The Best Drugstore Foundation for Dry Skin

By Natalie Arroyo Camacho, Contributing Writer

If you value healthy and luminous dermis (aka skin), you know how tricky that can be to achieve — especially when you have dry skin. Since makeup stays on our faces so long, it has a big impact on how our skin looks and feels. One of the main culprits? Foundation, especially when it comes to dry skin. Good, hydrating foundation can be expensive, but it actually doesn’t have to be. In fact, you can find something amazing for less than $20. And that something is drugstore foundation — so we put together a list of the best drugstore foundation for dry skin.

Whether it’s from a designer or a drugstore, the right foundation can make you look healthy while hydrating the skin. If you don’t believe me, just keep reading. We dove deep to find the best drugstore foundation for dry skin — and we nailed pretty much every concern stemming from that.

(Also, for the record, we’re huge fans of drugstore beauty products here. We also rounded up the best drugstore eyeshadow palettes and the best drugstore lipsticks.)

10 Best Drugstore Foundation For Dry Skin

Best long-lasting drugstore foundation for dry skin:

L’Oréal Infallible Fresh Wear 24-Hour Foundation

Overall, this is one of our favorite foundations for dry skin — and there are myriad reasons for that. For one, more than 5,000 people on Ulta have awarded this 4.3 stars. For two, it actually does last basically all day. And, for three, the formula — which has a matte finish — resists sweat and remains breathable all day. Lastly, it’s non-comedogenic, meaning that it won’t clog your pores.

Available at Amazon ($17)

Best full coverage drugstore foundation for dry skin:

ColourPop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Hydrating Foundation

This hydrating foundation from ColourPop is perfect for oily skin and dry skin alike. As you can glean from its name, the formula contains hyaluronic acid — which is a mega-hydrating ingredient. This pick also offers a wide shade range, and we’re big fans of that inclusion. According to the product page, this full coverage foundation offers a natural finish.

Available at Ulta ($16)

Best hydrating drugstore foundation for dry skin:

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid

Since Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid contains, well, hyaluronic acid, it’s an ideal pick for folks with dry skin. It’s also oil-free, so it’s great for different skin types. The mega-hydration that this foundation provides makes it so that you get a dewy finish upon application. It’ll also smoothly settle into fine lines and dry patches without caking. What’s more is that it’ll also highly blendable and will plump your dry skin right up.

Available at Amazon ($22) | Also available at Target

Best dewy drugstore foundation for dry skin:

Wet n Wild Bare Focus Tinted Hydrator

If you’re looking for a foundation that offers sheer to medium coverage, allow us to introduce you to the Wet n Wild Bare Focus Tinted Hydrator. It’s lightweight, oil-free, moisturizing, and contains squalane as well as hyaluronic acid for ultimate hydration. If we’re being totally honest (and why wouldn’t we be?), we don’t love the limited shade range here. There are fewer than a dozen, and the darkest shade isn’t that deep. However, if you happen to find a range that matches your skin tone, rest assured that it’ll hydrate your dry skin.

Available at Amazon ($6) | Also available at Target

Best drugstore cream foundation for dry skin:

Pacifica Ultra CC Cream Radiant Foundation

I really like Pacifica as a beauty brand. This CC cream is elite because it’s perfect for daily use, goes on very light, and has the most intoxicating scent of coconut. The coconut water, kelp, and ginseng in the formula are also sure to elate your skin. Reviewers say that it’s lightweight, moisturizing, sheer, and definitely worth the money. One thing to note with this is that some folks have mentioned the pump stopped working after only a handful of uses.

Available at Ulta ($18) | Also available at Amazon and Target

Best BB cream:

L’Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

As a lifestyle journalist with a particular affinity for beauty, I don’t write this next sentence lightly. This L’Oreal BB cream might be the best beauty product of all time. The L’Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream has almost 40,000 reviews 4-star reviews on Amazon (!!!) and it’s not hard to see why. According to the brand, this product “revives tired complexion, evens skin tone, hydrates, and perfects” your skin. Obviously, most of those reviewers agree. With this BB cream, you can expect your dry skin to have a natural finish. And who doesn’t want that?

Available at Amazon ($13) | Also available at Target

Best drugstore liquid foundation for dry skin:

Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation

Maybelline didn’t achieve its iconic status simply through genius marketing (“Maybe she’s born with it…”). The brand’s products have always been legit, just like the Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation. This foundation has 24 shade options, is for normal to dry skin, and offers a natural, dewy finish with medium coverage. It’s a liquid foundation, so it applies easily and also has light consistency which prevents it from caking throughout the day.

Available at Ulta ($10) | Also available at Amazon

Best medium coverage drugstore foundation for dry skin:

Jason Wu Beauty Tinted Moisturizer Meets CC Cream

Clean, phthalate-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, cruelty-free, and vegan. Those words all ring true when it comes to the Jason Wu Beauty Tinted Moisturizer Meets CC Cream. It’s Infused with vitamin B3 and E as well as goji berry extract. Precisely because of that, it’s good for redness and hydration — two things that folks with dry skin often struggle with. Since this product is also fragrance-free, it’s also a good choice for people who have sensitive skin. Considering that this is a CC cream, though, it’s important to note that it only offers light coverage.

Available at Target ($20) | Also available at Jason Wu Beauty

Best buildable:

L’Oréal True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted Serum

Another heavy hitter from the tried-and-true Parisian beauty brand? The L’Oréal True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted Serum, which offers builable coverage. This contains one percent pure hyaluronic acid, which makes it a great choice for dry skin. Since this is a serum, it doesn’t have as thick a consistency as your normal foundation. According to the brand, this product is meant to instantly brighten, even, and hydrate your skin. While this pick is great for dry skin, it can also work wonders on oily, combination, sensitive, and normal skin types.

Available at Ulta ($20) | Also available at Amazon

Best with SPF:

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream 8-in-1 Skin Perfector

Whenever a single product claims that it can do eight different things, my spidey senses tingle. The Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream 8-in-1 Skin Perfector is one of those products, but it actually passes the test. That’s because it blurs imperfections, brightens, enhances, hydrates, evens, and soothes your skin — all while protecting it from harmful UV rays since it has SPF 30. This cream is great for hydration because it has a water-gel, oil-free formula.

Available at Amazon ($18)