Benefit the POREfessional Matte Primer for oily acne-prone skin
Cyclopentasiloxane
Dimethicone
Vinyl Dimethicone Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other products fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate mattifying for your oily skin due to silica and dimethicone, which absorb excess oil and blur pores, but lacks targeted ingredients to address your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The formula is highly suitable for oily skin, providing general mattifying benefits.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
People Say
★4.2Overall rating based on 10.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this primer is highly regarded by users with oily and combination skin for its ability to instantly blur pores and create a smooth, matte canvas for makeup. It excels at extending makeup wear and reducing shine. Individuals with very dry skin or those sensitive to silicone-based textures may find it less suitable.
Highlights
Instant pore blurring Mostly Mentioned
- “Blurs pores instantly”
- “skin looks smoother”
- “pores look minimized”
Effective oil control Often Mentioned
- “Keeps oil down”
- “prevents shiny face”
- “great for oily skin”
Extends makeup wear Often Mentioned
- “Makeup stays put”
- “held on for hours”
- “foundation doesn't move”
Velvety skin texture Sometimes Noted
- “Feels like velvet”
- “smooths out skin”
- “soft finish”
Can be drying Sometimes Noted
- “Sucks out moisture”
- “too drying”
- “causes dry patches”
Expensive for size Sometimes Noted
- “Somewhat pricey”
- “expensive for size”
- “not worth cost”
Not for dry skin Sometimes Noted
- “Discourage if very dry”
- “not for dry types”
- “felt too heavy”
Pore coverage limits Rarely Noted
- “Doesn't fill all”
- “still noticeable pores”
- “not dramatic enough”
Sources: lovi.care, musingsofamuse.com, reddit.com, ipsy.com, reviewstream.com, projectvanity.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Benefit The POREfessional Matte Primer work for oily acne-prone skin?
This primer works moderately well for your oily skin by absorbing excess oil and blurring pores with silica and dimethicone, but it lacks ingredients to address breakouts. It has an excellent safety profile with no risk of irritation, though a product for this skin needs soothing and effective ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, probiotics, and salicylic acid.
Which ingredients make this primer a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Silica and dimethicone make this primer a moderate fit for your oily skin by absorbing excess oil and blurring pores, but it lacks targeted ingredients for acne and breakouts. To fit your skin well, a product of this type needs soothing and effective ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, probiotics, or salicylic acid to address blemishes and balance oil production.
What does Cyclopentasiloxane do for oily acne-prone skin?
Cyclopentasiloxane gives this product a light, silky feel that spreads easily without clogging pores or leaving a heavy layer on oily skin. It evaporates quickly and is unlikely to cause skin irritation.
What does Dimethicone do for oily acne-prone skin?
Dimethicone helps protect oily, acne-prone skin from irritation, but it shows varying performance in keeping skin hydrated compared to other protectants. Because it can feel heavy, this type of skin often needs lighter ingredients like natural plant oils with a higher linoleic acid to oleic acid ratio to keep pores clear and the skin barrier strong.
Where does this primer go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This makeup primer goes in your morning routine after your moisturizer and sunscreen, before you apply makeup. It helps control shine and blur pores safely, but oily acne-prone skin also needs targeted ingredients that treat breakouts and blemishes.
Can I use this primer with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this primer after applying your retinol and moisturizer in your morning routine, as its safe silicones are unlikely to cause irritation. However, because this primer only controls shine and does not target breakouts, oily acne-prone skin needs products containing ingredients like salicylic acid or soothing plant extracts to truly help clear blemishes.
How often should I use this primer?
You can use this primer whenever you apply makeup, as its safe formula is unlikely to cause irritation on your oily skin. To properly care for oily acne-prone skin, this type of product also needs targeted ingredients to help address breakouts and blemishes.
Can this primer clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This primer is unlikely to cause irritation on oily skin, but because it lacks targeted ingredients to help with acne and breakouts, oily acne-prone skin needs a primer that also includes blemish-clearing ingredients.
Is this primer fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Cyclomethicone and specific chain length cyclic siloxanes (n = 4-7) are safe in present practices of use and concentration, showing minimal percutaneous absorption, no skin irritation or sensitization, and unlikely significant systemic exposure from cosmetics.
International Journal of Toxicology, 2011Petrolatum-based skin protectants demonstrated protection against irritants and maceration while providing skin hydration, whereas dimethicone and zinc oxide products showed varying or limited performance across parameters among 18 healthy volunteers compared to positive and negative controls.
Ostomy/wound Management, 2005Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007Externally applied substances such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, licorice extracts, dimethicone, petrolatum, and paraffin wax treat skin disease resulting from damage to the skin barrier.
Clinics in Dermatology, 2012
Why other products fit oily acne-prone skin better
A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Vinyl Dimethicone Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Silica, Isododecane, Polysilicone-11, C30-45 Alkyl Cetearyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, C30-45 Olefin, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.