No complaints
"Pai skincare products are always nourishing for my skin, they go on easily and make me look more refreshed and hydrated. I want a full set in the future!"
The Pioneer™ Moisturizer
Regular price
$59.00
Unit price
per
50ml / 1.7 fl.oz
The formula that launched the brand. A lightweight mattifying moisturizer that rebalances oily, combination, and blemish-prone skin without irritation.
Mattifying
Balancing
Hydrating
Clarifying
Free delivery when you spend $49 (Mainland USA) | 90-Day returns
Why You'll Love It
Master mattifier.
Lightweight and quick to absorb, this moisturizer is built for oily, blemish-prone skin. It hydrates the dry areas, dials down the shine where it shows up, and brings the rest back into balance. Customers swear by the hydration that never tips into greasy, and the way it softens the look of breakouts, blackheads, and excess oil. Makeup artists swear by the smooth matte finish, an ideal base for foundation.
Glowing and shiny aren't the same thing. This moisturizer is the line between the two. A formula that's gentle on sensitive skin, while delivering everything combination skin has been asking for.
Thistle Oil is the workhorse here. It's exceptionally rich in linoleic acid, which oily and blemish-prone complexions are typically deficient in. Topping it back up helps recalibrate sebum production and visibly refine pores. What you get is a smooth, matte canvas that makeup glides across effortlessly.
Directions
Full Ingredients
Recycling
Key Ingredients
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Geranium
Yes, the same plant you probably have growing in your garden. We extract the beautifully-scented oil for its calming fragrance.
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Thistle
Omega 6 – which Thistle Oil is packed with – is amazing at two things. First, mattifying skin. Second, reducing the appearance of large pores.
"After years of skin sensitivity I was at breaking point, and breaking out. So I decided I’d create the moisturiser my skin was craving. Pai was born and has blazed a trail ever since. So here it is, our Pioneer – a moisturiser that tackles sensitivity yet is light enough to help minimise visible blemishes."
SARAH BROWN
FOUNDER, PAI SKINCARE
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Pioneer and who is it best suited for?
How should I use The Pioneer in my skincare routine?
How does The Pioneer work as a base under make-up?
Will The Pioneer clog my pores or cause breakouts?
Is The Pioneer safe to use during pregnancy?
How do Safflower and Borage oils help oily skin without making it greasy?
What does the Jojoba Oil in The Pioneer do?
What certifications does The Pioneer hold?
Overall rating: 4.6258063 / 5 from 465 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
The Pioneer™ Moisturiser is praised for its ability to hydrate and balance oily skin, providing a healthy and matte look. Customers appreciate its gentle and refreshing feel, soft and delicate texture, and clean, cruelty-free ingredients. The product is also noted for its pleasant scent and for minimizing blemishes and blackheads.
Summary topics
- Appearance (5%): It was reported by customers that this product makes their skin look healthy and hydrated all day.
- Product Quality (4%): It was observed by customers that the Super crème is super, with multiple reviews mentioning its greatness.
- Skin Feel (14%): Customers expressed appreciation for how this moisturizer feels on their skin, describing it as gentle, refreshing, and natural-looking.
- Overall Satisfaction (19%): Many customers raved about the cream, describing it as the best day cream ever and highly recommending it.
- Ingredient Quality (3%): It was highlighted by customers that the ingredients in the product are clean and cruelty-free, making it a popular choice.
Review topics: [fragrance, improvement, weight, fit, quality, absorbs, smell, issues, results, skin, feels, works, texture, packaging, looks, price, bottle, ingredients, amount, difference, breakouts, oil, base, service, hydration, face, formula, delivery, balance, consistency].
Review highlights
- "Nice texture, neutral smell, hydrates and feeds the skin nicely" —
- "I love the smell, the texture and it definitely helps my combination/acne-prone skin." —
- "Love their packaging, their philosophy and definitely their amazing INCI list - great clean ingredients." —
Reviews
Light, kind to skin moisturiser.
"I was looking for a light, calming moisturiser and was recommended this product by Pai. It is so light, smells amazing and is ideal for the summer. It’s great for my breakout prone skin and gives it a matt appearance. I’d highly recommend it."
Keeps oil under control in the hot summer
"This moisturizer keeps oil production under control during the hot summer days. I love to add various boosters to it as well depending on my activities for the day. My husband even likes it!"
can't live without it!
"Always come back to this whenever my skin gets out of balance"
Best moisturiser I've ever come across
"I have combination, acne prone skin and have always gone for a gel based cream in the past. I was having problems with breakouts and a friend recommended this as a more hydrating and gentle moisturiser and it has been an absolute game changer! It's a light cream and feels really soothing. It's part of my daily regime, applied after using the middlemist seven cleanser and my skin has never felt or looked so good!"
