Dry, Sensitive Skin? These Expert-Approved Makeup Primers Will Leave You Glowing All Day

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 to 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 2026 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 autumn/winter 2026 and beyond.

The Best Primers for Dry Skin

• Best Overall Primer for Dry Skin: Rimmel Multi-Tasker Grip Getter Primer, £9.99
• Best Luxury Primer for Dry Skin: Hermes Plein Air Perfecting Primer, £85
• Best Affordable Primer for Dry Skin: Weleda Skin Food, £9.50
• Best Glowy Primer for Dry Skin: Vieve Skin Nova, £33
• Best SPF Primer for Dry Skin: Charlotte Tilbury Invisible Uv Primer, £42

1. Rimmel Multi-Tasker Grip Getter Primer

Why We Love It: This brilliant primer anchors makeup to your face and keeps it there no matter how busy your day gets. Lotus flower, a brilliant ingredient for controlling excess oil and hydrating the skin, locks in moisture so you don't have to worry about your skin drying out by lunchtime.

Freelance beauty editor Perdita Nouril says: "I loved how lightweight the formula feels, creating the perfect canvas for makeup and helping my foundation to apply more evenly and stay looking fresh for longer."

2. Hermes Plein Air Perfecting Primer

Why We Love It: If your skin texture needs help with refinement, then this lightweight primer creates a beautifully smooth base, helping to even out the appearance of pores. Designed with the effortless feel of the Plein Air collection, it helps makeup glide on seamlessly and stay looking polished throughout the day.

The silky formula helps balance the look of shine without leaving skin feeling dry, while its soft-focus effect creates a smoother, more even-looking complexion. Skin appears refined, fresh and naturally luminous, rather than overly made-up.

Freelance beauty editor Perdita Nouril says: "I love how you can wear this alone for a subtle finish or underneath foundation to help create a smooth base that still allows your natural complexion to shine through. The formula is silky soft and helps to balance the look of shine without leaving skin feeling dry."

3. Refy Glow and Sculpt Face Primer

Why We Love It: If you're after a glass skin effect, this primer can help you get there. Not only does it leave skin soft and dewy, but the innovative facial roller glides over the skin, helping to reduce the appearance of puffiness and add subtle definition as you prep your complexion. Vitamin E provides antioxidant benefits and helps nourish the skin so it never becomes flaky or dry.

Freelance beauty editor Perdita Nouril says: "The lightweight, serum-like formula left my skin looking fresh and dewy, while its slight tackiness helps grip makeup in place for a good eight hours. I really liked the massage aspect, as it felt relaxing while I was applying."

4. Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré Multi-Purpose Moisturiser

Why We Love It: 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.

5. Maybelline The Grippy Serum Makeup Primer

Why We Love It: 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.

6. Vieve Skin Nova 

Why We Love It: 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.

7. Ilia Beauty the Base Face Milk

Why We Love It: 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 or 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.

8. Charlotte Tilbury Invisible Uv Flawless Poreless Primer

Why We Love It: 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.

9. Weleda Skin Food

Why We Love It: 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 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.

10. Saie Glowy Super Gel

Why We Love It: 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.

How We Tested

Between the Who What Wear UK editors, we tried and tested a lot of hydrating primers. We tested them on different skin types to find the one work for everyone. We've been wearing them daily to see how well they apply and how long they lasted throughout the day and well they kept the skin hydrated. We also took into consideration the added skincare benefits and the price.

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.