you to try makeup primers. As I noticed, most Japanese girls’ skin look perfectly beautiful and flawless in any weather condition. Especially, Japan has very hot and humid summer, but their skin really look matte and smooth, and I think the secret of the beauty is their base makeup, and the key is the make primer.

In this article, I’d like to share some of the most popular Japanese makeup primers including award winners and trendy products which can be easily found at Japanese drugstores. If you wish your skin to look perfect throughout the day, I’d suggest you to try out these primers!

*Please note that this article contains affiliate links.

Makeup Primers

Before checking products, let’s talk and learn about makeup primers a bit more. As I mentioned that makeup primers are commonly used for covering pores and keeping foundation to stay longer, but there are makeup primers that have different effects and benefits such as fixing uneven skin tone, adding a luster and covering dark marks. Makeup primers are available in many variations now, with different colours and effects so when you choosing a makeup primer, it is important to pick a product that fits your skin tone and cover your skin concern. If you are not sure about what type or colour of primer to choose, here is some primer tips with how they work on different skin types.

Yellow: Covers color unevenness and dullness of the skin, and helps skin look healthier. It’s the most commonly used primer colour for Asian skin

Pink: Boosts radiance and creates healthier and brighter looking skin

Green: Covering the redness of the skin and acne scars

Orange: Effective for age spots such as dark circle and marks

Blue: Covers dullness and brightens up the skin tone (not recommended for fair/pale skin)

Purple: Brightens up dull or yellow skin tones and creates a clear and glowy look

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1. SOFINA Primavista Long Keep Base UV

SOFINA Primavista Long Keep Base UV (ソフィーナ プリマヴィスタ 皮脂くずれ防止 化粧下地) is a multiple award winner including the most honorable title, the “Hall of Fame” of the Best Cosmetics Awards by @cosme.

This makeup primer has been the no.1 selling base makeup products in Japan for the past decade. It’s specially popular among those who have oily skin or combination skin. It’s incredibly durable and long lasting, and it’s also resistant to sebum and sweat, does not cause crease or smudge of foundation, yet moisturizes the skin throughout the day. It has light and smooth texture with light beige colour. (SPF20/PA++)

Price: 2,800 yen (25 ml) 【Buy it Now】

2. CEZANNE Make Keep Base

CEZANNE is one of the most popular drugstore cosmetics brands in Japan that produces trendy and great quality makeup products at very affordable prices. CEZANNE Make Keep Base (セザンヌ 皮脂テカリ防止下地) is one of their top selling beauty products that has won various beauty awards including @cosme The Best Cosmetics Awards for the best makeup primer.

The primer contains sebum control ingredients that help to prevent makeup from smudging and creasing, and keeps the skin smooth and matte. It’s water and sweat proof, and blended with makeup long-lasting ingredients. Despite the longevity, it does not dry out on the skin. The primer is available with two colours: Pink Beige and Light Blue. (SPF28/PA++ )

Price: 600 yen (30 ml)【Buy it Now】

3. MAQuillAGE Dramatic Skin Sensor Base EX

MAQuillAGE is a popular makeup brand by Shiseido company and it has produced numbers of great makeup products. It’s one of the top favourite makeup brands among Japanese users.

MAQuillAGE Dramatic Skin Sensor Base EX (マキアージュ ドラマティックスキンセンサーベース EX) is a makeup base that can be used all year around. It features “Skin Moisturizing Sensor Powder” that controls the balance of moisture and sebum of the skin. It absorbs excess sebum and sweat, keeps the skin poreless and shine-free, and helps makeup to stay for long hours. It also protect the skin from dryness and retains skin’s moisture level depending on the environment. Natural type and Tone-up type are available. (SPF25/PA+++)

Price: 2,600 yen (25 ml)【Buy it Now】

4. ESPRIQUE Perfect Keep Base

ESPRIQUE is a Japanese makeup brand run by KOSE. The brand offers elegant, trendy and high-function makeup products which are popular among users in a wide range of generation.

ESPRIQUE Perfect Keep Base (エスプリーク パーフェクト キープ ベース) is a long-wearing makeup primer that transforms sebum and sweat smooth and matte. It prevents smudging, and keeps the skin looking fresh and beautiful over 13 hours. It’s formulated with pore care ingredients, blackhead cover powder and foundation lasting ingredients which covers pores and improves foundation application. (SPF25/PA++)

Price: 2,600 yen (30g)【Buy it Now】

5. excel Glow Luminizer UV

excel is one of the most popular drugstore cosmetics brands in Japan, offering trendy and edgy makeup products with the concept of “Tokyo Rich Casual”. It’s the favourite makeup brand among beauty editors and bloggers in Tokyo.

