Our diverse group of newsroom testers tried out makeup brands that claim to be inclusive. This is what they found.
Hannah Gaber Saletan, USA TODAY
After the success of Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty makeup line, which introduced a foundation that boasted a 40-shade range, other brands were quick to jump on the inclusive beauty bandwagon.
From high-end labels to drugstore brands, the industry began to recognize the need for more diverse shade ranges and extended their current foundation lines or created brand-new lines with a broader color range.
In order to see which brand is best, USA TODAY tested the most inclusive brands on the market.
Here’s our criteria: The brand had to have 40 or more liquid foundation shades by July 2018 when we began the project, and it had to be easily accessible (available in Sephora, Ulta, department stores or drugstores).
Our diverse group of nine testers from across the newsroom ranged from fair to deep tones and also included some testers with additional skin factors including one with vitiligo, one with highly sensitive skin and one with acne scaring. The group tested 11 brands, scoring each on how well it matched the their skin tone as well as how much they liked it overall. We averaged all these scores together to give an overall score, which we used to rank the brands.
We also wanted to look into a few other factors including the actual inclusivity of each brand’s shade range, since sometimes brands make headlines for releasing “inclusive” lines that consumers are quick to dub not inclusive at all.
In order to make note of this, we also compiled an “editor’s score,” which factors in range of shades, price and online reviews.
Here were the final results, listed in order from our testers’ least to most favorite brands:
11. Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup
Estee Lauder's Double Wear Stay In Place Makeup (Photo: Richard Pierce)
Coming in at 6.39 out of 10, Estee Lauder’s 56-shade range foundation ($42) was well liked by many of our testers but just didn’t stack up against the other brands. One of our testers said: It “went on smoothly and matched my tone pretty well… It felt and looked really natural on my face.” Others, however, thought it didn’t give enough coverage.
Overall average score: 6.39
Editor’s score: 6.97
9-10. MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15
MAC's Studio Fix Fluid (Photo: Courtesy of MAC)
MAC’s Studio Fix Fluid ($30) had an impressive 42 shades at the beginning of this project and has since added even more to create a 60-shade line. Yes, you read that right. Unfortunately, despite the range, many of our testers had a hard time finding the perfect shade, with one noting it ran “a little orange.” The same tester noted that the foundation’s thin consistency made it necessary to use multiple layers in order to cover her acne scars. On the other hand, one tester thought MAC was the best brand she tried, scoring it a 10/10 for both how well it matched her skin and how well she liked it overall. “Everything about this foundation worked well from matching my skin tone to going on smoothly,” she said. Another note: This foundation has a smell that was hit or miss for testers, one calling it “great,” others describing it as “chemically” and “icky.”
Overall average score: 6.56
Editor’s score: 8.17
9-10. Cover FX Power Play Foundation
Cover FX Power Play Foundation (Photo: Courtesy of Cover FX)
Cover FX’s 40-shade foundation ($44) was also a love-it or hate-it product for our testers. One tester found the foundation “very thick and chalky” while another gave it a perfect score of 10 in both categories. “This foundation gave me an airbrushed looking finish that wasn’t too heavy and felt like skin,” the tester wrote. “Super lightweight and buildable.”
Overall average score: 6.56
Editor’s score: 7.00
8. CoverGirl TruBlend Matte Made Liquid Foundation
CoverGirl (Photo: Courtesy of CoverGirl)
CoverGirl’s 40-shade range is a steal at only $8.49, but results were mixed with our testers. One found the product “had a yellow undertone and was not very blendable” while another was impressed with its “solid coverage” and overall feel.
Overall average score: 6.72
Editor’s score: 9.2
7. Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation
Dior (Photo: Courtesy of Dior)
Though one tester found the consistency of Dior’s 40-shade range ($40) foundation too “chalky/powdery,” another praised it as her “favorite foundation of the bunch” despite its perfume-y smell. “It had the easiest, smoothest application and dried instantly,” she wrote. “It didn’t feel like I was wearing anything on my face.”
