Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF15 review, results, photos

It is not fun being greasy-faced, especially when those around you have lovely oil-free complexions. My face can never look dewy - only matte, as soon as I finish my makeup, and super-oily, in an hour or two. I keep telling everyone that my face produces more oil than the entire Persian Gulf region.
My beauty-bestie Shivani is my biggest enabler and, in November, she had sent me a 15ml deluxe sample of the Murad Oil-Control Mattifier. Within a few days of using it, I knew I had to buy the full size. Thankfully, I saw it practically in every other pharmacy in Dubai in December. One thing I love about Dubai is, you get the best of all brands - Asian, European and American. Well, almost. They don't have OCC, Australis or Dainty Doll, but I saw pretty much everything else I wanted.

Here is my review of the Murad Oil-Control Mattifier and how it works for me.

Packaging of Murad Oil-Control Mattifier

Established in 1989 by dermatologist Dr Howard Murad, the brand is an "inclusive health system". They have different products for cleansing, treating acne and for hydrating/protecting.

The full-sized product comes in a grey, white and blue external box.

The sample comes in a smaller box, but has more information! Inside, the tube is white and blue. A bit meh, packaging-wise, but I'll forgo the fancy if the actual product inside packs a punch.

Formula and usage of Murad Oil-Control Mattifier

Part of Murad's Hydrate and Protect range, I have been using this as a moisturiser and sunscreen - above my Lancome Advanced Genefique serum (review soon) and below my primer. And, I can tell you it is effective as both, preventing the non-oily sides of the face from drying out even in a continuously airconditioned environment, and protecting from the sun.

Let's have a look at what the packaging claims. This is a multi-tasking product that provides hydration, oil control and UVA/UVB protection. What more can you ask for?

There are no parabens in the ingredients, although silicone-sensitive people ought to give this a miss. There are extracts of sesame seed, horse chestnut, willow bark, tea tree and other unidentifiable names, haha. And this mattifier has not been tested on animals.

Active ingredients are all the sun-protection ones: zinc oxide, octinoxate and ensulizole.

Results and benefits of Murad Oil-Control Mattifier

The product is opaque-white. It feels like any other zinc-based sunscreen - thick and slightly sticky.
It spreads out nicely but once it is absorbed, there is no stickiness or greasiness or whitish film left. I apply the quantity shown below for the entire face and neck.

I use the Murad Mattifier, as I said, above Lancome Advanced Genefique. And then, I apply primer - Porefessional or Bourjois Happy Light Matte or Flower Perfection, depending on whichever is nearest. Above these, I go for Shiseido Sheer Mattifying foundation, and that's pretty much my face routine (eye makeup and lips not included). If I apply this combination at around 8 a.m., I am matte till lunch-time. By the time I finish lunch - at around 1:30 p.m. or so - my face is dewy and I need to use an oil-blotting paper. Another half an hour later, we're back to the oil rigs. The dewy-period isn't very long; once signs of oil begin to appear, my face becomes a reflecting surface very quickly.
I find that with this mattifier, I can skip primer if I want, and I get the same oil-controlling results. I apply the primer just because I like the smoother texture it gives my skin before foundation. I also find that, on non-makeup days, applying just the Lancome serum and Murad Mattifier gives me the same results.

Bottom Line

The Murad Oil-Control Mattifier certainly keeps me matte for four to five hours and makes me dewy by the sixth hour before losing the plot to my oil glands. It does not control oil for eight hours as it claims - maybe I'm the super-oil-producing freak who would make a fortune by permitting rigs on my face. But this is a great track record and I haven't found another product which keeps the oil at bay for this long. The M.A.C. Mattifying Gel doesn't come anywhere near this, and it makes me dewy within an hour, and I haven't even bothered to review it. I haven't had any breakouts from this mattifier despite using it every day from mid-November. The one set of breakouts I had in January were caused by DreamTone.
For those who cannot find Murad offline, you can get it from Feelunique.com, who ship worldwide for free. The 50ml tube comes for £33.30, which may seem pricey, but remember, a tube will last you a very long time (the use-by date is two years after opening the tube). And I love that I don't need to use a separate moisturiser or sunscreen, which is the best part about this mattifier for me.
Click here to check out my international giveaway, ending in April.