excel Glow Luminizer UV (excel グロウルミナイザーUV) is their best selling makeup primer which contains 6 kinds of glowing pearl particles. It highlights the skin, and gives a dewy finish. You can also mix it with your foundation to illuminate the skin. It’s long lasting with a high sebum absorption and helps the foundation to stay long. It’s blended with beauty oils that protect the skin from dryness. It’s available with three shades: Pink, Beige and Blue. (SPF28/PA+++)

Price: 1,700 yen (35 g)【Buy it Now】

6. Paul & Joe Protecting Foundation Primer

Paul & Joe Beaute is a cosmetics brand run by the Japanese cosmetics company Albion, inspired by a Parisian fashion designer Sophie Mechaly’s Paul & Joe clothing line. The brand offers simple yet highly effective beauty products with chic and elegant packaging.

Paul & Joe Protecting Foundation Primer (ポール ＆ ジョープロテクティング ファンデーション プライマー) is an award-winning makeup primer which is lightweight and moisturizing. It contains skin fit oil that adheres to the skin and maintains the fresh look. It covers pores and dullness of the skin and create clear and naturally glowing skin while protecting from UV rays with powerful SPF and PA rates. Beauty ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and orange flower water are blended to keep the skin moisturized. (SPF50+/PA++++)

Price:  yen (30ml)【Buy it Now】

7. KISS Matte Chiffon UV Whitening Base

KISS is a popular drugstore cosmetics brand in Japan by ISEHAN which is a producer of several cult-favourite makeup products like KISS ME Heroine Make Mascara and Eyeliner.

KISS Matte Chiffon UV Whitening Base (KISS マットシフォンUVホワイトニングベース) is a  makeup primer that creates the matte and smooth skin, specially recommended for oily skin type. This mattifying makeup primer has a great coverage that hides acne, dark spots and unevenness on the skin, and absorbs excess sebum. It’s long lasting and keeps skin the look smooth and flawless for all day. It contains active skin whitening ingredients which suppress the melatonin production. Available in 2 shades: Natural Matte and Matte Beige (SPF26/PA++ )

Price: 1,600 yen (37 g)【Buy it Now】

8. DECORTE Rosy Glowrizer

Decorte is a Japanese luxury skin care and makeup brand that offers high quality and innovative products based on ancient Easter medicine combined with cutting-edge scientific research.

Decorte Rosy Glowrizer (デコルテ ロージー グロウライザー) is a makeup primer that creates a natural glow and radiant skin. It’s moist like a beauty serum and smoothly spread on the skin. It instantly covers visible pores, fixes uneven skin tone and illuminates the skin naturally. It also makes your foundation last longer.

Price: 3,520 yen (30ml)

9. SANA Nameraka Honpo Skin Care UV

SANA Nameraka Honpo is a top-selling drugstore skin care brand in Japan, offering a wide variety of effective yet affordable skin care products blended with soy isoflavones. The brand has two multi-functional makeup primers that acts as toner, beauty serum, emulsion, cream, sunscreen and makeup base.

SANA Nemeraka Honpo Skin Care UV Base (サナ なめらか本舗 スキンケアUV下地) is a low-irritant and non-chemical makeup primer that contains 82% beauty ingredients including highly moisturizing fermented soy milk essence. It also has skin colour-correcting effect and contains sebum absorbing powder to prevent makeup from smudging.

SANA Nameraka Honpo Medicated White Skin Care UV Base (サナ なめらか本舗 薬用美白スキンケアUV下地) is a skin-brightening makeup primer that contains arbutin (active whitening ingredient) and rough skin prevention ingredients in addition to the brand’s signature fermented soy milk essence. It features a tone-up effect to add clarity to the skin and sebum absorbing powder.

SPF40/PA+++

Price: 1,100 yen (50g)【Shop Online: Skin Care/White Skin Care】

10. LUNASOL COLOR PRIMER

LUNASOL is a cosmetics brand by Kanebo, one of leading cosmetics companies in Japan. The brand offers a variety of trendy and innovative skin care and makeup products including highly-pigmented eyeshadow, water-rich foundation and nourishing moisturizer.

LUNASOL COLOR PRIMER (ルナソル カラープライマー) is an amazing foundation primer to correct skin tone and give a radiant complexion. The primer has smooth texture and is easy to apply all over the face with a small amount. There are two shades available: Warm Pink that creates healthy-looking skin tone and Soft Yellow that adds clarity to the skin. It’s blended with moisturizing ingredients that keeps your skin moist and radiant even during winter.

Price: 3,850 yen (30ml)

How did you enjoy? These makeup primers can be found at Japanese drugstores easily and most of them are really affordable! Hope you can find a perfect makeup primers for you!

For more popular Japanese makeup products in different categories? Then please check out these articles, too!

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