Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer Dupes (With Swatches)

When you find a good primer, it reminds you how it can really improve the look and wear of your makeup. Tatcha The Silk Canvas Primer is one of those primers. It is a best-seller for its gorgeous airbrushed, soft-focus finish.

So, should you splurge on Tatcha, or are there a few Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer dupes that perform just as well while saving you money?

The good news is yes, there are Tatcha primer dupes: e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer and Physicians Formula Butter Believe It! Putty Primer!

While I’m a fan of Tatcha The Silk Canvas Primer, I couldn’t wait to try e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer and the newer Physicians Formula Butter Putty Primer.

Spoiler: e.l.f. Poreless Putty and Physicians Formula did not disappoint.

Read on to learn what makes Tatcha The Silk Canvas so special and how e.l.f. and Physicians Formula performed!

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Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer

Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer is a product that just exudes luxury, and for the price, it should. The Silk Canvas is a multi-tasker that can be used on the face, eyes, and lips.

The primer contains silk extracts to reduce the appearance of pores, fine lines, and other imperfections. Silk powder allows makeup to be applied evenly with shine minimized.

It also provides a soft-focus finish and allows makeup to last longer.

The silky formula is meant to be a barrier between makeup and skin, which helps to reduce clogged pores which can lead to breakouts.

Anti-pollution natural active ingredients support the skin’s barrier function while helping to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Once I purchased The Silk Canvas, I finally understood why the price is so high. It comes packaged in a beautiful box with a separate instruction sheet. The primer comes sealed in silver foil (reminiscent of camera film) for freshness.

The primer has a heavier feel than expected, even though the net weight is only 0.7 oz. Also included in the box is a disc-shaped spatula to apply the primer.

The disc has a line on it which indicates the amount of product needed. You use this line as a guide when swiping the primer from the container.

The primer has a beautiful scent, the same scent found in many other Tatcha products that I’ve tried. This product is made for all skin types and is cruelty-free.

It is also a Clean at Sephora product, meaning that it is formulated without over 50 ingredients, including sulfates (SLS and SLES), parabens, and phthalates.

Tatcha The Silk Canvas: Performance

I’ve used The Silk Canvas primer with different brands of makeup, and makeup always looks better with it as opposed to without it.

It really helps with the application of drier foundations, such as Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup.

I usually wet a makeup sponge to apply the Estee Lauder foundation, but when I apply The Silk Canvas prior to makeup application, Double Wear applies much smoother and evener.

Pink and gold pearl provides a slight glow and evens skin tone.

You only need to use a very small amount of The Silk Canvas. Tatcha suggests using a rice-sized amount for your entire face, although I found that I needed to use a little more than that.

It can be used alone or under makeup of all kinds, including cream, liquid, and powder makeup. I must admit that love this primer, and although it is expensive, it is a beautiful product.

Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer Dupe

While Tatcha The Silk Canvas is a true luxury primer, all the way from packaging to performance, it is not cheap. Luckily, e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer provides similar results to Tatcha without the steep price tag.

The primer helps takes hold of makeup to make it last all day while helping to retain moisture in the skin.

It appears very similar to The Silk Canvas, perhaps with a little more peachy color than The Silk Canvas.

Whether or not e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer was formulated to compete with The Silk Canvas is unclear, but it has some of the same ingredients as The Silk Canvas.

These ingredients include Camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract, glycerin, and squalane for moisture. It contains (rice) bran wax. (Tatcha uses rice ferment filtrate (sake) in its primer.)

This formula provides an ideal base for makeup application. E.l.f. notes that after application, you should wait 30 seconds before applying makeup so that the primer can set. Made for all skin types, cruelty-free and vegan.

The question is, is it a dupe for Tatcha The Silk Canvas?

Tatcha The Silk Canvas Primer vs. e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer

I tested both The Silk Canvas and e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer with different foundations and found that they both performed well with the liquid foundations that I use.

I also did a split face test and applied each to one side of my face. Tatcha is so smooth and hydrates my skin so well that it beat out e.l.f. on those two characteristics, but e.l.f. performed VERY similarly to Tatcha.

SIZE: Even though e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer appears much smaller than The Silk Canvas, there is more product in the container: 0.74 oz vs. 0.7 for The Silk Canvas. Definitely a plus for e.l.f.!

TEXTURE: I noticed that e.l.f. didn’t apply quite as smoothly as Tatcha but provided a similar blurring effect.

PERFORMANCE: Both primers performed very well with all-day wear. By the end of the day, certain areas of my face would show my pores slightly more with e.l.f. Poreless Putty, but these areas were minimal.

PRODUCT EXPERIENCE: Tatcha has beautiful packaging, scent, and silk-based ingredients. Tatcha is also selling a story that I’m sure resonates with many of its fans. So keep in mind this is part of the luxury price, so if your focus is product performance, e.l.f. is a fantastic alternative!

e.l.f. Putty Primers

E.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer is one of the best e.l.f. makeup products, and has become so popular that they’ve added variations of the primer to offer skincare benefits and address specific skin concerns, while providing all the benefits of the original elf Poreless Putty Primer.

E.l.f. Acne Fighting Putty Primer: Ideal for acne-prone skin, Acne Fighting Putty Primer is infused with zinc, kaolin, and 1.8% salicylic acid, a beta hydroxy acid that exfoliates the skin and dissolves excess oil in pores.

These active ingredients help prevent breakouts while reducing redness and inflammation.

E.l.f. C-Bright Putty Primer: C-Bright Putty Primer contains a 2% concentration of a vitamin C derivative that helps brighten and even out skin tone for a more radiant complexion.

For more information on e.l.f.’s line of primers, please see my post on the best e.l.f. makeup primers.

Final Thoughts: Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer Dupe

While e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer is not exactly the same as Tatcha The Silk Canvas, it comes pretty darn close. I highly recommend it not only because of its affordable price tag but also for its excellent performance.

If you love the luxury product experience and can afford the price, Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer is a beautiful luxe face primer that is the perfect base for makeup.

Otherwise, e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer is a very close makeup dupe for Tatcha The Silk Canvas for a small fraction of the price.

The putty primer contains a blend of Murumuru Butter, Cupuaçu Butter, and Tucuma Butter from the Amazon.

These nourishing butters are filled with essential fatty acids and pro-vitamins to moisturize and soften your skin for a smoother, healthy-looking complexion.

This Tatcha primer dupe feels lightweight on my skin and has a soft, blurring effect.

Simply warm the putty with your fingers and apply it to bare skin and wear it alone or under foundation for a flawless, silky, long-lasting base.

Please note that this primer contains Physician Formula Butter products’ signature tropical, beachy scent.

SIZE: Physicians Formula Butter Believe It! is 0.71 oz (vs. 0.70 for Tatcha The Silk Canvas).

TEXTURE: Butter Believe It! has a creamy texture that leaves my skin super silky, just like Tatcha.

PERFORMANCE: The putty primer wears beautifully alone or under foundation. My skin feels soft and smooth after it absorbs, and my makeup stays in place all day with minimal touchups.

Wrap Up

Well, there you have it. Two super affordable and luxurious primers that are excellent alternatives to Tatcha The Silk Canvas Primer if you’re looking for something similar yet a fraction of the price.

Both Tatcha primer dupes are lightweight, wear well, and create a smooth canvas, just like Tatcha, for longer wearing makeup.

Thanks for reading!