The shade file
TOM FORD, 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.
TOM FORD names an undertone for 16 of these shades. Read off the brand’s own swatch under D65, 11 of them — 69% — 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.
Traceless Foundation Stick39 shades
| Shade | Brand says | L* | a* | b* | ITA° | Depth band | Swatch reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | — | 92.43 | 5.52 | 11.26 | 75.14 | very_light | neutral |
| 0.1 | — | 90.9 | 3.3 | 12.11 | 73.51 | very_light | warm |
| 0.5 | — | 87.68 | 9.19 | 14.39 | 69.1 | very_light | cool |
| 3.5 | — | 85.3 | 10.95 | 17.35 | 63.83 | very_light | cool |
| 4.7 | cool | 82.96 | 11.16 | 23.58 | 54.42 | light | neutral |
| 2.5 | — | 82.1 | 10.68 | 22.33 | 55.18 | very_light | neutral |
| 5.7 | — | 82.03 | 11.43 | 28.11 | 48.73 | light | warm |
| 0.3 | — | 81.93 | 9.8 | 24.2 | 52.84 | light | warm |
| 2.0 | — | 81.88 | 12.54 | 25.27 | 51.6 | light | neutral |
| 2.7 | — | 81.49 | 11 | 24.68 | 51.91 | light | warm |
| 6.0 | — | 77.59 | 17.55 | 21.98 | 51.46 | light | cool |
| 4.0 | — | 77.41 | 18.23 | 22.83 | 50.21 | light | cool |
| 6.5 | — | 76.89 | 20.19 | 25.92 | 46.05 | light | cool |
| 1.5 | — | 76.08 | 18.73 | 23.1 | 48.47 | light | cool |
| 7.7 | — | 74.85 | 17.7 | 30.53 | 39.14 | intermediate | neutral |
| 5.6 | — | 74.81 | 8.91 | 26.45 | 43.17 | light | warm |
| 1.1 | warm | 72.3 | 9.11 | 28.35 | 38.19 | intermediate | warm |
| 1.4 | — | 71.81 | 10.48 | 24.45 | 41.73 | light | warm |
| 1.3 | — | 71.8 | 13.43 | 25.06 | 41.02 | light | neutral |
| 4.5 | — | 71.53 | 22.44 | 24.39 | 41.44 | light | cool |
| 7.2 | — | 71.43 | 12.08 | 23.41 | 42.47 | light | neutral |
| 0.4 | — | 71.32 | 13.48 | 19.45 | 47.63 | light | cool |
| 3.7 | — | 71.25 | 15.48 | 28.17 | 37.03 | intermediate | neutral |
| 8.7 | warm | 70.97 | 11.52 | 26.03 | 38.86 | intermediate | warm |
| 7.5 | — | 69.68 | 11.1 | 22.55 | 41.11 | light | neutral |
| 7.0 | — | 69.05 | 22.89 | 25.86 | 36.38 | intermediate | cool |
| 5.1 | cool | 68.86 | 16.98 | 20.44 | 42.7 | light | cool |
| 5.5 | — | 67.44 | 18.21 | 27.87 | 32.04 | intermediate | cool |
| 9.5 | warm | 52.96 | 23.03 | 30.51 | 5.54 | brown | cool |
| 10.5 | — | 52.44 | 15.91 | 25.58 | 5.45 | brown | neutral |
| 10.0 | — | 52.16 | 23.78 | 19.06 | 6.47 | brown | cool |
| 8.2 | warm | 50.69 | 18.37 | 23.83 | 1.66 | brown | cool |
| 10.7 | — | 50.67 | 18.27 | 24.38 | 1.57 | brown | cool |
| 11.0 | — | 49 | 24.65 | 27.53 | -2.08 | brown | cool |
| 11.5 | warm | 45.33 | 15.03 | 25.12 | -10.53 | brown | neutral |
| 11.7 | — | 43.85 | 13.28 | 15.28 | -21.92 | brown | cool |
| 9.7 | cool | 40.51 | 13.89 | 27.38 | -19.12 | brown | neutral |
| 12.5 | — | 37.38 | 11.08 | 12.74 | -44.73 | dark | cool |
| 13.0 | — | 31.69 | 7.86 | 5.67 | -72.79 | dark | cool |
