These Hydrating Makeup Primers Are The Best Ones For Dry Skin

Best Primers For Dry Skin

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So you went ahead and bought a high-end foundation. Each time you put it on, it feels like you’re smearing $5 worth of product all over your face. It’d all be worth it, though, if the foundation was working. But it looks flaky and patchy. Well, sometimes you need to suck up to your skin so that it doesn’t hang you out to dry, literally! And that’s what makeup primers are for. The best primers for dry skin make sure you get the most out of your makeup.

They pamper, nourish, hydrate, moisturize, and prep your skin for a flawless makeup base. And primers with hydrating and moisturizing effects can save you the trouble of layering products especially when you have dry skin.

Sure, you can use a moisturizer to prime your face. But you’d be missing out on the key benefit of using a primer, which is making your makeup last longer.

If you see your foundation separating or looking all flaky and patchy a little too often, it’s time to switch to a hydrating makeup primer!

The Best Primers For Dry Skin

Find below the best primers for dry skin.

1. Erborian Glow Cream Illuminating Primer

Best Primer For Dry Skin - Erborian Glow Cream Illuminating Primer

This is a multi-purpose makeup primer that illuminates, moisturizes, and smoothes the skin. Its cream formula is infused with squalane to moisturize. But it also has silicones to subtly blur out textured skin. The K-beauty primer is almost shimmery in that it has a pinky, pearlescent effect on the skin.

Plus, it has licorice extract and niacinamide to brighten the skin too. Even though it has a radiant finish, it’s not wet. It’s not sticky either. So it’ll hydrate your skin and give your makeup a glowy look. On a side note, it can also be used as a cream highlighter on the high points of your cheeks.

Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, licorice extract, squalane
Size: 1.5 oz/45 ml

2. Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum

Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum - Best Primers for Dry Skin

If you have dry skin and wrinkles you worry about, this is the primer for you. It contains an astonishing number of goodies that you’d find in an anti-aging serum. The primer packs several emollients like lavender and jojoba oil. These are great for boosting moisture on dry skin and keeping it smooth and plump.

They’re barrier-restoring ingredients. Additionally, the primer has two potent antioxidants; vitamins C and E. It has a beautiful luminous finish perfect for dry and flaky skin. You get to take care of your face while priming it for flawless and glowy makeup.

Key Ingredients: Lavender oil, jojoba oil, green tea, vitamin C, vitamin E
Size: 1 oz/30 ml
Good To Know: Cruelty-free, paraben-free

3. Glossier Priming Moisturizer

Glossier Priming Moisturizer - Best Primers for Dry Skin

This one contains the hydration booster hyaluronic acid as well as soothing botanicals to calm redness-prone skin. Moreover, it has vitamins C, E, and A to give you a layer of antioxidants.

The deeply moisturizing primer plumps up the skin and creates a super smooth surface for extended foundation wear. It’s a super-rich moisturizer on its own and a beautiful dewy finish primer for your foundation.

Key Ingredients: Aloe, hyaluronic acid, green tea, vitamin C
Size: 1.7 oz/50 ml
Good To Know: Cruelty-free, fragrance-free

4. E.l.f. Hydrating Primer Serum

E.l.f. Hydrating Primer Serum - Best Primers for Dry Skin

An incredibly effective moisturizing primer for dry skin you can find in your local drugstore! This primer serum provides the ultimate hydrating duo for moisturizing and priming your face with hyaluronic acid and snow mushrooms.

The affordable primer gives a bouncy feel to the skin and has a natural wet finish for long-lasting makeup. It’s water-based, fragrance-free, and an overall great primer for people with dry skin.

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, aloe, glycerin
Size: 1.01 oz/30 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free

5. Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer – Hydrating

Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer Hydrating

This water-based primer is super lightweight and provides the most breathable moisture. It contains squalane to replenish dry skin so that your foundation stays put, unseparated, and patch-free all day.

It leaves a silky feel on the skin and makes your foundation blend perfectly well without hanging on to dry skin flakes. The creamy primer has a natural dewy finish that comes from a boost of hydration.

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, squalane
Size: 1.7 oz/50 ml
Good To Know: Silicone-free, paraben-free

6. Lancome UV Expert Aquagel Defense Primer & Moisturizer SPF 50

Lancome UV Expert Aquagel Defense Primer & Moisturizer SPF 50

When you want to combine the essentials, this is the perfect primer to slather on! It’s your daily sunscreen, your moisturizer, and your makeup primer. And it comes with vitamin E for some added benefits. The best part of this primer is that it makes the foundation last forever and it works amazing for textured skin.

It disappears into the skin and doesn’t mess up your makeup. It’s the perfect formula to cover all the bases and the perfect multi-purpose gem for dry skin. The sunscreen is chemical so there is no room for grease or white cast. Apart from being a super moisturizing primer, this is an amazing standalone sunscreen and my current obsession.

Key Ingredients: SPF, moringa extract, vitamin E
Size: 1 oz/30 ml
Good To Know: Paraben-free, contains fragrance

Related: The Best Primers with SPF

7. The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer

The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer - Best Affordable Primer For Dry Skin

When it comes to blurring out pores, wrinkles, lines, and even acne, there’s no other ingredient like silicone. Silicone has the ability to blur out any imperfections on the skin. It draws a curtain on textured skin and gives you a canvas to do your thing. This one is a silicone-based lightweight primer with a matte finish.

It’s the best primer for dry skin to blur out pores and soften textured skin. It’ll create a smooth base to apply your foundation. It leaves a velvety feel on the skin and makes the foundation glide easily on top. Remember to moisturize your skin before applying this one.

Key Ingredients: Silicones
Size: 1 oz/30 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free

8. Rare Beauty Illuminating Primer

Rare Beauty Illuminating Primer

This one is an illuminating primer to enhance luminosity on dry skin. It’s formulated with pearls to create a natural-looking glow. The primer is water-based, has a gel texture, and contains botanicals to nourish and moisturize dry skin.

The nutrient-rich formula bathes the skin with moisture and revives the look of dry and dehydrated skin. The light texture blends easily. It’s an all-day hydrating treatment for dry skin and the perfect smoothing base for your foundation.

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, sunflower seed oil, lotus flower extract
Size: 0.94 oz/28 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free

9. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Primer

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Hydrating Primer

This one has the perfect combination of humectants and emollients to prime dry skin for makeup. It packs hyaluronic acid to instantly plump up the skin and grape seed oil to eliminate flakiness. While providing moisture, grapeseed oil also protects your skin barrier.

And it leaves a silky feel on the face. The primer has a satin finish that beautifies the look of your foundation. It creates the perfect binding layer between your skin and your makeup, making it one of the absolute best primers for dry skin.

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, grapeseed oil
Size: 1 oz/30 ml
Good To Know: Cruelty-free, contains fragrance

So these are some of the best primers for dry skin to hydrate and improve your makeup. Remember that good skincare goes a long way. So before anything else, make sure you keep your skin hydrated and replenished by following a skincare routine consistently. If your skin doesn’t need a lot of priming, see our round-up of the best moisturizers to wear under makeup, which work double duty!

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Read Next: The Best Face Mists For Dry Skin

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