10 Best Pore Minimizers for the Smoothest Skin Ever
Minimize your pores with our Beauty Lab's top picks.
Reviewed by Chiara ButlerBeauty, Health & Sustainability Lab Reviews Analyst
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First, let's get this out of the way: It's not possible to actually shrink your pores or reduce the number of pores you have. But, here's the good news: There are tons of products on the market that minimize their appearance, like face peels, scrubs, toners and primers. The best news: Many of the ones included in this list have been tested to truly work by our Good Housekeeping Beauty Lab.
Pore minimizers work by "removing dead skin cells and unclogging pores," says Nazanin Saedi, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at the Dermatology Associates of Plymouth Meeting Laser and Aesthetics Surgery Center in Pennsylvania. If your pores seem to look larger lately, it could be the case. "Two factors that contribute to the enlarged appearance of pores are high sebum production and skin laxity due to aging," says GH Beauty and Health Reviews Analyst Chiara Butler, so incorporating an oily skin skincare routine or anti-aging cream may help.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab has tested thousands of skincare products over the decades, including ones that can minimize the appearance of pores. In the Lab's most recent face peel and face scrub tests, our scientists analyzed changes in consumers' skin, including measuring pore size, parsing through nearly 3,000 data points to find the products that actually minimize the appearance of pores. Ahead, we've rounded up the 10 best pore minimizers to get the smoothest skin possible, according to Beauty Lab testing.
Pros
- Doesn't cause redness or irritation
- Improves skin texture
Cons
- Pricey
Mary Kay's facial peel wowed in Beauty Lab tests. It's made with a high concentration of glycolic acid yet was least likely to sting skin during Lab testing. It earned the best Lab scores for improving skin texture and diminishing pores, in addition to getting a perfect score for not causing redness. One tester said, "I liked that it did not irritate my skin. It was easy to use and my skin looked brighter after one use." Though pricey, it's backed by the Good Housekeeping Seal.
| Key ingredients | Glycolic acid |
St. Ives Fresh Skin Scrub Apricot
Pros
- Well-priced
- Cleanses and exfoliates
- Removes dirt and oil from face
Cons
- Exfoliating particles can be rough on skin
St. Ives's classic, nostalgic scrub won a GH Beauty Award thanks to its deep exfoliating benefits. Beauty Lab testing and consumer evaluations found it to effectively remove dirt and oil and minimize the appearance of pores. “My skin has never felt smoother or [looked] brighter,” and “it gave my skin a glow,” two testers said. Take note that some find the particles to be a bit abrasive on skin, so make sure to wash gently.
| Key ingredients | Walnut shell powder |
Pros
- Visible results within days
- Can be used under makeup like a primer
Cons
- Can irritate skin
No7's budget buy is proven to perform: In Beauty Lab testing, it was the best serum to improve texture and successfully reduced the appearance of pores. It features a retinoid (retinyl palmitate), which some testers found to be a bit irritating to skin. However, they also saw results, with one sharing that within the first 10 days they experienced smoother texture and less visible wrinkles. Two others liked using this serum as a makeup primer: "This was also good as a primer to my foundation and did not pill," another added.
RELATED: The Best Anti-Aging Serums
| Key ingredients | Retinyl palmitate |
Philosophy Microdelivery Triple-Acid Brightening Peel
Pros
- Visibly improves wrinkles
- Treats pores, brightness, fine lines and more
Cons
- Scent may be off-putting
The only product to show visible wrinkle improvement in our Beauty Lab's test of face peels, this at-home peel is ideal for those with mature skin. Testers also noted that it improved the appearance of pores, skin texture, brightness and tone and diminished fine lines, all without excessively irritating skin. "After each use, my skin looked brighter," a tester shared. "It also felt softer and smoother." Some users notice an acidic scent with this product, but others say there's no odor.
| Key ingredients | Mandelic, glycolic and malic acids |
Pros
- Treats pores and blackheads
- Contains balancing ingredients to avoid drying out skin
Cons
- Might cause redness
Deep-cleansing clay masks are great for oilier skin types. This creamy mask, a GH Beauty Award winner, is balanced with softening shea butter and botanicals to avoid stripping skin. It's also backed by clinical data, which showed a 14% reduction in skin oil after 28 days of use. "It minimized the look of pores around my nose and cleared blackheads without overdrying," GH Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann said. However, some online reviewers do find it a bit harsh, leaving their skin red.
| Key ingredients | Shea butter, kaolin |
Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester Photo-Brightening Moisturizer SPF 30
Pros
- Contains SPF and vitamin C
- Improves skin moisturization and texture
Cons
- Can feel tacky on skin
A moisturizer, mineral SPF and vitamin C in one, Perricone MD's multitasker is ideal for someone who wants to streamline their skincare routine in the morning (however, our GH Beauty Lab recommends using a separate face sunscreen as well, because our testing has shown that users often don't apply enough). This moisturizer wowed in testing: Beauty Lab scientists measured a 30% increase in skin's moisturization levels, reduced the look of pores by 8% and improved skin texture by 10% in four weeks. "It made my skin feel dewy and fresh," a tester said. Good to know: Some reported that it felt tacky on skin and interfered under makeup.
