With winter soon on its way, I’ve started to pack away my lightweight tinted moisturisers to make room on my dressing table for my favourite foundations. But as someone who suffers from both eczema and extremely dehydrated skin, making my foundation last all day without flaking, looking patchy or completely drying out my face has felt impossible up until very recently, when I started to add a primer into my everyday makeup routine.
Weleda's Skin Food (£10) is one of my favourite primers for dry skin.
Whether you prefer a 'no-makeup' makeup look or a full face of glam, a face primer is key, as they create a smooth and even canvas for your foundations and other makeup products, helping them to apply more smoothly and last longer on your face. But the honest truth is that not every primer will work for every skin type.
In fact, if you pick the wrong one, it can have the opposite effect on your makeup that a primer is intended to have. I therefore decided to reach out to professional makeup artist Tori Arthur to answer my burning questions about how to find the best primer for dry skin for winter 2025 and beyond. Here's what she had to say.
Should People With Dry Skin Use a Primer?
Arthur says, "Absolutely. It can help a lot if you get flaky patches on your face or find that your foundation tends to get patchy in certain areas. A good hydrating primer can give you a bit of a cushion, allowing your makeup products to sit on the face more seamlessly. and give your skin that soft, plump finish. However, a primer is not the sole product needed to help out dry skin. This starts with a skin routine, filled with hydrating moisturisers, toners and, of course, sunscreen to prep your face for makeup."
What Primer Formula Is the Best for Dry Skin?
"For dry skin, I’d avoid any primers [for oily skin] that use the words ‘super matte’ or that place heavy emphasis on oil control. You’ll want something that gives your skin a nice drink of hydration, not something that’ll make it feel tight or even more dry. For this reason, I’d recommend opting for water-based primers that help to hydrate and moisturise the skin as opposed to silicone-based options that can accentuate dryness due to their ability to reduce excess oil and minimise pores," says Arthur.
What Ingredients Should People With Dry Skin Look for In a Primer?
"Primers with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides and squalane will help to lock in the skin’s hydration, leaving your face with a moisturised and dewy base that can take on heavier foundations and makeup products. Equally, I’d avoid anything that’s too heavy on fragrance as this can irritate and dry out the skin, as well as alcohol, which is sometimes used to dissolve excess oil on the surface and create a matte finish," reveals Arthur.
With that information in mind, I went on the hunt to find the best primers for dry skin to leave my makeup looking glowy and lasting all day. Keep scrolling if you, too, are interested in finding out which primers are the best for dehydrated skin for winter 2025 and beyond.
The Best Primers for Dry Skin
- Best Overall Primer for Dry Skin: Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré, £22
- Best Luxury Primer for Dry Skin: Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base, £84
- Best Affordable Primer for Dry Skin: Weleda Skin Food, £10
- Best Glowy Primer for Dry Skin: Vieve Skin Nova, £31
- Best SPF Primer for Dry Skin: Charlotte Tilbury Invisible Uv Primer, £40
1. Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré Multi-Purpose Moisturiser
Key Ingredients: Glycerin, shea butter, aloe vera
Loved by dermatologists, makeup artists, and beauty editors alike, Embryolisse’s Lait-Crème Concentré was created by dermatologists and has become a French-pharmacy staple ever since. I first tried it when I went to Paris back in 2021, and I stock up every time I go now. Rich in glycerin, fatty acids and vitamins, Embryolisse was formulated to combat dehydration, making it an ideal primer for dry skin. And the best part? It can be used in a number of other ways, including as a daily moisturiser, makeup remover, and an overnight mask for maximum skin hydration.
2. Nars Light Reflecting Hydrating Primer
Key Ingredients: Double hyaluronic acid, squalane, peptides
I don't have mature skin, but I often find myself turning to mature skin recommendations due to the crossover of ingredients and formulas that help to combat dehydration. Nars’ Light Reflecting Primer falls under this category. Infused with 93% skincare ingredients, I actually got this recommendation from my mum, who swears by it due to its ability to hydrate, reduce fine lines and strengthen the skin’s barrier.
3. Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base
Key Ingredients: Vitamins B, C, and E, hyaluronic acid, squalane, shea butter
Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin Enriched Face Base is a skincare-makeup hybrid that has the texture of a rich cream but without any of the greasiness that might disturb your foundation. The blend of vitamins, hyaluronic acid and shea butter ensures that the skin will stay plump and moisturised throughout the day, whilst the grippy texture of the primer allows smooth makeup application that will last all day. There’s a reason why this formula has become a cult buy amongst influencers, beauty editors and MUAs alike.
