The Verdict: Can Estée Lauder Double Wear Master the Modern Matte?
The results are in
Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation needs little introduction. Since its launch in 1997, the long-wear, oil-free formula has earned cult status—a mainstay in professional makeup artists’ kits and everyday routines alike. It was also among the first complexion launches to offer a truly extensive shade range, catering to a broad spectrum of skin tones and undertones.
Over the years, the Double Wear franchise has expanded to include concealer, primer and lip products, each promising the same unwavering staying power. But it’s the original foundation that remains the hero. For me, it’s the formula I return to when I need coverage I can rely on—the kind that sees me through long days, late nights and everything in between. I’ll often sheer it out with moisturiser for added luminosity, but its signature full-coverage finish has always been the safety net in my makeup bag.
This month, Estée Lauder unveiled a much-anticipated reformulation, six years in the making. The updated texture is more fluid and blendable, designed to deliver a more dimensional, buildable satin finish rather than the flat matte of the original. As a diehard fan—and someone whose T-zone makes its presence known by midday—I approached the launch with cautious loyalty. Other members of the Marie Claire beauty team, however, were intrigued by the promise of the same long-wear performance with a fresher, glowier edge. So, naturally, we put it to the test.
Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation Review: How We Tested
The Marie Claire UK beauty team takes product testing seriously, with a commitment to delivering accurate, honest and genuinely helpful reviews for our readers. To test Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation, each editor applied the formula to clean skin, without any other makeup underneath or over the top. We assessed the shade range, ease of application and blend, coverage levels, how it wore throughout the day, and our overall impressions.
The Reformulation: What's Changed?
The original formula:
- Medium-to-full coverage
- Matte finish
- 8-hour oil control
- 60 shades
The new formula:
- More lightweight, buildable coverage
- Satin finish
- 36-hour oil control
- Same 60 shades
The Formula
The new Double Wear Stay-in-Place foundation has been reformulated for a more modern, dimensional matte finish that looks like skin, rather than foundation. It offers medium-to-full, buildable coverage, with the updated texture designed to be more fluid and blendable, making it easier to blur out uneven tones, visible pores and conceal breakouts without feeling heavy or looking cakey.
The formula is powered by new Polymer Mesh Matrix Technology—the brand's breathable system that flexes with the skin for transfer-proof, waterproof coverage that resists sweat, heat and humidity. Each drop contains billions of colour-treated micro-pigments designed to stay stable throughout the day, ensuring the shade remains true from morning to night.
It also has increased its old control capabilities from eight hours, to 36-hours and 72-hour moisture maintenance, working to balance skin over time thanks to Estée Lauder’s Double Balancing Complex, featuring AlgaNiacin™ (a blend of glycerin and hyaluronic acid delivers lasting hydration, while niacinamide and brown algae extract help regulate excess oil) with visible reductions in sebum over four weeks. Pretty impressive.
The Shades
Double Wear has always stood out for its shade offering, being on of the first brands on the market to cater to a vast range of skin tones and undertones. The reformulation is backed by more than 15 years of Colour Capture Technology to deliver a precise, true-to-skin match, with colour-treated micro-pigments for an even more dimensional finish.
It's all down to a proprietary algorithm that maps an extensive global dataset of skin tone measurements to corresponding shades. The development process includes multiple rounds of testing on real consumers across every depth and undertone, with more than 14,000 skin tone measurements taken from thousands of people across five continents to validate accuracy on real skin.
Each shade required up to 50 hours to craft, with scientists carefully calibrating pigment blends to achieve exacting balance and authenticity. The new Double Wear Stay-in-Place is available in 60 tailored shades, spanning 10 intensity levels and three undertones, reinforcing its reputation as one of the most comprehensive complexion ranges on the market.
The Verdict
Lottie Winter, Beauty Director
"Part of what I’ve always loved about the original Double Wear is just how matte it is. For me, that finish is a starting point. If I need full, unwavering coverage, I wear it neat; if I want more luminosity, I’ll sheer it out with moisturiser. So, I was nervous that a more fluid reformulation might compromise that bulletproof reliability.
On first application, the added ‘stretch’ and the immediate luminosity took me by surprise. It felt distinctly different—lighter, more pliable and glowier than before.
But then, within a couple of minutes, the formula dried down to a truly budge-proof finish, yet retained a subtle, lit-from-within radiance that made skin look fresh rather than flat. Applied all over with just my fingers, it blurred breakouts, dark circles and redness so effectively that I skipped concealer entirely.
My shade is 2N1—a neutral undertone that’s perfect for my winter skin (I go slightly deeper in summer to match a tan). The shade offering has always impressed me, and I’ve often felt the brand doesn’t receive quite enough credit for just how comprehensive and nuanced it really is.
Most importantly for me, it lasted. From morning meetings to late-afternoon screen time, the finish stayed intact without the need for touch-ups or extra T-zone blotting. I didn’t think I could love Double Wear more than I already did—and yet, this feels like the grown-up evolution of a classic. The same reliability, just with a little more light.”
Katie Thomas, Senior Beauty Editor
"I haven't worn foundation in years. My base of choice is either a sheer skin tint or a hydrating tinted moisturiser—glowy and lightweight formulas for the win. So, when I was tasked with testing out the newly reformulated Double Wear—a foundation that I've deemed too heavy (and dare I say it, chalky) in the past—I admit I had already made up my mind. However, from the first swipe of my foundation brush, I knew that the 2026 version of one of the UK's most beloved foundations was different.
I'd used the brand's online shade matching tool, which shows you your ideal shade, one lighter, one warmer and a shade darker, and I was incredibly impressed with how accurate it was. I applied it to my the middle of my face, where I get most of my redness, and it was as though I had used a FaceTune brush. Previously, I'd found the old formula would leave a dense layer of product across my cheek, the new version is akin to my skin tints—featherweight and glowy. Even though the brand calls it a matte finish, I found it more radiant than not. It blended beautifully, never settling in dry patches or rough texture, and gave me that 'my skin, but better' look. I might just be a foundation girl after all."
Nessa Humayun, Beauty Editor
“I have never worn full coverage foundation, so I was a little hesitant when it came to Estee Lauder’s iconic Double Wear foundation, which is of course, famously high coverage. I was pleasantly surprised, however—it didn’t leave me looking flat, and this new formula is a lot more glowy, so you’re able to see skin beneath it, which I love. I applied it with a damp beauty blender, which helped sheer it out to my desired coverage. I like that it can also function as concealer in a pinch too. I think everyone can wear (and love) Double Wear, it’s just about how you apply it; it really is versatile.”
