11 best foundations for Asian skin tones: Choose from lightweight, vegan and matte formulas

The past few years have seen many mainstream make-up brands create a wider amount of foundation shades to suit different skin tones and ethnicities. But, there is still a long way to go in beauty’s big names offering foundation shades to appeal to every user.

For many Asian women, choosing and using a foundation that’s their perfect match is so much more than just finding the right formula. Many suffer with pigmentation problems and find that their forehead and cheeks differ in shade.

Bobbi Brown pro artist Zara Findlay – who is of Indian descent – says that one of the most important aspects in finding the perfect foundation is understanding your skin’s undertone.

“What is difficult to find is the right undertone and someone that has the knowledge behind Asian women’s skin. Being half Indian myself, I have areas on my face like my forehead and chin that are naturally darker than the rest of my face. I also have a very yellow and golden undertone.”

Zara’s advice for a starting point is to swatch shades on different parts of the face and establish if you have a yellow, pink, olive, cool or neutral undertone.

Using the wrong shade can result in Asian women’s skin appearing grey or ashy instead of the bright complexions seen on many of those whose tones are easier to colour match.

Many beauty brands offer the chance to match skin shades online to provide for a more seamless foundation purchasing experience. And more are exploring bigger and more inclusive shade ranges and this has given Asian women a chance to finally have their skin tones represented.

When testing and choosing the perfect foundation shade matching was our top priority, but we were also interested in something that kept the face feeling fresh, provided a glow and lasted all day without feeling heavy.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.