4. Maybelline The Grippy Serum Makeup Primer
Key Ingredients: 2% niacinamide, panthenol, glycerin
After constantly seeing Maybelline’s The Grippy Serum Primer pop up on my TikTok FYP, I finally decided to give it a try a few months back. And trust me when I tell you that it lived up to the hype. I've tried it under tinted moisturisers, matte and dewy foundation formulas alike, and it works beautifully under them all. It was obviously created to go under makeup, but this glycerin and niacinamide-rich formula is so hydrating and plumping that I've started to use it on its own on non-makeup days as well.
5. Vieve Skin Nova
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, beta-glucan, glycerin, orchid extract
Vieve’s Skin Nova is a makeup-skincare hybrid enriched with skin-loving ingredients that hydrate, prime, and illuminate the skin. It has a champagne gold tint to it for that extra glow we all love, but I was impressed that, as someone with a deep skin tone, it does not leave a whitecast on my face, like other products of a similar hue do. This glowy and nourishing formula feels like butter on the skin, without any unwanted greasiness.
6. Ilia Beauty the Base Face Milk
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, Barrier Renewal Complex, squalane, alantoin, glycerin, prickly pear flower extract
Dry skin and sensitive skin often go hand in hand, so I’m extremely picky about products I put on my face. Ilia’s the Base Face Milk is my go-to moisturiser and primer on those days I’m having a breakout or an eczema flare-up. This 2-in-1 formula is lightweight, soothing, and leaves the face glowy and hydrated for your foundation of skin tint. On those days when I’m really dry, I mix it in with my foundation for a dewier, more glowy formula that won’t get flaky on my dehydrated skin.
7. Charlotte Tilbury Invisible Uv Flawless Poreless Primer
Key Ingredients: Broad-spectrum SPF 50 filters, hyaluronic acid, COLLALIFT™ 18, Magic 8 Matrix oils, BioNymph peptides
Sunscreen is an everyday non-essential in a healthy skincare routine, so why not get a 2-in-1 product that both primes your face for makeup as well as protects you against UVA and UVB rays? Enter Charlotte Tilbury’s Invisible UV Flawless Poreless Primer. Formulated with SPF 50 PA+ protection, pollution defense, and a cocktail of hydrating ingredients, this non-white cast sunscreen-primer hybrid is lightweight, glowy, and fragrance-free for those of us with sensitive skin.
8. Weleda Skin Food
Key Ingredients: Chamomile, sunflower seed oil, lanolin, calendula, rosemary
Let’s be honest, makeup can be expensive, and if you’re already splashing out £50+ on a quality foundation, I can’t blame you for wanting a much more affordable primer. Weleda’s Skin Food is an affordable primer that doesn’t compromise on quality, and more importantly, hydration. In fact, this 100% natural formula is so well-loved across the industry that a bottle of it sells every 11 seconds globally. The thicker texture of it makes it an ideal base layer for the makeup that can grip products and allow them to last all day without getting patchy. The bottle is also small enough to take on the go with you, something you’ll be grateful for on those really chilly winter days.
9. Saie Glowy Super Gel
Key Ingredients: Glycerin, squalane, papaya seed oil, lactic acid, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate (vitamin C)
The easiest beauty products to use? The ones that can do everything, of course, and Saie’s Super Glowy Gel is just that. A moisturiser, primer, glow-booster and highlighter all in one, this glitter-free formula will provide your skin with a healthy-looking glow no matter the time of year. It’s incredibly lightweight, but the gel-like texture still allows for just the right amount of tackiness needed for your foundation and other products to grip nicely on the face. If you’re looking for a primer that gives a very obvious glow, this is not for you; however, it’s hydrating, dewy and allows makeup to sit seamlessly without flaking or patchiness.
Why Trust Us
At Who What Wear UK, we know that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our editors have tested thousands of products over the years—spanning skincare, makeup, hair and nails—and work closely with trusted experts including dermatologists, makeup artists and leading industry insiders to ensure every guide is well-researched, inclusive and relevant to you.
We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they’re affordable favourites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how and what we’d truly recommend to a friend.
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