Sources images: Nicola Dall'Asen; Urban DecaySave this storySave this story
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In a prior version of this story, we published inaccurate information about All Nighter's reformulation after sending the incorrect ingredient list to our sources for comment. Parts of it have been updated for accuracy.
It’s probably just my beauty-centric algorithms talking, but everyone online seems laser-focused on Urban Decay lately. Shortly after going viral for calling out the “bland” makeup market (honestly, thank God someone finally said it) in a new social media campaign with adult film star Ari Kytsya, this week the brand launched a new version of All Nighter, a setting spray loved by just about anyone who has ever worn makeup, thanks to its cooling effect and unparalleled ability to keep makeup in place.
This was a very big deal because 1. All Nighter has a cult following and five Allure Best of Beauty awards, and why mess with a great thing? And 2. A company most people have never heard of, by the name of Skindinavia, shared a now-viral Instagram post saying that they had “proudly made the All Nighter Setting Spray since 2010… but sadly, Urban Decay and its parent company L’Oréal have chosen to end their partnership with Skindinavia.” This, of course, got the beauty world buzzing about setting spray drama.
But the story is actually relatively straightforward: Skindinavia has provided the formula for All Nighter since its launch 15 years ago. As Skindinavia’s founder and president, Allen Goldman, told me this week, he developed the formula and obtained the patent for it back in the mid-2000s with the intent of selling it through his brand, but the product struggled to take off (setting spray wasn’t really a thing yet back then). He says that after developing rapport with the Urban Decay team through various networking events, he eventually agreed to license the formula to the brand, which launched it as All Nighter in 2010 with massive success.
Because Skindinavia owns the patent for the combination of ingredients that gives All Nighter its distinct cooling effect, Urban Decay has been paying Skindinavia for the right to use that formula this entire time. The back of the spray’s label has always read “All Nighter by Skindinavia.” (That does not apply to some of the All Nighter spinoffs; Urban Decay developed the vitamin C and hyaluronic acid versions in-house without Skindinavia’s patented formulation.)
Urban Decay has now decided to produce its own formula in-house and relaunch the product. We asked the brand’s representatives why it did this and received this statement in response: “We are grateful for the 15-year partnership we shared with Skindinavia, which helped shape the legacy of our iconic All Nighter Setting Spray. We thank Skindinavia for their collaboration and wish them continued success in their future endeavors. Over the past several months, we have communicated openly about our plans to evolve the All Nighter Setting Spray. While it’s never easy to end a longstanding partnership, our decision to go in a new direction reflects our ongoing commitment to listen to our community and raise the bar for makeup performance. Our latest All Nighter Setting Spray is the result of four years of dedicated research, over 100 formula iterations, and the expertise of more than 20 scientists. This new formula delivers 24-hour wear, ensuring makeup stays waterproof, smudge-proof, and transfer-resistant, all while leaving skin looking smooth and flawless.”
With that out of the way, by far the biggest question for us and All Nighter devotees everywhere was: How does this new setting spray compare to the OG? With more than a decade of All Nighter use under my belt, I put the shiny-new iteration to the test.
How does the new All Nighter Setting Spray formula compare to the old?
The new range of All Nighter includes three finishes: Natural, Glow, and Matte. For this review, I’ll be focusing solely on the Natural finish, the closest equivalent to the original.
I sent the full ingredient lists of the original setting spray and the new Natural finish formula to cosmetic chemists Kelly Dobos and Amanda Lam, both of whom point out significant differences between formulas—mainly, the addition of a film-former called AMP-acrylates/allyl methacrylate copolymer. “This is a film former borrowed from hair-care applications, which has demonstrated long-term, high-strength hold with touchable softness even in humid conditions,” Dobos says. Urban Decay claims to have extended All Nighter’s durability from 16 hours to 24 —and I’ll get into how it lasted through a wear-test shortly—but Dobos thinks the inclusion of AMP could be “contributing to those longer-lasting effects that are claimed.”
Like the original, the All Nighter reformulation contains a polymer called PVP that helps makeup stick to skin, but the new formula also features something called diisopropyl adipate, “a high-spreading emollient with a silky feel,” Dobos points out. “The high spreading likely helps the polymers quickly level to provide a thin, even film across the skin.”
And what about the signature All Nighter cooling effect? Urban Decay claims its new formulation can cool skin by three degrees Fahrenheit on contact, but Lam says there isn’t much of a cool factor going on here, chemically speaking. “I don't see anything that is specifically added in the formula for the cooling purpose, but I believe that the alcohol in the formula could be providing that effect,” she says. “When alcohol evaporates off the skin, it absorbs heat and creates that cooling sensation.” Dobos concurs, highlighting that all the ingredients that gave the original its signature cooling effect are no longer present. “However, the evaporation of ethanol will still produce some cooling sensation.”
Overall, Lam says the new formula is rather simple. “The other ingredients in this formula are preservatives, a chelating agent, a lightweight emollient, and fragrance,” she says. “Now it looks similar to a lot of preexisting setting sprays on the market.”
