Highlighters have become a popular trend in recent years. A highlighter is used to make the skin look brighter and more radiant. It can be worn on its own or paired with other products to create a more complete look. Here are our top picks for highlighters for dark skin.

Size: 0.67 oz/ 20 g·ITEM: 2473445
Color: Topaz - subtle golden undertones with a glass-like glow finish
$38.00
Beautiful, effortless application, perfect for dark skin, on full makeup or light makeup days… it’s honestly beautiful product that I use daily.. gives me a summer glow in the winter and boosts my confidence by elevating my beauty routine...Would be great on medium or dark skin. It’s pretty orange on fair skin. I like the formula a lot and wish it was actually champagne in person.
What it is: A nonstick universal formula that can be used on top of makeup or as a primer base, giving you the perfect glass-like glow.
Coverage: Light
Finish: Radiant
Formulation: Liquid
Highlighted Ingredients:
- VITAOILS PLUS: Deeply nourishes and visibly smooths the epidermis.
- dl-α-Tocopheryl Acetate: Antioxidant vitamin E.
Ingredient Callouts: Free of parabens. It is also vegan, cruelty-free, and comes in recyclable packaging.
What Else You Need to Know: REFY's Gloss Highlighter can be used on cheekbones, eyelids, and under brows, or on the cupid's bow, lips, and collarbones.

Size: 0.16 oz/ 4.5 mL·ITEM: 2449775
Color: Pearl - luminous pearl that flatters light to light-medium skin tones
$46.00
I typically don’t use highlighters because I have textured skin and anything frosty makes my skin look awful. ...this is the best highlighter for a dark and medium skin tone am in love with it
What it is: A creamy, weightless highlighter that illuminates and visibly smooths the appearance of skin, for a healthy, effortless, back-from-the beach glow.
What Else You Need to Know: This ultra-silky, soft-focus powder melts onto the skin and blends effortlessly. It is a transparent blend of microspheres and light-refracted pearls that leaves no visible powdery effects.

Size: 0.24 oz / 7 g·ITEM: 2600575
Color: Opal - a neutral, white gold with soft pink pearl - recommended for medium skin tones.
$56.50
This highlighter is so nice and smooth on the skin. It's very glowy and really pops on the skin. ...It’s very shimmer and looks great on my dark skin
What it is: A most-loved highlighter from BECCA finds a new home at Smashbox—it's the same ultra-creamy formula you know and love for a natural, luminous glow.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Radiant
Formulations: Pressed Powder
Highlighted Ingredients:
- Ultra-Fine Multidimensional Pearls: Reflects and refracts light from every angle for a buildable, luminous glow.
Ingredient Callouts: Free of parabens, formaldehydes, phthalates, mineral oil, coal tar, sulfates SLS & SLES, triclocarban, and triclosan. It is also cruelty-free.

Size: 0.91 oz/ 26.8 ml·ITEM: 2511707
Color: Virtual - luminous peach
$49.00
I love the consistency of the product but the shade/color was a little dark for my pale complexion. I believe it would be beautiful on a darker skin tone....I sometimes find it hard to find a highlighter that works on my fair skin-tone (most of the time them having a dark cast), but this shade looks stunning.
What it is: A liquid illuminator with skincare benefits that can be worn on your face and body or mixed with moisturizer or foundation for a natural-looking glow.
Coverage: Light
Finish: Radiant
Formulation: Liquid

Size: 0.24 oz / 7 g·ITEM: 2643328
Color: Bronze Glow - golden-bronze
$66.50
I love the color of the highlighter but I will say it might not be the best shade for my medium dark skin as it did leave me looking slightly white around the cheek bones....It is soft and glides easily on your skin and does not cake. This shade would look beautiful on medium or dark skin.
What it is: A powder highlighter that glides on like a liquid to give skin an instant, skin-perfecting filter to highlight, sculpt, and lift.
Highlighted Ingredients:
- Silky Squalane: Glides onto the skin for an even glow; never patchy, dry, or cakey.
- Smoothing Emollients: Perfect and hydrate the skin for a satin-smooth texture.

