10 Best Drugstore Foundations For Dry Skin

Finding a foundation for dry skin that provides good coverage and doesn’t accentuate dry patches, wrinkles, and fine lines can be challenging. The good news is that there are some affordable options that can help you get the coverage you need for your dry skin.

In this post on the best drugstore foundations for dry skin, I’ll discuss ten drugstore foundations that provide a variety of coverage options and hydrate while improving the appearance of your skin. I’ve tried them all during the cooler months when my skin is dehydrated and flaky.

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Best Drugstore Foundations For Dry Skin

The drugstore makeup department has really upped its game in the past few years.

Large cosmetics brands like L’Oreal, CoverGirl, Revlon, Neutrogena, and Maybelline have come out with some effective foundation formulas that provide hydration and glow to dry skin.

Many of the drugstore foundations for dry skin in this post can be considered skincare-infused makeup, as they contain nourishing and hydrating ingredients that can improve the appearance of your skin over time.

So they not only cover imperfections and smooth out uneven skin tone, but they also help improve hydration and moisture for a healthier skin barrier.

If you have dry skin, you’ve probably heard of hyaluronic acid, as it’s one of the best ingredients for hydration. It acts like a sponge and absorbs moisture from the air, resulting in plump and hydrated skin.

The tint is super lightweight, oil-free, and non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog pores or worsen acne and breakouts.

The sheer tint evens out your complexion and doesn’t accentuate dry patches or settle in fine lines and wrinkles, thanks to its hydrating properties. It comes with a large doe applicator to make it easy to apply.

Suitable for sensitive skin, the tint is available in 10 shades. This is an excellent choice if you want sheer to light coverage and a more natural finish without being too glowy or dewy.

Hyaluronic acid is naturally present in our skin, but as we age, our skin produces less and less of it, which can exacerbate dryness and loss of volume.

It forms a film on the skin that helps to lock in moisture and prevent moisture loss.

The serum contains luminous mineral pigments that brighten your complexion and give you a natural, healthy-looking glow. It’s formulated for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

The foundation comes with a dropper that dispenses the thin liquid serum foundation. It feels weightless on the skin, and since it is so lightweight, you can build from sheer to light coverage with each layer you apply.

The serum foundation comes in 14 nude shades that match a wide range of skin tones.

The tinted balm is formulated to offer the following benefits:

• Firms your skin over time
• Smooths fine lines
• Conceals imperfections
• Evens skin tone

The balm foundation has a plush texture that helps to reduce the look of wrinkles and fine lines, thanks to ingredients like sodium hyaluronate, the salt form of hyaluronic acid that plumps and hydrates dry skin.

Pineapple fruit extract is rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant that brightens skin and evens skin tone. This extract gently exfoliates the skin thanks to fruit acids and enzymes.

The foundation comes in 8 shades that are blendable for a variety of skin tones.

The balm has sheer, buildable coverage with a velvety luminous finish, leaving dry skin feeling nourished and moisturized. It looks very natural and provides that fresh no-makeup look.

The transfer-proof foundation contains SPF 20 broad-spectrum protection in the form of titanium dioxide (4.4%) and zinc oxide (2%), so if your skin is sensitive to chemical sunscreen (like mine), the mineral filters in this foundation could be ideal for your skin.

The foundation is medium-to-full coverage and comes in a convenient pump bottle. It has a demi-matte finish that keeps your skin looking smooth and flawless.

Of all the foundations in this post, this foundation has the most matte finish.

The formula contains moisturizing and soothing plant extracts to help keep your skin nourished and looking healthy. It is formulated for wear for up to 24 hours and is designed to resist heat, humidity, and sweat.

The oil-free foundation is available in a wide range of 24 shades that will work for most skin tones.

The serum foundation is formulated with SPF 50 broad-spectrum sunscreen protection in the form of both chemical and physical sunscreen filters: homosalate 10.00%, octisalate 4.99%, octocrylene 4.00%, and titanium dioxide 3.67%.

This foundation for mature skin is enriched with skin-loving actives like niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, vitamin E, aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder, and glycerin.

Niacinamide is excellent for dry and aging skin, as it helps to smooth fine lines and wrinkles and strengthens the skin’s natural moisture barrier.

Sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid in its salt form), another nourishing ingredient for dry skin, helps to lock in moisture and keep the skin hydrated.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to protect the skin from free radical damage, while aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder and glycerin are moisturizers that help to nourish and soothe the skin.

The foundation helps even out skin tone with a creamy formula that won’t settle into fine lines.

It comes in an extensive range of 30 shades and has a light-to-medium, buildable coverage with a radiant finish.

L’Oreal Infallible Pro Glow Foundation is a creamy long-wear foundation that provides hydration and glow for up to 24 hours of wear.

The hydrating foundation provides medium coverage and hides imperfections while delivering a pretty glow to the skin. It has SPF 15 broad-spectrum sunscreen protection thanks to octinoxate (3.2%).

It has a lightweight texture and radiant finish. The foundation comes in 12 shades that work for many different skin tones.

Related Post: Best L’Oreal Drugstore Makeup Products

It offers SPF 18 broad-spectrum sunscreen coverage with 7% octinoxate. The medium coverage foundation nourishes the skin with vitamin E and provides all-day hydration.

The luminous, radiant finish leaves skin looking healthy and hydrated all day long.

It comes in a wide range of 24 shades that moisturize dry skin. It won’t clog pores and is allergy tested and safe for sensitive skin.

One noticeable drawback is that the bottle does not have a pump, so you have to pour it out, which can be a bit messy and wasteful. But keep in mind that this is one of the least expensive foundations in this post, so it’s not surprising that it comes in a bottle without a pump.

The range of 24 shades will make it easy to find your perfect color match. Please note that there is added fragrance in this Maybelline foundation.

It targets the signs of aging, like wrinkles, fine lines, and dryness, with skincare and makeup ingredients from the skincare brand Olay and the makeup brand CoverGirl.

The cream foundation contains a hyaluronic complex that provides hydration and plumps fine lines and wrinkles. A stable vitamin C derivative, ascorbyl glucoside, brightens the skin and smoothes the skin.

Niacinamide, Olay’s favorite ingredient, works to hydrate and smooth the skin. Panthenol, also known as pro-vitamin B5, is a humectant that helps the skin retain moisture.

The foundation also contains acetyl glucosamine, a natural moisturizing factor with multiple skincare benefits that can help reduce wrinkles and fade dark spots.

The foundation contains broad-spectrum SPF 28 sunscreen from titanium dioxide.

The unique pan swirls together skincare and makeup in a medium-to-full coverage cream foundation. This anti-aging foundation comes in 8 shades.

It contains SPF 30 broad-spectrum sunscreen coverage in the form of 2% titanium dioxide.

A BB cream is short for “beauty balm” or “blemish balm”, which is a hybrid of skincare and foundation, and often sunscreen.

BB creams are usually lighter in coverage than foundation, but they provide more coverage than a tinted moisturizer.

This BB cream offers sheer coverage that leaves a radiant finish on the skin. It evens out the skin tone and blurs imperfections while hydrating the skin.

This 8-in-1 skin protector offers the following benefits:

1. Hydrates
2. Brightens
3. Blurs imperfections
4. Smoothes
5. Enhances
6. Oil-free
7. Perfects skin tone
8. SPF 30 sunscreen protection

Chamomile and aloe vera extracts help to soothe the skin. Ideal for normal to dry skin, the BB cream is also suitable for sensitive skin.

BB Fresh is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog and worsen acne and breakouts. You can use it with or without a moisturizer. This BB cream has a limited shade range, as it only comes in 5 shades.

The foundation is formulated with hyaluronic acid and collagen to hydrate and moisturize skin for up to 12 hours.

It also contains shea butter, which is an antioxidant and emollient that moisturizes and protects your skin from environmental stressors.

The foundation provides a pretty glow and a little more coverage than some of the other sheer drugstore foundations for dry skin in this post. It’s breathable and doesn’t feel heavy on your skin.

The foundation comes in 20 shades, is non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores), and is easy to apply thanks to the pump bottle.

The Bottom Line

If you have dry skin, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a high-end foundation to get a good formula. Plenty of great drugstore foundations will leave your skin looking dewy, smooth, and radiant, and these are a few of the best.

Please note that while many of the foundations in this post contain sunscreen, you should still apply a separate broad-spectrum sunscreen product with an SPF of 30 or higher to ensure you get adequate sun protection daily.

Thanks for reading!