Traceless Soft Matte Foundation40 shades
| Shade | Brand says | L* | a* | b* | ITA° | Depth band | Swatch reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | — | 87.74 | 4.86 | 13.86 | 69.83 | very_light | warm |
| 0.1 | — | 87.57 | 4.13 | 13.6 | 70.1 | very_light | warm |
| 1.1 | warm | 84.24 | 1.68 | 16.67 | 64.04 | very_light | warm |
| 0.3 | — | 83.34 | 4.08 | 17.02 | 62.96 | very_light | warm |
| 0.5 | — | 83.24 | 3.77 | 15.26 | 65.34 | very_light | warm |
| 1.4 | — | 83.03 | 2.35 | 20.26 | 58.48 | very_light | warm |
| 4.5 | — | 82.58 | 4.01 | 15.92 | 63.96 | very_light | warm |
| 1.5 | — | 82.44 | 4.85 | 17.34 | 61.87 | very_light | warm |
| 2.5 | — | 82.29 | 4.05 | 18.71 | 59.91 | very_light | warm |
| 0.4 | — | 82.14 | 6.98 | 14.27 | 66.06 | very_light | neutral |
| 1.3 | — | 82.13 | 5.14 | 16.35 | 63.03 | very_light | warm |
| 2.0 | — | 81.92 | 5.76 | 17.15 | 61.75 | very_light | warm |
| 2.7 | — | 81.43 | 5.3 | 15.88 | 63.19 | very_light | warm |
| 3.5 | — | 80.46 | 6.28 | 11.26 | 69.71 | very_light | neutral |
| 5.5 | — | 79.45 | 4.59 | 15.69 | 61.95 | very_light | warm |
| 4.0 | — | 75.28 | 6.84 | 18.94 | 53.16 | light | warm |
| 4.7 | cool | 75.18 | 6.62 | 16.61 | 56.59 | very_light | warm |
| 3.7 | — | 74.9 | 6.72 | 19.47 | 51.98 | light | warm |
| 5.7 | — | 74.89 | 6.88 | 17.28 | 55.23 | very_light | warm |
| 6.0 | — | 74.76 | 6.07 | 20.36 | 50.57 | light | warm |
| 5.1 | cool | 74.65 | 7.55 | 16.42 | 56.33 | very_light | neutral |
| 5.6 | — | 73.98 | 7.29 | 22.54 | 46.77 | light | warm |
| 6.5 | — | 72.46 | 8.68 | 22.59 | 44.83 | light | warm |
| 7.2 | — | 72.11 | 7.12 | 23.69 | 43.02 | light | warm |
| 7.0 | — | 71.68 | 8.47 | 23.67 | 42.49 | light | warm |
| 7.5 | — | 71.05 | 5.95 | 21.62 | 44.23 | light | warm |
| 8.7 | warm | 69.26 | 9.18 | 25.21 | 37.38 | intermediate | warm |
| 7.7 | — | 68.57 | 11.17 | 22.63 | 39.37 | intermediate | neutral |
| 8.2 | warm | 67.46 | 11.24 | 22.72 | 37.54 | intermediate | neutral |
| 10.5 | — | 59.58 | 9.94 | 27.83 | 19 | tan | warm |
| 10.7 | — | 58.17 | 12.1 | 27.08 | 16.79 | tan | warm |
| 9.5 | warm | 55.2 | 18.43 | 30.54 | 9.66 | brown | neutral |
| 9.7 | cool | 54.83 | 15.88 | 26.57 | 10.3 | tan | neutral |
| 10.0 | — | 54.78 | 14.35 | 24.76 | 10.93 | tan | neutral |
| 11.0 | — | 52.29 | 14.05 | 23.03 | 5.68 | brown | neutral |
| 11.5 | warm | 48.65 | 15.41 | 23.25 | -3.32 | brown | cool |
| 11.7 | — | 46.25 | 11.2 | 19.2 | -11.05 | brown | neutral |
| 12.0 | — | 45.01 | 12.65 | 19.89 | -14.08 | brown | cool |
| 12.5 | — | 42.17 | 14.29 | 20.78 | -20.65 | brown | cool |
| 13.0 | — | 37.62 | 13.28 | 16.24 | -37.32 | dark | cool |
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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