A wider, more inclusive array of shades and skin-caring benefits from unique ingredients make for a pretty picture in the facial cosmetics category. According to data from The NPD Group, sales of foundation, the largest product group in the overall prestige face makeup segment, jumped 7% in the first quarter of the year.


Industry observers trace that growth to marketers’ efforts to offer more shade choice and formulations that deliver better aesthetics and a little something extra for the skin.


Foundation Nation


Spurred by the blockbuster success of Fenty Beauty and vocal calls from consumers, makeup brands are actively expanding their foundation ranges to match a greater array of skin tones and complexions.


“For many years, companies were putting out shades that would generate the most volume,” Larissa Jensen, NPD’s beauty industry analyst, told Happi.


But times are changing. Consumers want brands to speak to their needs.


“Shade expansion is really about inclusion and acceptance. The bottom line is, you need to be participating in these initiatives that are important to consumers.”


Savvy beauty companies are delivering. Tarte, for example, has expanded two of its hero complexion products—Amazonian clay foundation (available now in 40 shades, up from 25) and creaseless concealer (30, up from 14). Ten of the new shades of Amazonian clay are in the tan to deep range and nine of the new creaseless shades are tan to deep. The brand has also introduced a fifth undertone for more golden and olive skin tones, in addition to sand (yellow), beige (pink), neutral, honey (peach) and golden. The expanded shades were first released on tarte.com and are making their way into stores this month, according to the company, which is reportedly working shade extensions for its Shape Tape matte and hydrating foundations, Shape Tape Concealer and its Rainforest of the Sea water foundation, too.


Smashbox’s Studio Skin Hydrating Foundation, on the market since 2011, will see 18 new options added to its existing 22-shade collection. The foundation will offer medium to full-coverage that ranges from very fair to very deep.


Dior went deep with its new Backstage Collection, debuting 40 shades of foundation with six different undertones. The waterproof liquid formula was seen by millions as it was reportedly used by the makeup artist tapped by the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, for her wedding day.


Indie brand ColourPop is making its debut in the foundation sector with No Filter Foundation, a spin-off of its popular No Filter Concealer. The brand has rolled out 42 shades of No Filter Foundation in six shade groupings that span from fair to deep dark.


Other brands have been leaking news about what’s in their pipeline. For instance, Glossier’s R&D team is reportedly tweaking its Perfecting Skin Tint ($26), with the relaunch set to include more shades.


Big brands that play in the $1.0 billion mass market foundation category are following suit.


Maybelline, for example, has been expanding its shade choice with its Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Foundation, which is said to erase the appearance of pores and absorb oil for a naturally matte, poreless-looking finish. The breathable, medium coverage foundation is available in 40 shades for normal to oily skin. The Fit Me! Collection—which also includes Fit Me! Dewy + Smooth Foundation—is faring well. According to IRI, for the 52 weeks ended May 20, 2018, sales of Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation rose 27.20%, while the dewy version saw a 13.76% gain.


Maybelline is also expanding its New York Super Stay Full Coverage Foundation, a full coverage, long-wear option that provides up to 24 hours of high-pigment coverage with a breathable, matte finish. The range, which has 16 existing shades, is expanding this month with eight more that will be exclusive to Ulta.


Bye Bye BBs?


The growth in foundations seems to be coming at the expense of BB and CC creams—a once über hot category that blurred the line between makeup and skin care. According to NPD Group, prestige BB cream sales for the 12 months ending April 2018 were $14.1 million, a decline of 22% over the prior year. And while also down, CC cream sales fared a bit better during that period, posting just a 4% decline to $21.3 million.


“[Foundations] have come a long way,” said Jensen of NPD Group, noting that products have become much more multipurpose.


Industry observers note that while consumers may not be as willing as they once were to spend $80 on an anti-aging serum, they are happy to see anti-aging benefits called out in their foundations and concealer products.


According to Mintel, facial makeup consumers are drawn to products with added skin care benefits, with anti-aging and moisturizing claims topping the list of the most sought-after benefits.


Direct seller SeneGence International, best known for LipSense lip color, offers MakeSense Advanced Anti-Aging Foundation. This creamy foundation is packed full of protective ingredients that help prevent damage and work to shield skin from environmental hazards such as pollution and the sun.


Clean beauty brand Lawless has made a foray into the complexion category with Woke Up Like This Flawless Finish Foundation. The 20-shade range, which spans from fair to deep with several categories of undertones, includes skin-enhancing oils (abyssinica, camellia, kukui, grape seed and jojoba) to help replenish the skin’s moisture barrier, as well as anti-inflammatory shea butter that helps soften and repair skin, while promoting collagen production and protecting against free radicals.


R&D efforts remain focused delivering a flawless look by incorporating appearance-enhancing ingredients.


Benefit, for example, is rolling out Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation, a liquid foundation with SPF 15 that evens out skin tone and blurs imperfections with soft-focus optical blurring spheres. There are a dozen shades of Hello Happy, each offering a natural-matte finish and light-to-medium coverage. 


ISDIN, which sells through dermatologists, has added a new caramel shade to its Skin Drops collection. Just a few drops of the foundation is said to conceal skin imperfections for 12 hours, including discoloration, scars, burns, vitiligo and even post in-office treatment bruising, according to the company.


The latest launch at Nudestix is Nudies Tinted Blur, billed as a natural-looking tint that creates the appearance of smooth texture and even skin tone. The lightweight, cream-to-powder finish is suitable for all skin types as shade-adjusting pigments blend with one’s real skin tone, according to the brand.


Too Faced is also answering calls for high coverage in a formulation that won’t sacrifice what the skin needs to stay healthy. The brand’s Born This Way Super Coverage Concealer, which was due out toward the end of June, will reportedly provide full- and long-wearing coverage that is also hydrating. Twenty shades will be offered.


Best Face Forward


The facial cosmetics sector is influenced by the same factors impacting the beauty category as a whole—think inclusion, customization and indie brands.


“There is a shifting consumer mindset to embrace natural beauty and aging, as opposed to fighting it. This also plays into diversity and inclusion as consumers desire more personalization or customization for all skin types,” said Maggie Parkhouse, group director of design at Spicefire, a Cincinnati-based US branding and design agency that has worked with leading companies in the beauty and personal care space.


Parkhouse pointed to the blending of overall wellness with beauty and the blurring of lines between makeup, skin and health.


“It started with BB creams but now it’s much more, she said. “You are hearing things at the macro level like ‘clean,’ self-preservation, from the inside out, biological rhythms and holistic lifestyle. At a benefit level, you are finding trend attributes like skin foodie, detoxification, elemental and artisanal, purest potency, in the nude, pigment play and bare-faced beauty. Emerging brands are the first place I look for frontline innovation and trend manifestations.”