One scroll through Cosmo‘s beauty awards, and you’ll see that we’re pretty big fans of foundation. We test every single kind all year long: Powder foundation, matte foundation, dewy foundation, sheer foundation—you name it, we’ve put it on our faces. To us, the key to looking seriously good is a base that doesn’t settle into fine lines, is your dream level of coverage with the kind of finish you prefer, and stays put all day long. But all of those don’t have to be achieved by spending a fortune, actually. TBH, we think the best drugstore foundations rival a lot of the $$$ formulas.
You may think you need to drop a ton of cash on a fancy foundation that’s filled with diamond dust and unicorn tears and pure, liquid gold. And, hey, if that’s your thing, you do you. But all the affordable formulas we tested can offer the same smoothing look to help cover up acne, inflammation, dryness, and more. Our team (a mix of editors with varying skin concerns, types, and tones) tried out all of the top foundations at the drugstore as well as a few gems before compiling our master list: truly, the best foundations under $25.
Our top picks for the best drugstore foundations of 2025:
Please, take your pick and get blending—all of these are under $25 and available at every major drugstore, so you absolutely won’t regret it.