RELATED: The Best Face Moisturizers
| Key ingredients | Vitamin C, titanium dioxide |
Pros
- Affordable
- Gently exfoliates
- Helps prevent pore congestion
Cons
- Polarizing scent
Pixi's exfoliating toner relies on glycolic acid to gently accelerate cell renewal, which helps minimize the appearance of pores. It also contains ingredients like glycerin, urea, ginseng and aloe vera to soothe and hydrate the skin. Butler likes the affordable glycolic acid formulation, saying, "It’s easy to incorporate in a nightly skincare routine to gradually exfoliate skin and prevent congested pores." Some online reviewers find it has a bit of a chemical scent to it, but others don't notice it.
| Key ingredients | Glycolic acid |
e.l.f. Cosmetics Acne Fighting Putty Primer
Pros
- Bargain buy
- Treats and hides pores simultaneously
Cons
- May feel greasy on skin
Wearing a primer is one of the quickest fixes to minimize the appearance of pores. This acne-fighting primer does double duty: The formula contains salicylic acid to help refine the appearance of pores, and it simultaneously covers them up. "I like the thick putty texture for smoothing over pores, and it contains pore-blurring spherical powders," says Butler. Keep in mind that some online reviewers found it to be a bit greasy, making it harder to use if you have oilier skin.
RELATED: What is Salicylic Acid?
| Key ingredients | Salicylic acid |
Revision Skincare Pore Purifying Clay Mask
Pros
- Helps reduce excessive oiliness
- Includes natural ingredients
Cons
- Expensive
Revision's pore purifying mask lives up to its name: With pore-refining ingredients like salicylic acid, users have found it visibly reduces the appearance of pores. "I have only used this twice and I have seen a reduction in the size of my pores," one reviewer writes. Dr. Saedi recommends this mask, noting that "it contains salicylic acid to help penetrate the pores and help reduce oil production." She adds that the clay formula also helps with oiliness. Though it's pricey, you only need to use this mask twice weekly, so it'll last you a while.
| Key ingredients | Salicylic acid, tea tree oil, kaolin |
Dermalogica Rapid Reveal Peel
Pros
- Improves skin texture, tone and radiance
- Multitasking formula
Cons
- Some testers found tubes hard to open
Get the benefits of a professional-grade peel in the comfort of your own home. This Beauty Lab-tested and consumer-loved treatment helps treat both pores and wrinkles. In Beauty Lab and consumer testing, it earned the best scores for improving skin tone, smoothing skin, brightening skin, improving wrinkles and making pores less visible: 100% of consumers agreed that their skin tone was more even and their skin was smoother and brighter, while 75% of consumers agreed fine lines, wrinkles and pores were less visible. However, some found the single-use tubes hard to open.
| Key ingredients | Lactic acid |
How we choose the best pore minimizers
The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab has tested thousands of skincare products over the years, including facial peels and scrubs, which have been proven for their ability to reduce the appearance of pores. For the most recent facial peel tests, the GH Beauty Lab recruited eight women ages 30 and above to test peels at home. We analyzed their skin in our Lab with a Visia Complexion Analyzer to track changes in testers' pores, skin texture, visible spots and wrinkles before and after two weeks of use, collecting more than 1,500 data points.
For face scrubs and exfoliators, we Lab evaluated each product's performance with consumer testers, tallying 1,375 survey data points: testers gave feedback on multiple factors, including whether the products reduced the appearance of their pores. For this story, we chose top-performing products from those tests, as well as favorite picks from dermatologists, Beauty Lab experts and editors.
What to look for when shopping for the best pore minimizer
Our pros say to look for products with ingredients that help reduce the appearance of pores. Here's what to prioritize:
✔️ Exfoliating AHAs and BHAs such as glycolic acid and salicylic acid are often go-to ingredients in an acne skincare routine due to their oil regulating properties, and for the same reason, they help in reducing the appearance of pores as well. "It's possible to regulate skin oiliness and reduce the buildup of dead skin cells and sebum in the pores by using exfoliating acids," says Butler.
✔️ Niacinamide "can also reduce sebum production," says Butler, so "using products that contain niacinamide can improve the appearance of enlarged pores."
✔️ Retinol or a retinoid can increase collagen production, says Butler, so if you have enlarged pores and skin laxity due to aging, look for a product that contains one of these anti-aging powerhouses.
✔️ Wearing primer can hide pores and create flawless-looking skin. Using primer "fills the valleys of my pores very well and creates a nice, smooth base for makeup," GH Beauty Lab Chemist Danusia Wnek says.
What is the best way to minimize the appearance of pores?
Exfoliating acids are going to be your best friends when it comes to actively minimizing the appearance of pores. "AHA and BHA exfoliating toners both work well," says Butler. She likes to look for products with a high concentration of salicylic acid or glycolic acid.
Opt for a primer if you're looking to topically blur the appearance of pores. Primers can act like spackle to cover up pores to create a smooth base for makeup. "Makeup products such as primers can conceal enlarged pores by way of tiny spherical particles that scatter light in all directions to blur the appearance of the skin’s surface," says Butler.
Can you actually minimize pores?
Yes — while you cannot reduce the actual size of your pores, you can reduce their appearance. "Pore size is genetic so you cannot permanently change the size, but if you tighten and firm the skin and remove debris, the pores will appear smaller," says Roberta Del Campo, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist based in Miami.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
GH Beauty Assistant Catharine Malzahn authored this story and works closely with the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab to help deliver fact-based, science-backed beauty coverage. For this article, she interviewed two dermatologists to gather the best information on pore minimizers. While writing this article, she worked with Chiara Butler, a Health and Beauty Reviews Analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, who provided product recommendations and expert advice on minimizing the appearance of pores.
Chiara (she/her) is a reviews analyst in the Beauty, Health and Sustainability Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she conducts hands-on testing of health and beauty products. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Columbia University. Before joining GH in 2022, she worked as a cosmetic chemist, formulating skincare products for a variety of brands and learning to decode ingredient lists, evaluate ingredient efficacy and scrutinize product claims.
