If imitation is flattery, then we’re blushing—because there are so many Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer dupes out there that it’s hard to keep track of them all. People love the OG, so it’s not a huge surprise that folks are trying to recreate the grippy formula that’s made this makeup primer a fan favorite.
But despite their best efforts, even the really good Hydro Grip Primer dupes out there can’t live up to the real thing, which offers powerful skincare ingredients, airtight packaging, and an innovative texture that can’t be replicated (sorry not sorry!). Here, we break down what makes the true Milk Hydro Grip Primer worth the investment, and why the dupes out there just can’t touch it.
What kind of primer is Milk Makeup Hydro Grip?
Hydro Grip is a hydrating makeup primer, which means it goes way beyond anchoring your foundation; it actually supplies skin with hydration, too, leaving it looking plump and supple. How? It’s packed with legit skincare ingredients that you might otherwise find in your favorite serums—meaning you get makeup that looks and feels better along with healthier, happier-looking skin.
Hydro Grip Primer vs. The Dupes
The biggest thing you won’t get from a Milk Hydro Grip dupe? A sticky, tacky texture. Ours is made with blue agave extract, which creates an invisible, undetectable layer that actually grips your makeup and keeps it in place for up to 12 hours. No icky-sticky feeling; once your primer is on your skin, you can—and should—forget it’s even there.
Then, there are all the skincare ingredients piled into the formula that make our primer so special—and set it apart from the Hydro Grip Primer dupes on the market. First up is niacinamide. It’s “a multi-tasker for skin brightening, and helps to minimize the appearance of pores and control oil production,” says cosmetic chemist Ginger King.
Along with niacinamide, Hydro Grip is also packed with hyaluronic acid, the humectant known for its ability to draw in and retain up to 1,000 times its weight in water. It’s a strategic pairing, says Ginger. “While niacinamide gives sebum control, hyaluronic acid gives hydration—so it's a perfect combo,” she explains. Instead of just any hyaluronic acid, we use a kind called sodium hyaluronate, which is more stable. Plus, “it also has a smaller molecular weight and is easier to absorb to the top layer of skin,” Ginger adds.
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While we’re on the topic of things you won’t find in Hydro Grip, it’s also made without parabens, silicones, oil, fragrance, and gluten. Our formula is 94% natural, not to mention vegan, clean, and cruelty-free. While it can be hard to tell what exactly is in all of those Milk Hydro Grip Primer dupes out there, we’re pretty positive that nothing can match our high standards for a good, clean primer.
Speaking of: We hold ourselves to incredibly high standards when we formulate. We created Hydro Grip without more than 2,500 controversial ingredients, and we source our ingredients ethically and responsibility—so you feel good about what you're wearing.
What makes Hydro Grip worth it
…Everything? But seriously: We only work with high-quality, responsibly-sourced active ingredients, which make it more of an investment than your run-of-the-mill Hydro Grip dupe. Even so, though, it’s not that much more of an investment. If you crunch the numbers, which we most definitely did, you can get a lot out of Hydro Grip Primer at every size.
The jumbo-size Hydro Grip Primer has about 420 pumps in it. Assuming you use two pumps max (we recommend one to two pumps per application), that gives you 210 uses—enough primer to keep you covered for seven and a half months. A full-size Hydro Grip Primer has about 230 pumps, or 115 uses, meaning it'll keep you covered for almost half a year. And the travel-size Hydro Grip Primer has 55 pumps, or 28 uses; that'll see you through multiple weeklong vacations.
Again, these numbers are assuming you use the most amount of product recommended seven days a week; use a little less, and you’ll get even more out of it. Same goes for if you decide every once in a while to do a look with a primer like our Pore Eclipse Mattifying Primer, which leaves a matte finish as opposed to Hydro Grip’s signature dewy one. Keep in mind, too, that our packaging is airtight, so there’s no risk of wasting a single drop.
When you do the math, check the ingredients, and see it in action, the real Milk Makeup Hydro Grip can offer more than the wannabes, making it that much more accessible, not to mention worth every single penny. As much as imitators try to replicate it, nothing can come close—but thank you for the compliment.
Meet the Experts
Ginger King (she/her) is the founder & CEO at Grace Kingdom Beauty, a cosmetic product development firm in New Jersey specializing in helping create beauty brands from concept to launch. She has been the keynote speaker for brand launches and has spoken at various trade conferences on product development and In-Cosmetics on product innovation. Ginger is an often-quoted beauty expert and has been on radio and video chat with leading beauty magazines as well as a regular TV appearances on Good Day Sacramento. She has been quoted by over 35 top beauty magazines such as Allure, Self, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Shape, Teen Vogue, and Women’s Health.
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