The cosmetic product applied to the face to create an even skin tone is called foundation. It is designed to reduce the visible contrast between areas of discoloration and the surrounding complexion while providing anything from sheer to full coverage.
Foundation is sold in liquid, cream, stick, powder, and other formulations. Its shade has both an overtone and an undertone, commonly described as warm, cool, neutral, or olive. Matching the undertone matters because a product can appear close in depth but still look noticeably orange, pink, or gray on the skin.
Modern foundation has roots in theatrical makeup. German theater worker Carl Baudin developed an early flesh-colored greasepaint to conceal the line between a wig and the forehead. Film makeup later drove further innovation, particularly Max Factor’s Pan-Cake, developed for Technicolor and commercially released in the late 1930s.
Foundation is not the same as concealer. Foundation is generally used across larger areas to even the complexion, while concealer is usually thicker and applied selectively to spots, blemishes, or dark circles. Tinted moisturizer offers lighter coverage and more hydration, so it is related but not interchangeable.