Find your foundation shade
Start from a selfie, or type a shade you already wear to see the closest shade in each of 109 brands (6,950 shades).
Estimate your shade from a photo
Your photo is read on this device only. It's never uploaded, sent or stored. You'll get three shades to sample in each of ten popular ranges.
Treat it as a rough guide: light, camera and screen all shift colour. For the best reading, face a window in daylight with no makeup and only your face in the picture. The first time, your browser downloads the face-reading files (about 7 MB).
Or type a shade you already wear
For the closest shade in every other brand, ranked by colour, with which way each one leans.
No photo to hand and no shade that matches? Answer four quick questions instead.
How to read your results
- Likely close
- As close as our colour data can tell two shades apart. A good first shade to try.
- Worth sampling
- In the right area. Sample it next to the shade you wear before you buy.
- Unlikely
- This range has nothing near your shade in our data.
Results compare swatch colours, mostly from 2021 retailer photos, so lighting and photography differ from brand to brand. Use them to narrow a wall of bottles to two or three, then test on your jaw in daylight. How the matching works.
What this foundation shade finder does
This free foundation shade finder matches the shade you wear to the nearest shade in every other brand in our data: 109 brands and 6,950 shades. It compares the colour of each shade, not its name or number, because the same number means different colours in different brands.
Every range gets one result, its closest shade, and the ranges are ranked from closest to furthest. Each result has a closeness label, says whether it is lighter or deeper and warmer or cooler than your shade, and shows the undertone the brand lists for it.
There's no account and no quiz to get through. Your search runs in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to us. The photo estimate works the same way: your photo is read on your device and never uploaded.
Questions about matching foundation across brands
How do I match my foundation shade to other brands?
Type the brand and shade you wear in the box above, for example "Fenty 240" or "MAC NC42", and pick it from the list. You'll see the closest shade in each of the other ranges, ranked by colour. Start with the "likely close" results, and sample two or three before you buy.
Is there a website that finds foundation shades based on other brands?
Yes. This site does it from one shade you already wear, for free. You can also open any brand or product from the brand list to see every shade with its closest match elsewhere.
Can I find out my foundation shade online?
You can narrow it down online. A selfie at the top of this page gives a rough estimate and three shades to sample in ten popular ranges. If you wear a shade that suits you, the finder gives its nearest equivalents. With neither, start without one: pick your depth from real swatches and answer three undertone questions. Either way, test your shortlist on your jaw in daylight before you buy.
Why don't shade numbers match between brands?
Each brand numbers its own range. Even inside one brand, a code can change colour between formulas. In our data MAC NC42 appears in 5 MAC products, and the two furthest apart differ by 13.2 on the CIEDE2000 colour-difference scale. That's why we match by colour.
How accurate is the match?
It's a guide to narrow your choice. Most colours come from 2021 retailer swatch photos, and the same shade code photographed for two formulas of one brand differs by a median of 7 on the CIEDE2000 scale. So "likely close" means under 4.5, which is as close as the photos can show. Test before you buy.
What do "lighter", "deeper", "warmer" and "cooler" mean in my results?
They compare each result's swatch with yours. Lighter or deeper is about depth. Warmer means more golden or yellow, and cooler means more pink. Differences too small to see in the photos are shown as "about the same".
Should I go lighter or darker if I'm between two shades?
The finder shows which way each result leans, so you can pick the one that leans the way you need. If two results are equally close, sample both side by side on your jaw and choose in daylight.
Which brands are included?
109 brands, from drugstore to luxury. The brands A to Z lists them all. Each product page says when its data was checked: most are from January 2021, and some were checked on the brand's own website in October 2026.
Do I need an account, and is it free?
No account is needed, and it's free to use. We aren't connected with any brand or retailer.
What if I don't wear a foundation that matches yet?
Use No match yet? for a shortlist of three shades in ten well-known ranges, or find your depth on the skin shade chart.