21 Makeup Brands That Have the Most Inclusive Foundation Shade Ranges
Although it's 2020, many foundations are still available in three blanket shades simply dubbed light, medium, and dark. Sometimes, tan, porcelain, or the elusive medium/deep are thrown in there, too. Regardless, many foundations are still lacking in the diversity department (especially when it comes to serving Black customers). Some foundations have more robust ranges, but when you see the shades swatched, you quickly notice they're just selling 50 shades of beige. Thankfully, beauty brands like Fenty Beauty and Maybelline New York have proved that you can offer up to 42 different hues that match a broad range of skin tones. (Just as every brand should.)
Now and always, it's important to observe which beauty brands take diversity into account during product development and to support the brands that do. Foundation shade ranges is a small but important sign of that, so we've rounded up 21 brands with wide and inclusive shade ranges.
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Courtesy of brand1/21Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation
Many foundation shade ranges for drugstore beauty brands are seriously lacking. The most options you typically see is 10, give or take. Maybelline New York quadruples that sparse number with 40 different shades — and counting — to choose from. The Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation currently ranges from Fair Porcelain to Espresso, and it's great for oily and acne-prone skin.
$8 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand2/21Beauty Bakerie InstaBake Aqua Glass Foundation
As a Black-owned brand, Beauty Bakerie doesn't take matters of inclusion likely, which you can tell by its range of InstaBake Aqua Glass Foundation alone. The 30 shades of this hydrating, full-coverage formula range from fair to deep-dark and cater to warm, cool, and neutral undertones.
$34 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand3/21Morhpe Fluidity Full-Coverage Foundation
Morphe received attention when its Fluidity Full-Coverage Foundation launched in January 2019, and that's thanks to its astounding selection of 60 shades. Looking at every shade swatch at once can be overwhelming, but you can narrow down your match by looking through its five "levels" of lightness and darkness. From there, you can find the shade with the undertones that work best for you.
$18 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand4/21Pat McGrath Labs Sublime Perfect Foundation
Leave it to Mother Pat McGrath to create one of the most luxurious foundation formulas on the market with one of the most inclusive shade ranges. Pat McGrath Labs' Sublime Perfect Foundation's medium-coverage formula covers the entire light-to-dark spectrum with its 36 shades — but it's the inclusion of peach, pink, yellow, golden, red, olive, and neutral undertones that makes the formula really special.
$68 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand5/21APDG Longwear Liquid Pigments
Under-the-radar beauty brand APDG went viral in 2017 for its surprisingly inclusive foundation range. Of the 33 shades of Longwear Liquid Pigments available, half are specifically formulated for deeper skin tones, and APDG supplies some of the deepest shades in the game. The Pigments are incredibly versatile, too. You can spot-conceal with them or mix them with moisturizer for lighter coverage.
$18 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand6/21Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup
With 42 shades available, Estée Lauder is truly showing everyone that it's possible to create an award-winning foundation in a wide variety of shades. The selection is continually expanding, too. The creamy liquid formula is a long-time favorite of Allure editors because it doesn't oxidize. The hue you see on your face when you blend the foundation out in the morning will remain that same shade upon removal when you get home.
$43 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand7/21Uoma Beauty Say What?! Weightless Soft Matte Hydrating Foundation
Instead of categorizing and ordering its 51 shades from lightest to darkest as most brands do, Uoma Beauty flips the script by doing the opposite with its Say What?! Weightless Soft Matte Hydrating Foundation. Anyone who has medium-deep to deep-dark skin will find an above average plethora of varying undertones in this lineup.
$39 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand8/21Cover Fx Power Play Foundation
To navigate the shade names Cover Fx's Power Play Foundation, here's a quick guide: The lightest shades are numbered 0 to 20. The medium ones are 20 to 40. You'll find the medium and deep shades in 50 to 85. The deepest shades are numbered 90 to 125. From there, you'll have to pick a letter based on your undertone. More pink? Select a shade with a P in it. N stands for neutral, and G is for those with golden and yellow undertones. There's also a selection of G+ shades for people whose skin tone is particularly warm and more on the olive side.
