Color Communication behind Shades of Beige: An Analysis of Color Labels and Terms of Liquid Foundation

Abstract

With the increasing awareness of skin diversity, cosmetic companies have created foundations with more than 40 shade options. Color researchers endeavored to evaluate the color quality of foundation from product R&D. At the same time, cosmetics companies have conducted their own trials to systematically communicate these tiny shade differences to consumers. In this study, we addressed the color communication for liquid foundation. Through 1009 color labels collected from 26 product lines, two features of color, lightness and undertone were used commonly to classify the shade colors. Lightness was labeled using numbers. The smaller the number is, the lighter the color is, which is similar to the ways numbers are used to specify lightness for surface color. Undertone, the color nuance independent of lightness, was labeled symbolically through sets of initials, such as P(pink), B(beige), and Y(yellow) or simply C(cool), N(neutral), and W(warm).Furthermore, clear tendencies were observed regarding color name in terms of lightness. The similarities and differences when compared with other perception-based color systems and skin color were also discussed. We expect cosmetics companies and manufacturers to utilize the findings from this study for product research and launching.