Overall average score: 6.75
Editor’s score: 6.80
6. Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation
Maybelline Fit Me! (Photo: Courtesy of Maybelline)
The second drug store brand we tested, Maybelline, boasts 40 shades at just $7.99 a bottle, the least expense brand on the list. Some testers found that the coverage wasn’t as good as other brands and it was not as buildable. On the positive side, many found it had a decent shade match for their skin and left them with a nice finish.
Overall average score: 6.86
Editor’s score: 9.12
5. Smashbox Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation
Smashbox (Photo: Courtesy of Smashbox)
At $36 with 40 shades, Smashbox’s foundation pleased many of our testers with its “natural look” and “light feel.” Others, however, found the foundation to be a bit too light, leaving them with less coverage than desired. Others complained it was a bit oily, which led to creasing and settling into fine lines.
Overall average score: 6.88
Editor’s score: 7.43
4. Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation
Lancome's Teint Idole Ultra Wear foundation (Photo: Courtesy of Lancome)
Lancome’s 40-shade foundation ($47) was praised by testers for its good coverage and “smooth” and “silky” texture. “The shade match is nearly perfect. It’s easy to apply and doesn’t require too much blending,” one tester wrote. “And once on, it has good coverage without making it seem like I have a lot of foundation on.”
Overall average score: 6.97
Editor’s score: 6.83
3. tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation
tarte Amazonian clay foundation (Photo: Courtesy of tarte)
tarte’s 40-shade foundation ($39) came in third place. Despite its thick consistency, many testers found it applied very smoothly as well as provided a “spot-on” shade match. “Thick consistency but applies so smoothly and evenly that I had none of the caking issues that I’d had with other brands,” one tester wrote. “It provides the right amount of coverage without being too heavy and settling in my fine lines.” However, a couple testers found the undertone of the product gave a “weird” finish, one noting it looked “a tad ashy.” Some testers also noted that the foundation dries quickly once applied.
Overall average score: 7.06
Editor’s score: 7.10
2. Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation
Make Up For Ever's Ultra HD foundation (Photo: Courtesy of Make Up For Ever)
Make Up For Ever’s 40-shade foundation ($43) came in at number two, with two testers giving it a perfect 10/10 rating. Many testers praised it for great, full coverage and spot-on shade matches. Lower scores were mostly due to the shade match being off and the foundation settling into fine lines. “Make up forever matched my skin tone the best out of all the brands I tried,” one tester praised. “It covered up blemishes and was very easy to put on.”
Overall average score: 7.09
Editor’s score: 6.43
1. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation
Fenty Beauty (Photo: Fenty Beauty)
Topping the list at number one was Fenty Beauty’s 40-shade ($34) foundation. Many praised it for its full coverage and smooth finish. Compared to other brands, however, some found it was a bit heavier and harder to blend. Though most found it to be a very good shade match, some found that they were in-between shades or found a better match with other brands.
Overall average score: 7.5
Editor’s score: 7.5
Breakdown of results:
Overall average score
Though brands were ranked based on their overall average score, it’s interesting to note that there wasn’t a stark contrast in these results, with scores ranging only from 6.39 to 7.5. This shows that while none of the brands were “perfect” for everyone, they were all well-liked on average.
Shade match
Looking solely at the testers’ scores on shade-match, the top three are a bit different.Based on just these numbers, Fenty Beauty ranked number one again, tarte moved up to the number two spot and Lancome and CoverGirl tied for third.
Diversity in shade and price
Our test didn’t reveal any shockingly un-inclusive lines posing as a diverse range. Price did cause the editor’s scores to skew drastically,however, with drug store brands Maybelline and CoverGirl rising to the top with MAC a closer third.
Contributing: Waldy Diez, Kristen Griffith, Erin Jensen, Cara Kelly, Kelly Lawler, Teresa Lo, Alison Maxwell, Mabinty Quarshie and Anika Reed
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