The Best Alternatives To Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter

Over the past few years of speaking with makeup artists, one product seems to be mentioned over and over again: Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter. Described as a “Glow Booster” by the brand, it’s slightly hard to describe until you try it for yourself — it looks like a foundation, but what it really does is give your skin a dewy, luminous glow and even out your complexion a bit, without actually covering anything up. That said, at $49, it requires a bit of an investment. That’s where the best Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter alternatives come in, offering similar, multi-purpose formulas for a fraction of the price.

Part of what makes Hollywood Flawless Filter (HFF) so coveted is the formula, which uses a combination of finely milled powders, smoothing polymers, and squalane to give skin a healthy, radiant finish. That’s a hard act to follow. But many of the alternatives here still use a few of those same key ingredients, including finely milled powders that blur the appearance of pores and moisturizers like squalane that keep skin dewy. They also include plenty of other good-for-skin ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and shea butter.

Another thing that makes HFF so unique is that it can be used several ways. Some people use it in lieu of foundation as a base, or before foundation as primer; others mix it in with their foundation for a glowier end result. Additionally, some use it over foundation on targeted areas, like their cheekbones, instead of highlighter (HFF doesn’t contain any shimmer, but it does give your skin a gorgeous sheen). Not all of the products below are quite as versatile, but they do deliver similar results. So without further ado, scroll on to shop five cheaper alternatives to Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter.

Shop The Best Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter Alternatives

In a hurry? Here are the best Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter Alternatives:

1. The Overall Best Flawless Filter Alternative: e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter
2. Best Flawless Filter Alternative Under $5: Wet N Wild Bare Focus Tinted Hydrator Tinted Skin Veil
3. Best Flawless Filter Alternative With SPF: IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation + Glow Serum
4. Best Flawless Filter Alternative That Applies Like A Concealer: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Perfector 4-In-1 Glow Makeup
5. Best Mix-In To Give Your Foundation A Flawless Filter Effect: L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer

1. Editor’s Pick: The Overall Best Flawless Filter Alternative

Bustle beauty editor Adeline Duff is a self-proclaimed Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter loyalist. “But to get more mileage out of my beloved, but pricey bottle of HFF, I alternate with e.l.f’s Halo Glow Liquid Filter,” she says, noting that she’s “even been known to mix the two.” Duff isn’t the only one who swears by this product as an alternative to Flawless Filter — in a now-viral TikTok video, makeup artist Danielle Marcan called it “exactly the same product for like half the price.” Duff, however, wouldn’t call it exactly the same — “I think the e.l.f. version gives you more coverage, and feels more comparable to a lightweight foundation,” she says. “Charlotte’s version is sheerer, and really just gives your skin an incomparable radiance without looking like you’re wearing any makeup at all.” Both products can be used as an all-over base, as a dewy, shimmer-free highlighter, or mixed in with your foundation to amp up your skin’s glow.

Available Shades: 8 Shared Ingredients With Flawless Filter: Squalane, Glycerin, Finely Milled Powders Other Beneficial Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Sunflower Seed Oil, Vitamin E, Calendula Flower Extract Size: 1.06 oz. Cruelty-Free: Yes

Relevant Review: “I love this. I’ve always wanted to try the Charlotte tilbury flawless filter but didn’t like the price. So when I found out elf had [an alternative], I bought it straight away and it’s not let me down! Blends seamlessly and gives the perfect natural glow! Will deffo buy more.”

2. Best Flawless Filter Alternative Under $5

A drugstore favorite with nearly 10,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, this under-$5 (!!!) tinted moisturizer is packed with squalane, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin to plump up and hydrate your skin while still giving you buildable, sheer-to-medium coverage. Despite the nourishing ingredients, this tinted formula gives you a semi-matte finish, making it a solid choice for anyone who’s prone to oily, shiny skin by mid-day. It’s also cruelty-free, vegan, and fragrance-free for anyone who’s particular about the ingredients that go into (and more importantly, are left out of) their beauty products.

Available Shades: 9 Shared Ingredients With Flawless Filter: Squalane, Glycerin Other Beneficial Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid Size: 0.9 oz. Cruelty-Free: Yes

Relevant Review: “This is a really good product. It has great coverage and makes my skin look flawless without looking like I’m wearing makeup.”

3. Best Flawless Filter Alternative With SPF

Okay, this pick isn’t exactly going to save you money, but it includes something even Charlotte Tilbury’s magical formula is missing: sunscreen. IT Cosmetics’ CC+ Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation + Glow Serum is infused with broad-spectrum SPF 40, while the medium coverage CC cream works like a foundation to even out your skin and camouflage imperfections. This CC cream also works to improve your skin’s texture and tone over time thanks to ingredients like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and snail mucin. This one does contain fragrance, but it’s still been dermatologist tested, is noncomedogenic (aka, it won’t clog your pores), and contains skin-soothing green tea extract.

Available Shades: 19 Shared Ingredients With Flawless Filter: Glycerin Other Beneficial Ingredients: Niacinamide, Snail Mucin, Hyaluronic Acid, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Vitamin E Size: 1.08 oz. Cruelty-Free: Yes

Relevant Review: “I can’t believe how well it matches my skin! Gives me a natural looking dewy glow. Just the right amount of coverage, doesn’t even look like you’re wearing makeup. Now I understand why it says ‘your skin, but butter.’ It’s definitely worth the $.”

4. Best Flawless Filter Alternative That Can Be Used As Concealer

Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter uses a doe-foot applicator to give you more control over how much product you dab on and where you apply it. Similarly, Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Perfector 4-In-1 Glow Makeup uses a sponge-tip applicator so that you can swipe the multi-tasking formula on wherever you want it, whether that’s along your cheekbones, under your eyes, or all over your face. The light-coverage makeup has been compared to Flawless Filter on TikTok and YouTube, though it won’t give you quite as much of a glow (that’s because it includes mattifying kaolin and silica in addition to hydrating hyaluronic acid and shea butter).

Available Shades: 8 Shared Ingredients With Flawless Filter: Glycerin Other Beneficial Ingredients: Shea Butter, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E Size: 0.68 oz. Cruelty-Free: No

Relevant Review: “This stuff is my ride or die no makeup makeup staple! I use this more than I do my regular foundation. It doesn’t provide much coverage, but it filters the skin and gives amazing dewy hydration! I use this instead of my Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter! It’s so affordable and gives the exact same results! Such a staple in my collection!”

5. Best Mix-In To Give Your Foundation A Flawless Filter Effect

If a glow is what you’re after, this L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion will give you the most radiant finish when mixed into your favorite foundation (or, similar to Flawess Filter, you can also apply it underneath as a primer or over your foundation as a targeted highlighter). This isn’t going to give you coverage the way a sheer foundation or CC cream would, but it will help to hydrate your skin as it adds a shimmery, luminous finish. The most highly rated alternative on the list, L’Oréal’s Glotion has more than 15,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, with dozens of reviewers comparing it to Flawless Filter.

Available Shades: 4 Shared Ingredients With Flawless Filter: Mica, Glycerin Other Beneficial Ingredients: Shea Butter, Jojoba Esters Size: 1.35 oz. Cruelty-Free: No

Relevant Review: “I bought this because I kept seeing on TikTok that girls were saying this was a great [alternative to] the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, so I had to try it for myself. They aren’t wrong! The L’Oréal item is a thinner consistency but overall it adds the same dewiness to the face and a little bit of color.”