These Next-Gen Foundations That Feel And Look Like Skin Are Redefining The Category

For decades foundation was meant to do one thing: Create a base for your makeup while evening out skin tone. As the line between skincare and makeup has continued to blur, foundations have become ever more sophisticated, culminating in the latest launches of next gen formulas that have exceeded our expectations for what a foundation can do. The newest superstars deliver skincare-level ingredients that work over time to improve the appearance of skin, are so lightweight that you often can't even feel them and have a real-skin finish. No one knows the power of a great foundation better than makeup artists, which is why many of them are leading the refined formulation charge.

Take Westman Atelier Suprême Bio-Complex Liquid Foundation , the brand's first liquid foundation that was over three years in the making. "When I launched Westman Atelier , I knew I wanted to create a liquid foundation, but I wasn't willing to compromise on any of my expectations," says Gucci Westman , makeup artist and founder of Westman Atelier . "It had to be truly exceptional, beautiful on the skin, with incredible wear, the right skincare technology with nothing unnecessary in the formula. I'm so proud of what we've created: a formula that makes your skin look and feel really good, while delivering the performance I've always wanted from a foundation."

What makes the formula a standout is it improves skin both instantly and over time, immediately blurring pores and smoothing texture. It's encapsulated in exosome technology and powered by their Suprême Skin Bio-Complex that's rich in peptides and visibly triggers skin renewal, plus evens, brightens and firms in four weeks. Biocompatible pigments melt into skin for natural-looking coverage while amino acid powders absorb excess oil.

"I was really focused on the feel of the foundation; I was looking for this silky weightless feeling," Westman says. "I wanted an air-light formula that blurs pores and sets to a natural, hydrated finish for coverage that looks impossibly real. It was perfected to feel like second skin. The exosome technology is super interesting and I'm really proud of it! Exosomes are smaller than a pore and act as targeted messengers, seeking out damaged cells and driving potent peptides where skin needs them most. This technology delivers the Suprême Skin Bio-Complex deeper into skin for visible results in four weeks."

Shopping for foundation can be notoriously difficult, but Hung Vanngo is removing one of the hurdles of shade matching with his new launch, Red Carpet Skin Luminous Foundation . The makeup artist and founder of Hung Vanngo Beauty decided to remove warm and cool tones from the entire collection. Instead, the range of 38 shades are all neutral and developed for their depth, taking much of the guesswork out of shade matching.

"I don't think 99.9% of the population know what is cool or warm, so we're trying to do somewhere in the center because nobody just puts on foundation and nothing on top of it," Vanngo says. "You always put a little blush on, a lip, bronzer. With a neutral foundation, it evens out the complexion and then anything else on top, you add warmth or color on the face, and it's easier for people to navigate shade matching that way. One person can wear three or four shades of the foundation and get away with that because the formula mimics the skin, so it blends out really well."

With more than 20 years of experience as a renowned makeup artist who has worked with every skin tone and texture, Vanngo knew exactly what needed to go into the perfect foundation and even road tested the formula on his famous clients on the red carpet before it launched. Accurately named, the Red Carpet Skin Luminous Foundation feels like a weightless skin tint but works like foundation to provide medium-to-full coverage with a natural finish that softly blurs. He also created his first complexion brush, The Evolving Face Brush for Complexion , designed for flawless application with the foundation.

"The hardest part about formulating is I always hear people say I hate foundation on my face, but I want coverage," Vanngo says. "If you have pigmentation or acne scars, it's almost impossible to cover them without foundation. I've always like skin tints because they're light on the skin and feel like skincare, and that's what people love. But they want coverage at the same time, and that was not in the market. We were aiming to do a foundation that feel like a skin tint, but provides as much coverage as you want. That's why it's very special. I can clearly say that because I've used almost every single product out there. When people try our foundation, they would tell you that it can give you great coverage or natural coverage, but feels so lightweight on the skin."

One of the reasons the Hung Vanngo Beauty Red Carpet Skin Luminous Foundation is so comfortable is because of its infusion of skincare ingredients. Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid delivers hydration and keeps skin smooth and glowing, plus there's niacinamide and licorice extract to brighten and even the complexion.

Being ingredients-first as a brand is something Tiffany Masterson, founder of Drunk Elephant , is no stranger to, to say the least. Their very first foundation, KAMO , is exactly what you'd expect from the brand. Supercharged with 18% amino-acid-coated pigments and a triple peptide complex clinically proven to visibly firm skin with every wear, the formula also contains marula oil, green tea seed oil and squalane to deliver the perks of antioxidants while moisturizing and smoothing skin. Available in 25 shades, the versatile complexion drops can be combined with other skincare products or worn solo for more coverage. It can provide effortless all-over coverage, spot-conceal imperfections, or be mixed with your moisturizer for a subtle, natural tint.

"You can tailor what it's doing for you at the moment without any concern," Masterson says. "It's oil- and water-based compatible. You can customize the finish. When you mix it with marula face oil , it's dewier. You can mix it with B-Hydra Serum ; it's gorgeous and hydrating, and more velvety. Mix it with Protini Moisturizer —it's satiny with a double pop of peptides. Mix it with vitamin C and it's more brightening and serum-y. I want people to get their favorite products all in the same room with Kamo and go to town and put it straight on or mix it and find their way. You can even tap this on as a concealer. There are different finishes, different ways and different goals for everyone. I love mixing and matching, and I also love getting my routine done in five seconds, and so that's what this is. It's very easy and trustworthy. I can't mess it up."

Masterson has always launched products according to her personal needs and those of her customers. It wasn't until recently that she started wearing foundation—she always found it challenging to apply and didn't like the feeling on her skin. That's how she wanted Drunk Elephant's to be different.

"Over the last 14 years, my main goal with Drunk Elephant has been to formulate at the highest levels of acids, the highest levels of actives and to use bioavailable ingredients that are all really good on your skin, so that you know you're getting the benefit of the ingredients when you purchase Drunk Elephant," she says. "There's no fluff, there's nothing in there that shouldn't be there. We keep that same philosophy in everything we do, including this. I don't view this as going into color as much as I view this as a skincare product with coverage benefits."

It's not just the focus on skincare-forward ingredients that has evolved—it's also the format of foundations. Cushion compacts have long reigned in Korea and Yves Saint Laurent Beauty put their spin on it with their new Skin Affair Cushion Foundation . The formula is as pretty as its packaging. Impressively lightweight, it can build to medium coverage with a soft radiance. Amino acid coated pigments make it look like skin while minimizing the appearance of pores and delivering hydration, courtesy of niacinamide and squalane.

These next gen foundations are multitasking in more ways than delivering color with skincare benefits. The ultimate twofer, the new Smashbox Dual Filter 2-in-1 Concealer + Foundation works equally well as a base and concealer. Whether you apply it all over or just where it's needed, it evens, blurs, smooths and conceals in a single step, leaving a natural glow. The lightweight formula even stands up to sweat and humidity.

As consumers are getting wiser about skincare and makeup, they expect more from their products. "People have healthier skin. Consumers are savvier. They understand ingredients now," Masterson says. The latest cutting-edge foundation formulas reflect that evolution. Westman says, "We have so many foundation options now, and it didn't use to be like that! The formulas are super innovative now."

This article was originally published on Forbes.com