Makeup brands have come a long way in terms of diversity regarding colors, tones, and shades. While there’s still room for improvement, it’s becoming a little easier to find complexion-matching foundations and powders for all. This article highlights the top brands with the most comprehensive shade ranges so that people of all different skin tones can find their perfect makeup match.
Fenty Beauty
Pro Filtr Soft Matte Longwear Foundation
Rihanna flipped the cosmetics world upside down when Fenty Beauty entered the scene. For years, it was a real challenge to find foundations that matched deeper skin tones.
With a vast range of more than 50 foundation shades, the visionary Pro Filtr Soft Matte Loungewear Foundation is one of the most inclusive yet.
The long-wear foundation creates a beautiful, soft matte finish on the skin, and its medium-to-full coverage formula makes way for a perfect a.m. to p.m. transition. With climate-adaptive technology that quickly absorbs excess oil, you won’t have to worry about sweat melting your makeup away.
Fenty Beauty addressed the elephant in the room that the makeup industry once turned a blind eye to — the “diversity problem.” Its commercial success and critical acclaim called other mainstream brands to the carpet, giving them an ultimatum: Either step up to the plate or lose to the more inclusive competition.
MAC Cosmetics
Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15
Before Fenty Beauty, there was MAC Cosmetics. One of the earlier pioneers and veterans of inclusive cosmetics, MAC pushed the envelope fairly far with its vast assortment of products and tones.
Its Studio Fix Foundation has a wide range of more than 60 foundation shades.
Enjoy 24-hour wear with this medium-to-full-coverage formula. It’s oil-free, lightweight, and humidity-resistant. Every skin type (dry, oily, and combination) can wear this foundation daily without worrying about breakouts. Built-in SPF also serves as a barrier against damaging UV rays.
MAC’s mission championed diversity and inclusion from the very beginning, as the brand has nailed representing all skin tones with excellence. What’s really admirable about MAC is the fact that it’s forever evolving. The brand realizes there’s always room for growth and capitalizes on new opportunities to push the envelope further.
Pür Cosmetics
Love Your Selfie Longwear Foundation & Concealer
Pür Cosmetics broke the internet with the launch of its 100-shade foundation line. If you prefer non-cakey makeup that gives you a natural glow, this is the right option for you.
The 4-in-1 product is a foundation, concealer, skincare solution, and long-wear formula wrapped in one.
This foundation is packed with rejuvenating ingredients to boost your complexion’s radiance, such as ginseng, green tea, and vitamin B.The product’s anti-aging properties also keep skin looking fresh and help minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
We give props to Pür for its solid execution of this inclusive line. It has five shade families (light, medium, tan, dark, and deep), and each family offers 20 different shade variations with either golden, pink, or neutral undertones. Pür Cosmetics has effectively ensured that no skin shade gets left behind.
Morphe
Morphe Fluidity Full Coverage Foundation
Morphe launched its Fluidity Full Coverage Foundation in 2019. With a total of 60 shades and five shade levels, the brand clearly understood the assignment.
Its wide shade variety helps eliminate the struggle of finding a foundation that’s true to your hue.
The sweatproof, water-resistant, and transfer-resistant formula provides soft-matte realness to blend with your skin naturally. With a various tones within five distinct shade families, the brand also offers quizzes and additional questioning to help find the right formula and shade match for your skin. The foundation’s affordable cost ensures that everyone (even budget shoppers) has access to this brand’s inclusive shade range.
Estée Lauder
Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation
This Double Wear Foundation has gained a massive following since its release. The waterproof, natural matte foundation offers medium-to-full coverage lasting up to 24 hours. Its liquid, oil-free formula is so lightweight that it may not even feel like you’re wearing foundation. With non-acnegenic properties, clogged pores are one thing you won’t have to worry about with this long-wear line-up.
This particular formula is also free of parabens, sulfites, gluten, phthalates, and alcohol. It doesn’t have synthetic fragrances or animal-derived ingredients in the mix, either. It’s available in over 56 color-true shades from light to deep for skin with cool, warm, and neutral undertones.
Clinique
Even Better Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15
Clinique’s Even Better Makeup Foundation is an all-inclusive, dermatologist-developed formula that comes in close to 60 shades. If you have combination skin, this foundation may be a perfect fit.
The creamy base offers a nice, dewy finish without overdrying or creating excess oil. Even Better doubles as a dark spot corrector that can restore uneven skin tone.
Additionally, the formula’s Broad Spectrum SPF 15 content provides sun protection, too. Before you buy, you can find your best shade match using Clinique Clinical Reality. This virtual “skinalysis” tool offers tailored skincare recommendations with the snap of a selfie.
Urban Decay
Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation
If you’re looking for a vegan,cruelty-free foundation that blends effortlessly with your skin tone, try Urban Decay’s Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation.
The collection offers a lightweight formula in 50 different shades with nine different skin intensities. The foundation is waterproof, and you can buff it for lighter coverage or layer it to build into heavier coverage.
With three mastertones and seven undertones, Urban Decay has made it easier than ever to find shades that perfectly match your skin tone. Long-lasting, 24-hour wear is another added perk for this waterproof foundation.
Anastasia
Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation
This water-resistant Luminous Foundation formula from Anastasia Beverly Hills comes in 50 natural shades across five color families.
Offering medium coverage, the liquid foundation’s natural finish visibly enhances your glow without the need to top it with powder.
This foundation blend illuminates your skin’s natural beauty while overshadowing any flaws such as annoying dark spots, blemishes, scars, or any other skin imperfections. The vegan, cruelty-free formula is ideal for sensitive skin and won’t look cakey or oxidize.
These makeup brands are throwing major shade
The shade is real with these inclusive foundation lines — and we mean that in the best way. These makeup brands offer the widest foundation shade ranges, so everyone, no matter the skin tone, has more color options than ever before. The beauty industry’s evolution always leaves room for more growth and improvement, but this list proves just how far it’s come.