Since its inception in 2014, Glossier has done skin so right. Their "skin first, makeup second" philosophy has been reflected in every product they've dropped, and instead of covering up imperfections, the brand is dedicated to enhancing natural beauty. Glossier is also aware of where they've fallen short in the past: shade range inclusivity. So Glossier just announced they've extended their shade range across all of their complexion products.
"While the sheer coverage of our formulas makes them more flexible than traditional complexion products, we knew that there were gaps that needed to be filled," Kym Davis, head of product development told MarieClaire.com in an exclusive interview. "After over a year and half of research, testing, and development, we’re excited to offer our customers a more balanced and comprehensive selection of shades designed to stretch across a wide range of skin tones."
Glossier's complexion lineup now offers 12 shades of Perfecting Skin Tint (previously five), 12 Shades of Stretch Concealer (previously five), and 5 shades of Wowder (previously three).
"It's worth noting that we approached all the shade ranges from scratch—instead of just adding—to make sure they were as balanced and comprehensive as possible," a Glossier rep told us. "Of the 12 shades of Perfecting Skin Tint, only 3 are from the old lineup—with Stretch Concealer we only kept 1 of the previous shades."
To ensure the shades were true to all skin tones, the brand surveyed people at their stores, reviewed customer feedback, tested with makeup artists, and invited members of their community to be shade-matched. It's also incredibly easy to review shades online with Glossier's brand new Shade Finder tool. "Our digital Shade Finder shows each shade on multiple people," Davis explains.
To make buying complexion products online less difficult, Glossier shows exactly how each shade suits a wide variety of skin tones. Here's a preview of a few shades.
This shade is called "G1".
G4.
G6.
G11.
My Review
Yes, I found my perfect shade, which is G4. I'm not a fancy brush person, and am always pressed for time. So, I used my hands. After prepping perpetually dry skin with moisturizer and oil, I squeezed a dollop of skin tint on my fingertips and massaged it onto my skin. I used the same motion as you would to lather a moisturizer all over your face.
The sheer, weightless formula sank right onto my pores, magically evening out every dark spot and blemish I'm dealing with at the moment. It is super sheer, so I paid extra attention to my problem areas by doubling up on coverage since I normally love full coverage. The texture and consistency of the skin tint is buildable, so you can go all in, or as light as you want.
Afterwards, I used the warmth of my ring finger to swirl the concealer underneath my eyes and on top of my dark spots. The result: A glowy, luminous finish to beat my case of winter blues.
Major props to Glossier for valuing quality over quantity. Honestly, though, the industry's recent tactic of launching 40-plus foundation shades is not a magic solution when it comes to inclusivity. It's about creating a thoughtful formulation that will honestly work with a diverse group of skin tones. We need more of this in 2019 and beyond, please.
Shop the brand's new complexion offerings on Glossier.com, which drop Tuesday, January 29 at 9 a.m. EST.
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