$44 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand9/21Bobbi Brown Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation
Over the years, Bobbi Brown's foundations have touted pretty extensive shade ranges. Its Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation is no different. Gabrielle Nevin, the vice president of global product development at the cosmetics company, explains to Allure that most of the foundation's 30 hues have more yellow pigments in them because most people have yellow or green tones in their skin and want any redness canceled out. "[This process] helps to correct that and make everything look like a more natural finish," she says. Shade assortment aside, the foundation gives skin a natural-looking, dewy finish that lasts almost all day long (16 hours, to be exact).
$46 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand10/21Danessa Myricks Vision Cream Cover
With 23 shades, Danessa Myricks's full-coverage Visions Cream Cover might not have the sheer volume of other shade ranges, but that doesn't make it any less inclusive. In addition to those shades, this line also includes six color-boosting shades so you can customize any shade's undertones to your exact match.
$28 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand11/21Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation
Rihanna wowed everyone in 2017 by launching 40 shades of her Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation right off the bat. Some of the deepest shades even sold out first, proving a need in the market. The formula is just as amazing as its diverse options, too. The Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation gives skin a matte finish that doesn't feel too drying or cakey.
$34 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand12/21Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick
Stick foundations that don't tug the skin as you swipe them on are hard to come by. Hourglass not only has that figured out with its smooth-as-butter Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick, but also provides it in a diverse medley of hues. All the while, the stick has a triangular shape that's easy to maneuver around every nook and cranny of the face.
$46 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand13/21Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation
When Anastasia Beverly Hills launched its first-ever foundation, Luminous Foundation, it prioritized shade diversity with 50 options. Categorized by Fair, Light, Medium, Tan, and Deep shades, this water-resistant formula works with neutral, cool, warm, pink, peach, golden, and olive undertones.
$38 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand14/21Nyx Can't Stop Won't Stop Full Coverage Foundation
Each of the 45 shades in Nyx's Can't Stop Won't Stop foundation line have numerical and descriptive names, which makes identifying your match easy, even online. The numerical system labels shades from F1 through F25, going from lightest to darkest. The shade F25, for example, is called Deep Ebony, which is described as the "deepest deep espresso with neutral undertones."
$12 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand15/21Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Foundation
When Huda Kattan launched her first-ever Huda Beauty foundation, she took an alternate approach to swatching. She showed what all 30 shades look like on actual faces. On Instagram, you can find even more examples, and you'll notice just how high-coverage the #FauxFilter Foundation is. (Spoiler alert: You only need a pea-sized squirt to cover your whole face, even if you have acne, hyperpigmentation, or birthmarks.)
$40 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand16/21Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation
Each of the 40 shades of the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation are demarcated with a letter for easier navigation. Look for a C if your skin has cooler undertones. W stands for warm while N is for neutral. Allure editors swear by this foundation for its intense pigmentation and moisturizing feel.
$47 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand17/21Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation
If you're looking for a foundation that will get you through an apocalypse with flawless skin, look no further than this 2017 Readers' Choice Awards winner. With its 40 shades, you won't just find a sea of beige. The range is pretty evenly dispersed among the light, medium, and deep categories.
$43 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand18/21Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation
Just looking at the shade names for Nars's foundations is sure to make you want to book a plane ticket to a far-away place. Luckily, a lot of the same cities appear in each of the beauty brand's base makeup formulas. So if you're Barcelona in the Velvet Matte Foundation Stick, you'll be able to find the same shade in the 33-city selection of the Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation. However, you'll find some in-between shades with this foundation as it has the most ones of all the Nars's foundations available.
$49 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand19/21BareMinerals Original Foundation
A powder foundation in more than a dozen shades is hard to come by. BareMinerals makes 30, though, and damn, the Original Foundation is good. It continually wins our Reader's Choice Award for best natural foundation year after year. Reason being? The oldie-but-goodie blurs away redness and uneven skin tone with a velvety soft powder that doesn't feel too heavy or chalky.
$32 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand20/21Flesh Pure Flesh Liquid Foundation
Even though Flesh Liquid Foundation has lightweight coverage, the brand still provides 40 different shades so you can still find your exact match easily. The absurdly affordable price tag is merely a bonus.
$8 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand21/21Milani Screen Queen Foundation
Forty-five shades make up Milani's range of Screen Queen Foundation, a must-have for anyone who loves a budget-friendly full-coverage beat. Each shade is named with a number between 100 and 580 — 100 being the lightest and 580 being the darkest.
$14 (Shop Now)
