15 best foundations for dry skin, recommended by a beauty expert

This studio radiance foundation has a serum formula suitable for all skin types, and it’s available in more than 50 shades. Key ingredients include hydration-promoting hyaluronic acid, and we noted the formula’s smoothing effect on dry skin immediately after application.

We found the make-up buy offered a buildable layer and medium coverage, which stayed put throughout the day. It’s resistant to humidity, sweat and water – our base remained in place after wearing the foundation in the rain and during warm weather. We found it comforting on tight or dry patches of skin and noted a silky soft, weightless finish that lasted from morning until night.

An oil-free foundation costing less than a tenner, this offering from e.l.f comes in 40 shades, so there should be something to suit everyone. The light, fluid consistency is silky, ensuring a seamless spread across our dull, dehydrated skin.

As the formula is oil-free, there’s no shiny residue, and we suspect the inclusion of hydrating glycerin is behind the slightly matte finish we saw, which covered the skin evenly. Vegan too, this is an ideal lightweight or heavier coverage multi-tasker, as you can layer up to achieve different finishes. We found this comfortable base stays in place for several hours, too.

This product combines lightweight comfort with long-wearing results. We particularly liked the fact there’s a pipette dropper built into the lid, for mess-free application. This also meant we could build up coverage with a little bit of foundation at a time. Key ingredients include a botanical oil containing soothing calendula and rosehip oils. We noted the formula offered radiance without any greasiness, and this demi-matte effect lingered for hours.

You can shop for the right shade according to undertone options such as neutral peach, cool pink and warm golden, and the foundation has the bonus of SPF20 inclusion, too.

This balm foundation is a moisturising skin tint that offers lightweight coverage and a fresh, natural finish. Its formula blends well, with each of the 12 shades designed to adapt to different skin tones. The balm has a midweight formula when applied to the skin and then rubs in to reveal a lighter effect and noticeable healthy-looking radiance and smoothness that’s ideal for dry skin. Skincare ingredients include jojoba oil and sodium hyaluronate, which both promote hydration.

It doesn’t really offer concealing benefits, but if you prefer a moisturising foundation with minimal coverage and just a subtle tint, this is the buy to try.

This is the perfect balance between a weightless formula and midweight coverage, meaning it’s super comfy to wear. Skincare ingredients include hydrating, brightening and balancing niacinamide and allantoin, while calming aloe is in there, too. We could see the benefits of each component’s inclusion from the product’s gentle, skin-softening effect. The vegan-friendly formula left our skin with a natural radiance, while also helping to improve the look of any redness.

It’s a coverage step up from tinted moisturiser, but with the same kind of overtly hydrating effect, which is a welcome foundation option for those prone to dry skin.

Specifically created with normal to dry skin in mind, this foundation’s formula includes hydration-boosting hyaluronic acid, which contributed to the dewy finish we saw. The shades are arranged according to undertone, whether that’s golden, neutral or rosy, so, we found it easier to find the right match. The medium coverage base feels intensely smoothing and soothing immediately after application, and we saw it glide across the skin before offering a radiant, luminous finish.

It’s easy to build up, too, so you can add extra to any areas in need of more coverage, and we found the base effectively improved the appearance of flaky patches and any dullness.

A small amount of this foundation goes a long way, as it provides heavy coverage, so, we tended to use a tiny bit at a time. By applying the product with a damp make-up sponge for blending, we found the matte effect achieved didn’t make our dry skin look flatter. Instead, we noted a full-coverage look that was able to conceal redness and blemishes.

We weren’t too heavy-handed on particularly dry areas, because of the matte finish, which can cling to patches. If you’re seeking solid coverage, however, this is a foundation that will stay put on your face for hours on end, and it is even humidity-proof and sweat-resistant.

Showcasing signature Dior branding, the glass bottle has a pump dispenser releasing a midweight formula with SPF 20, and it created radiance instantly on our skin. Available in more than 40 shades, this foundation features hydrating skincare ingredients, including wild pansy and rose. There’s a light yet noticeably fresh floral scent, too, which we found appealing, and it’s suitable for sensitive skin.