Does the new version of All Nighter perform as well as the old?
The new range of All Nighter includes three finishes: Natural, Glow, and Matte. For the purposes of this review, I focused solely on the Natural finish, the closest equivalent to the original.
In my opinion, the experience of using the original All Nighter was damn near perfect, which is why I’ve used it consistently since I was a teenager. You wouldn’t know it by looking at me now, but I was once a 20-something who’d put on a full beat to bar-crawl until last call almost every weekend—even in the worst weather possible. I’d always set with All Nighter at least twice while applying my makeup (after my powdering my complexion and then again at the end of the full routine), and I think that’s the reason my look would hold up for hours on end through sweaty heat waves, rainstorms, blizzards, and the general mustiness of New York City dive bars. All Nighter’s remained a staple in my routine now in my 30s, even though I don’t wear that much makeup anymore—I want what little stuff I do put on to stay there, and I’ve found that becomes more of a challenge when you get a little older.
The cooling effect of the original was subtle but noticeable, at least during hotter months. It locked everything in without drying out the skin or sacrificing dewiness. My job requires me to test different formulas, but I’d always wind up returning to All Nighter when I realized they didn’t reliably last as long, had so much alcohol in them they’d cause my skin to flake, or were so hydrating they made me look like a greaseball.
The only place I saw room for improvement in the original All Nighter was its spray nozzle. It wasn’t aggressive, per se, but it didn’t provide as fine or even a mist as I would like. And when you’d arrive at the bottom of the bottle, the formula would struggle to travel from the nozzle to the face and start splattering instead of spraying. That said, it was a minor complaint for what was otherwise a flawless experience for me.
Nicola Dall’Asen after walking to dinner and back in the rain.
Photo: Nicola Dall'Asen
As for the new All Nighter, Urban Decay has certainly made those much-needed improvements on the spray nozzle. The updated version provides a much finer mist (Urban Decay says it’s 22 percent finer, to be exact). Plus, the cap pushes down and lifts back up more smoothly, lending itself to a continual, more even, and altogether gentler application—no more squeezing your eyes shut and bracing for wetness.
Though I can’t say this new formula made my makeup last any longer than its predecessor, it did stay put for a night spent out and about on a hot, sticky, stormy summer evening, which tells me it’s still got a lot, if not the exact same amount, of staying power. The differences in how it settles on my face are pretty minute; the new formula feels a little bit more moist upon application and dries down just the tiniest bit tacky, not unlike a makeup primer. Because of that, I probably wouldn’t use it as liberally as I did the old one (which is fine, I was basically drowning my skin in setting spray). And that cooling effect, though still present, isn’t as strong as that of the OG.
Allure’s social director Kassidy Silva and beauty closet associate Edward Horgan—fellow diehard All Nighter fans—also tested samples of the Natural finish and had similar takeaways.
Edward Horgan after walking home from work in a heat wave.
Photo: Edward Horgan
Horgan wore their makeup through a full work day, then took a walk home in absurdly hot and humid weather, and found their makeup fully intact at the end. "The good news is we have an upgrade on the atomizer, which provides a much finer mist than before, preventing any white spots from large droplets that occurred with the old packaging,” Horgan says. “I’m not feeling the same level of a cooling effect that the original formulation delivered, though. TBH, I feel a little greasier than I would have with the OG. For the most part, the new formula did do its job of keeping everything in place, but I was hoping for a little more shine protection."
Kassidy Silva after commuting home from work on public transit in a heat wave.
Photo: Kassidy Silva
Silva can also attest to the new formula’s long-lasting wear. “After testing during the heatwave, she didn't disappoint. With a new nozzle, the lighter mist was easier to control during application. I avoided any white droplets that I'd have to blend previously, which was my pain point on the original,” she says. “My skin is pretty dry, so I'm more concerned with patchiness versus shiny spots. After 10 hours, my makeup looked fresh and in place, with only a tiny bit of patchiness around the sides of my nostrils. With temperatures well into the 90s and walking several miles in the heat, it was a total win for how little my makeup moved. While I did miss the cooling effect of the original, it still held up with a lasting even finish.”
So what happens to Skindinavia’s formula now?
Based on the testing that went down at Allure HQ this week, I’m willing to bet there’ll be some people who prefer the new All Nighter, some who prefer the old version, and plenty who won’t even notice the difference aside from the new bottle. And if you’re in that second group, you’re in luck. Even after teaming up with Urban Decay, Skindinavia kept producing its own setting spray with that patented cooling formula, and Goldman says he plans to continue doing so. It’s called Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray, and you can buy a 4-ounce bottle for $29 from Amazon or skindinavia.com (Urban Decay’s version costs $34 for the same amount).
There’s no hurry, by the way. Goldman insists that his brand and the setting spray are sticking around, and there’s no need to rush your next order or stockpile his setting spray for fear of discontinuation. “Please know that if you really want it, we still got it,” he says. “We’re not going anywhere, it’s all good.”
