The shade file
Essence, beyond the shade name.
Compare the brand’s descriptions with readings from published swatch images.
What do the numbers mean?
L* describes lightness; a* and b* describe color axes. ITA° is calculated from lightness and the yellow–blue axis to group the swatch into a depth band. None of these readings measures coverage, wear or how a formula will look on your skin.
Essence names an undertone for 15 of these shades. Read off the brand’s own swatch under D65, 11 of them — 73% — land in a different undertone than the name claims. That is not an accusation of bad faith: undertone is a word, and a word is not a measurement. It is why the house publishes the number beside it.
Foundation Stick43 shades
| Shade | Brand says | L* | a* | b* | ITA° | Depth band | Swatch reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | — | 91.13 | 5.19 | 19.32 | 64.84 | very_light | warm |
| 30 | — | 89.78 | 4.23 | 15.76 | 68.39 | very_light | warm |
| 10 | — | 89.26 | 10.08 | 12.5 | 72.34 | very_light | cool |
| 40 | — | 88.52 | 11.29 | 14.08 | 69.92 | very_light | cool |
| 70 | — | 87.33 | 9.01 | 16.53 | 66.12 | very_light | neutral |
| 20 | — | 87.26 | 9.43 | 9.54 | 75.64 | very_light | cool |
| 80 | — | 86.9 | 9.2 | 11.67 | 72.45 | very_light | cool |
| 100 | — | 84.04 | 7.67 | 11.7 | 71.03 | very_light | cool |
| 50 | — | 83.97 | 10.2 | 14.33 | 67.13 | very_light | cool |
| 90 | — | 81.3 | 12.75 | 13.18 | 67.16 | very_light | cool |
| 150 | — | 80.74 | 14.48 | 17.8 | 59.93 | very_light | cool |
| 110 | — | 80.35 | 10.06 | 15.5 | 62.95 | very_light | cool |
| 140 | — | 80.33 | 11.62 | 14.43 | 64.56 | very_light | cool |
| 130 | — | 79.55 | 12.93 | 14.41 | 64 | very_light | cool |
| 120 | — | 78.38 | 11.91 | 21.88 | 52.37 | light | neutral |
| 170 | — | 77.52 | 15.86 | 21.84 | 51.56 | light | cool |
| 160 | — | 75.31 | 14.67 | 18.63 | 53.64 | light | cool |
| 180 | — | 70.63 | 14.92 | 22.91 | 42 | light | cool |
| 190 | — | 70.63 | 17.75 | 24.09 | 40.58 | intermediate | cool |
| 201 | — | 62.42 | 17.72 | 31.39 | 21.59 | tan | neutral |
| 202 | — | 57.09 | 13.94 | 27.91 | 14.25 | tan | neutral |
| 200 | — | 56.82 | 16.99 | 13.9 | 26.13 | tan | cool |
| 220 | — | 56.14 | 14.98 | 25.52 | 13.53 | tan | neutral |
| 203 | — | 55.15 | 16.96 | 28.18 | 10.36 | tan | neutral |
| 230 | — | 53.19 | 16.92 | 30.03 | 6.06 | brown | neutral |
| 240 | — | 50.15 | 19.5 | 20.78 | 0.41 | brown | cool |
| 210 | — | 49.51 | 16.98 | 24.48 | -1.15 | brown | cool |
| 260 | — | 40.95 | 17.57 | 17.37 | -27.52 | brown | cool |
| 250 | — | 40.08 | 20.35 | 16.23 | -31.43 | dark | cool |
| 290 | — | 36.88 | 17.13 | 10.3 | -51.87 | dark | cool |
| 310 | — | 34.3 | 15.6 | 9.67 | -58.37 | dark | cool |
| 330 | — | 33.37 | 13.38 | 15.9 | -46.29 | dark | cool |
| 320 | — | 32.58 | 14 | 10.98 | -57.78 | dark | cool |
| 280 | — | 31.7 | 12.3 | 12.24 | -56.22 | dark | cool |
| 300 | — | 30.97 | 16.87 | 18.37 | -46.01 | dark | cool |
| 270 | — | 29.29 | 17.11 | 18.62 | -48.04 | dark | cool |
| 350 | — | 28.95 | 12.03 | 10.24 | -64.06 | dark | cool |
| 340 | — | 28.72 | 12.6 | 12.53 | -59.51 | dark | cool |
| 360 | — | 27.29 | 10.91 | 9.12 | -68.12 | dark | cool |
| 370 | — | 26.75 | 7.34 | 6.93 | -73.4 | dark | cool |
| 390 | — | 24.96 | 7.29 | 7.65 | -73.01 | dark | cool |
| 380 | — | 20.95 | 6.12 | 5.18 | -79.89 | dark | cool |
| 400 | — | 17.97 | 7.79 | 0.1 | -89.82 | dark | cool |
Pretty Natural Hydrating Foundation15 shades
| Shade | Brand says | L* | a* | b* | ITA° | Depth band | Swatch reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | cool | 72.89 | 10.3 | 24.87 | 42.63 | light | warm |
| 30 | neutral | 71.72 | 11.31 | 28.69 | 37.13 | intermediate | warm |
| 40 | neutral | 70.16 | 12.45 | 30.35 | 33.59 | intermediate | warm |
| 50 | neutral | 67.77 | 13.6 | 28.18 | 32.24 | intermediate | neutral |
| 70 | warm | 66.58 | 13.18 | 30.89 | 28.22 | intermediate | warm |
| 80 | cool | 65.6 | 13.89 | 30.13 | 27.37 | tan | neutral |
| 90 | neutral | 65.53 | 13.4 | 32.73 | 25.38 | tan | warm |
| 130 | cool | 52.42 | 19.57 | 35.21 | 3.93 | brown | neutral |
| 140 | neutral | 52.13 | 19.85 | 37 | 3.29 | brown | neutral |
| 110 | cool | 51.63 | 18.12 | 36.29 | 2.57 | brown | neutral |
| 170 | neutral | 49.56 | 17.85 | 37.4 | -0.67 | brown | neutral |
| 180 | cool | 48.78 | 17.91 | 38.01 | -1.84 | brown | neutral |
| 230 | cool | 41.55 | 18.57 | 36.05 | -13.19 | brown | neutral |
| 280 | cool | 34.61 | 16.68 | 33.96 | -24.38 | brown | neutral |
| 270 | warm | 34.11 | 15.15 | 30.11 | -27.82 | brown | neutral |
Match a shade you already wear
Colours are read from each shade’s own swatch image published by the retailer, not from a drawdown measured by the house — a screen swatch and a colorimeter are not the same instrument, and the house does not pretend otherwise. ITA° is the open dermatological standard, computed from the reading; no licensed colour library is used. A shade listed without a reading is one the house holds but has not yet seen.
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