Size: 0.14 oz/ 4g·ITEM: 2415081
Color: Peau de Rose - soft warm rose
$105.00
with this product it is so obvious from reading the reviews that it is not for fair skin. This product is made for medium skin tone to dark skin tone only. ...It gives a beautiful glow from within type highlight on dark skin (this shade is everything for my melanin ladies!!!)
What it is: A clean, award-winning, multipurpose cream highlighter that gives skin a luminous glow in three universal shades.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Radiant
Formulation: Cream
Highlighted Ingredients:
- Hyaluronic Acid: Boosts moisture.
- Jojoba Seed Oil: Improves hydration and strengthens skin’s moisture barrier.
- Caper Extract: Helps soothe, calm, and reduce the appearance of redness.
Ingredient Callouts: This product is gluten-free and cruelty-free.

Size: 0.31 oz/ 9 g·ITEM: 2093656
Color: Beaming Blush - pink that breaks gold
$59.00
It’s really beautiful and these extra dimension highlighters are some of my favorite products from MAC....I thought the colour would be a little bit dark but once you apply it on your face it’s AMAZING!
What it is:
A liquid-powder highlighter that gives a luminous, well-defined finish.
What does:
Extra Dimension Skinfinish adds the perfect glow to skin. The liquid-powder highlighter with prismatic reflections is designed to sculpt and highlight your face, leaving a luminous, well-defined finish. The creamy powder formula lasts up to ten hours.
What else you need to know:
This product is non-acnegenic, dermatologist tested, ophthalmologist tested, and suitable for all skin types.

Size: 0.13 oz / 3.8 mL·ITEM: 2855740
Color: Medium Deep - dark skin-tones with all undertones
$64.00
The formula is thin and spreads easily and melts into the skin. The color Fair is a peachy/salmon shade. I'm a light-medium skin, so don't think that this shade would work for fair skins, but for a light skin tone it gives a nice brightening effect with light coverage that is fairly undetectable in person. ...The shade fair has an orangey-pink appearance on fair skin olive skin and it’s actually quite dark for a shade meant to be the lightest in the range.
What it is: An illuminating pen that effortlessly sculpts, lifts, and brightens your face in five key areas.
Coverage: Light
Finish: Radiant
Formulation: Liquid
Highlighted Ingredients:
- Caffeine: Energizes skin.
- Rejuvenating Marine Extract: Reduces the look of pigmentation and dullness.

Size: 2 x 0.12 oz/ 3.5 g·ITEM: 2211084
Color: Ruby Richez - metallic brick red
$54.00
best highlighters to experiment with color...You will love this highlighters if you want to experiment with color you can do soft highlighter or very intense. ...Poolside is too dark for me to use as a traditional highlighter, but it's a beautiful eyeshadow.
What it is: A weightless, long-wear, cream-powder hybrid highlighterin solos and duoswith a hyper-metallic finish, in a range of shades designed for all skin tones.
Ingredient Callouts: Free of parabens and phthalates. This product is also cruelty-free.
What Else You Need to Know: Killawatt Foil has the same creamy texture as the original, in a new, mega-reflective, foil-like finish. These buildable, color-rich luminizers come in rule-defying shades that look killer on all skin tones. The cream-powder hybrid melts into skin and blends with almost zero effort.

Size: .14 oz/4.25 g·ITEM: 2545333
Color: Champagne Glow - champagne
$44.00
I’ve been looking for a nice, warm highlighter for my cool-toned light skin. Specifically, a highlighter that is not yellow as anything yellow-tinted makes my skin look terrible. ...This highlighter is average among the many highlighters available.
What it is: A skin-perfecting pressed highlighter for a lit-from-within-looking glow.
Ingredient Callouts: Free of formaldehydes, phthalates, mineral oil, sulfates SLS & SLES, and triclosan. It is also vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free.
What Else You Need to Know:
Microfine 3D pearls & pigments reflect pure light to add depth & dimension, while diffusing imperfections, butter-soft formula glides on smooth, buildable glow melts into skin for seamless blending that doesn't look glittery, and 2 universal shades for a warm or cool glow.









