Caliray’s New Surfproof Setting Spray Is Like the Beach in a Bottle

If you’ve been in the beauty game since the early 2000s (or earlier), you know that Urban Decay’s All-Nighter Setting Spray has long been established as The One to Beat. But a challenger has emerged—and the call is coming from inside the beach house. Caliray, the easy, breezy, eco-friendly beauty brand co-founded by Urban Decay founder (and All-Nighter mastermind) Wende Zomnir, has entered the arena with the Surfproof Hydrating Setting Spray ($35).

But, as it turns out, there’s more than enough room for both on your vanity. Ahead, find out everything you need to know about Surfproof—straight from Zomnir herself—and my review of the product. 

Caliray Surfproof Hydrating Setting Spray with Niacinamide $35.00

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The Inspiration 

If UD All-Nighter is the sister that’s heading from the office to the cocktail hour without a moment to spare for touch-ups, think of Surfproof as the sister spending all day surfing and hanging out by the ocean. Indeed, it's the surf and sand that inspired Zomnir, who wanted to create a clean version of All-Nighter that “felt like a day at the beach.” She adds, “I wanted a little bit of that ‘Calgon, Take Me Away!’ moment."

The Formula and Packaging 

While Surfproof hits all the clean beauty marks—including a 100 percent post-PET, curbside recyclable bottle, and refills so you can reuse the pump—the formula doesn’t make any sacrifices. “I wanted an incredible, high-performance product, and I thought if we’re going to make it clean, let’s make it even better for you,” says Zomnir. “So we put in some amazing things like prickly pear extract and agave for hydration, niacinamide for overall glow and pores, and transdermal magnesium,” along with zinc lactate to help control oil and shine (though Zomnir notes that Surfproof is “not an oil preventing setting spray”). “I call it sprayable skincare because it has so much great stuff in it,” she says. 

And how does it stack up against All-Nighter? According to Zomnir, you don’t necessarily have to choose one or the other. “It’s just about whether a clean formulation is important to you,” she says. “The spray is a little bit heavier [in All-Nighter]; I chose a really lightweight mist for this.” While All-Nighter is more of a one-and-one (and we love her for it), Surfproof “is a really lightweight mist that you can refresh throughout the day.”

How to Use

Speaking of refreshing throughout the day: As far as Zomnir is concerned, you hardly have to limit Surfproof to one hefty spritz to lock in your full face. She uses it for a quick refresh throughout the day (“When you spray it, it smells and feels amazing—the mist is really, really light,” she exclaims), as well as during her makeup application: “I use it on my brushes before I apply my makeup or on my sponge. I’ll also use it if I want to use an eyeshadow wet–I’ll spray my brush and dip it into the eyeshadow.”

Zomnir recommends shaking the bottle before application, as the formula does have a sprinkling of blurring agents (though she adds that blurring is not among the product’s primary claims).

My Review

I’ll preface my review by noting that setting sprays are a uniquely personal product, with one big caveat–they either work or they don’t. Even though we all have preferences when it comes to the finish, the packaging, etc., at the end of the day, they have to hold your makeup in place. 

As you can tell by my before and after pictures, this one does, indeed, hold your makeup in place–and for an impressively long time, I might add. Over the week and a half I’ve been wearing this one, I’ve made a point to switch up my foundations and primers; through it all, I’ve found my makeup shockingly intact by the end of the day. My blush is usually the first to go, often pretty separated and maybe even a little splotchy by dinner time, and by evening one of the wings of my winged liner has usually flown the coop. But Surfproof kept it all decidedly locked in place. 

I do find it important to shake the bottle well before use–otherwise, the mist ends up kind of wonky–but overall, you’ll find no complaints here. This spray has really kept my makeup fully in place with a natural-to-radiant finish. I bestow upon the Surpfroof Hydrating Setting Spray my highest honor: full integration into my daily makeup routine.