One for all the family
"Love this lightweight moisturiser. Great for oily prone skin! My sister's are both also hooked! We love it!"
Needs update
"Light moisturiser but needs an ingredients update in terms of what we know skin needs to function best. For oilier types that would include pre/postbiotics, for example, and I am not sure what benefit geranium has for oilier if breakout prone skin - would not camomile or willow bark be more appropriate? I like that it’s light and alcohol free."
The most constant in my routine.
"Great, as always. A product I keep coming back to."
User of The Pioneer since 2014!
"In humid and sunny Singapore where the offices/buildings have strong air conditioning, and The Pioneer has been my go-to product since 2014! It works very well for my combination/oily/slightly sensitive skin. It provides a good base for my makeup application."
awesome product!
"First of all - the packaging is gorgeous! it stays neat the whole time, that way it's fun and elegant to use to the last drop - which makes it more sustainable in many peoples cases I think. I think some people know the feeling of a bottle of cosmetics getting oily and nasty after a while and you can't read the label anymore. . . you start to not enjoying it that much anymore. that's not the case with pai in my experience so far. I have purchased this moisturizer a couple times now and I simply can not think about getting a different one anymore. It took me some time to decide to try out this brand but it is worth every penny and I am so glad I have found my routine. This moisturizer does exactly what it promises - good moisturizing without the oily feeling, and it stays like that the whole day! With other creams or lotions I used to feel fresh for the first hour, maybe two, and then slowly started to feel oily and sweaty again. The formula is light weight and the application is easy, you only need a very small amount for the whole big face (face, neck, décolleté). The smell is wonderful, very pleasant so that you feel fresh and ready for the day but at the same time it's not too much fragrance, good for sensitive people - my husband also loves the smell of my new pai face care products and he started to use this moisturiser as well, works perfectly for him as well. In the mornings, I wash my face with the cream cleanser and the cloth in the shower, then I spray a mist, after that I use the back to life serum for extra hydration and finish by using this moisturizer. As I said, it feels great on the skin - but after being consistent with using it for several months now, my skin really started to change, it's much more calm and even, breakouts have reduced I would say by at least 70 percent. I never had terrible acne but I always some had dry patches there and blemishes here. . . it's much more balanced now. I am very satisfied and it will probably stay like that! I hope Pai Skincare never change their quality or go out of business!"
Q&A
- Bonjour, j'ai acheté il y a quelques jours des produits pai qui me correspondent. Jusqu'à présent j'utilisais le gel lavant phaze matin et soir (qui est super!!), le back to life le matin et le carbon star le soir. Maintenant, j'ai acheté en plus le booster à l'acide salicylique et la crème hydratante the pioneer. Le problème c'est que je ne sais pas comment intégrer ces produits correctement à ma routine habituel... Auriez-vous quelques conseils à me donner pour avoir une routine parfaite svp ? Merci d'avance pour votre réponse.
- Bonjour Amandine, Nous vous recommandons d'utiliser Phaze, suivi du Back To Life Serum, du Salicylic Acid Booster et du Pioneer. Le soir, nous proposons un nettoyage en appliquant le Pioneer suivi de Carbon Star Oil. Équipe Expérience Client Pai
- Hi. My skin is combination with a lot of blackheads in the T-zone plus I suffer from a slight seborrheic dermatitis in the nose wings area and my forehead. I was wondering if I should use The Pioneer or The Anthemis. I already use the Phaze cleanser and the carbon star and the rose hip oil on alternate nights. Thanks!
- Hi Mary, We would recommend using The Pioneer as this is great for oily and acne prone skin. The Anthemis is better for those with redness, eczema and psoriasis. Pai Customer Experience Team
- Can this product be used at night, or would you use a serum instead?
- Hi Holly, Thank you for getting in touch. You can use The Pioneer in the morning and in the evening, it is our lightest Moisturiser. You can also add our Boosters to The Pioneer if needed. Customer Experience Team Member
- Hi, My skin is oily/combination and I suffer from redness. I currently don't use a moisturiser either during the day or overnight. During the day I use an SPF and at night nothing - although I have just started using Instant Kalmer. For the days that I am not out in the sun what moisturiser would you recommend? Kind regards, Ali
- Hi Ali, Thank you for getting in touch. Using Instant Kalmer Serum each evening is a great idea. You may like to add Tri-Mushroom booster to it too. If you have Oily/Combination skin The Pioneer would be a good option or you could also try C-2 Believe for the day.
- Are your products coconut free?
- Hi Star! Unfortunately, we're not able to guarantee that The Pioneer is free from coconut as it contains Cetearyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Anisate and Sodium Levulinate, all of which are derived from either coconut, soy or corn depending on the season. Pai Customer Experience Team