Foundation Shades

Skin shade chart: 10 foundation depths, light to deep

This skin shade chart splits the 6,902 foundation shades in our data with a usable swatch into 10 equal steps, from the lightest tenth to the deepest. Each step shows a real swatch from that depth and the nearest shade at that depth in six well-known ranges.

Find the step closest to the skin on your jaw, then read across to the brands you know. Your shade sits on one row; the shades either side are the ones to sample next.

  1. Step 1, lightest

    Lighter than 90% to 100% of shades in our data. Swatch: Clinique WN 01 Flax.

  2. Step 2

    Lighter than 80% to 90% of shades in our data. Swatch: KVD Vegan Beauty 43 Light W.

  3. Step 3

    Lighter than 70% to 80% of shades in our data. Swatch: Clinique CN 18 Cream Whip.

  4. Step 4

    Lighter than 60% to 70% of shades in our data. Swatch: bareMinerals 12 Medium Beige.

  5. Step 5

    Lighter than 50% to 60% of shades in our data. Swatch: Sephora Collection 25.5 Warm Beige.

  6. Step 6

    Lighter than 40% to 50% of shades in our data. Swatch: Clinique WN 80 Tawnied Beige.

  7. Step 7

    Lighter than 30% to 40% of shades in our data. Swatch: bareMinerals 24.5 Maple.

  8. Step 8

    Lighter than 20% to 30% of shades in our data. Swatch: PÜR DN2 Walnut.

  9. Step 9

    Lighter than 10% to 20% of shades in our data. Swatch: PÜR DN7 Cocoa.

  10. Step 10, deepest

    Lighter than 0% to 10% of shades in our data. Swatch: Becca Cosmetics 5W4 Coconut.

How to read this chart

Depth is how light or deep a shade is. Undertone is the colour under the surface (cool, neutral, warm or olive). This chart sorts by depth only, so two shades on one row can still lean different ways. On each row, a brand shows its shade whose depth is nearest that step. Each brand's shades always run down the chart in that brand's own light-to-deep order.

The swatches come from product photos, mostly taken in January 2021, and your screen changes how colour looks too. Treat a step as a starting point. Pick the shades on your row and the rows either side, then test them on your jaw in daylight.

Ranges shown on the chart

A range missing from a row has no shade at that depth in our data.

Next steps