We saw a full coverage smoothing effect without any heaviness, and a luminous glow that lingered for hours. This is a long-lasting breathable foundation, and it remained in place throughout our working day and well into the evening, without becoming patchy or sliding off.

This creamy balm – which comes in a pot with a twist-off lid and an application brush for effortless use – transfers weightlessly onto the skin. Not at all shiny or greasy, a little bit of this putty-textured product went a long way across our complexion. With a 20-shade range across neutral, yellow, and pink undertones, the coverage is buildable, thanks to the small, soft brush and smooth blending formula. For that reason, we noticed you can either focus on specific areas or apply an evenly coated finish. 

Hydration-promoting ingredients include hyaluronic acid and vitamin E. We saw a full coverage effect, balancing out redness and dry patches, while remaining consistently satiny.

This lavishly creamy formula comes in a tub with an applicator spatula, meaning we could carefully dot the foundation onto our face. The 23 shade options span yellow beige, beige and pink beige undertones, so it’s not the widest range by a long way. However, for those it does suit, we found the formula successfully ticked both rich coverage and dewy glow boxes, while offering smoothing and soothing for dryness.

We saw a seamless, more even complexion, without product sticking to pores or lines. Key ingredients such as green tea and silk protein make up the Japanese brand’s blend – it’s undeniably an investment buy at full price but we only needed a tiny amount to cover our face, so, we can see the product lasting a long time.

Available in 30 shades, beautiful skin comes in a squeezy tube, so you can easily slot it into any make-up bag. The formula is vegan-friendly, while key ingredients include hyaluronic acid, coconut extract and rose. We found the hydrating foundation easily smoothed onto skin, quickly creating buildable medium coverage and an impressive glow.

It feels super lightweight to wear, and we noted this radiant base stayed put well, even after a walk in the rain. We noticed how satisfyingly soft the foundation is on skin, too, and we appreciated the plumping finish it provided – particularly as our dry skin can sometimes appear tight and parched.

Skincare ingredients included in this No7 serum foundation cover brightening vitamin C, soothing vitamin E, plumping peptides and nourishing ceramides. We saw dryness reduce and an instant skin-softening as the formula glided onto our face. It didn’t settle in our fine lines or pores either, instead smoothing over any residual dryness. Although we still wore our usual SPF underneath, the factor 30 inclusion delivers welcome integral sun protection.

The finish is lightweight while still ensuring tone-balancing coverage. For less than £20, this is a premium-feeling hydrating foundation at a slightly cheaper price point.

Using this lightweight foundation feels a lot like applying soothing skincare, and that’s because of ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and vitamins E and B5. Although it’s a very light, liquid formula, we still saw sufficient skin-balancing coverage, and we could barely feel the product during wear. We found you can easily add layers, too, whether looking for further coverage or a top-up throughout the day.

We found that the foundation held well and didn’t rub off, instead just subtly fading as the hours passed. We saw gentle radiance and comfortable skin, with the texture appearing more toned, too.

Available in 36 shades, this lightweight foundation instantly evened our skin texture and created a silky-soft finish. The pump nozzle releases a smoothing formula, which we saw improve the look of our fine lines, while the product felt comfy to wear. We alternated between light coverage and layering extra foundation when seeking a stronger look, although, even a tiny bit balanced out any redness.

We also loved how well it settled onto our skin – it didn’t cling to pores, instead, we found it adaptable and breathable. Although a splurge buy, the beautiful bottle with gold and black detailing looks suitably expensive in our make-up bag.

We appreciated this foundation’s chic, minimalist packaging, and its integral wand enabled easy mess-free application. There are 48 shades to choose between, and the vegan-friendly formula is suitable for sensitive skin. The ingredients list includes lots of botanical extracts, and while it’s recommended for normal to combination skin, our dry skin felt soothed. However, we tended to wear it with lots of skincare underneath, so, this product may be best for slightly dry skin rather than overt tightness or flakiness.

The serum-like texture is almost runny and rubs in easily, leaving a lightweight layer of tone-balancing base. We were impressed by how comfortably breathable the foundation felt and, being non-comedogenic, it won’t block pores, either.