SEPHORA, the leading beauty specialty retailer, and Pantone, the global color authority, unveil SEPHORA + PANTONE COLOR IQ, the most advanced foundation matching solution available in North American beauty retail. Using Pantone’s color capture and measuring technology, SEPHORA + PANTONE COLOR IQ is the first and only beauty system to scan the surface of the skin, assign an official PANTONE SkinTone number, and match a scientifically precise foundation shade from Sephora’s 1,000 foundations, brands and formulas.

“SEPHORA + PANTONE COLOR IQ is an incredible process that delivers a real benefit to our clients,” said Margarita Arriagada, senior vice president of merchandising at Sephora. “We see this as the first application of this exclusive Sephora technology, and are excited to expand its capabilities for other uses in the color world.”

“Skin tones are comprised of many distinct shades so developing this particular application for our color measuring technology was an exciting challenge for us,” explained Lisa Herbert, vice president of consumer licensing at Pantone. “Even within the broader range of fairest ivory to deepest ebony, there are nuances that need to be calibrated correctly to determine the right match, and this solution eliminates many of the variables that can affect shade selection.”

The SEPHORA + PANTONE COLOR IQ system is based on Pantone’s CAPSURE, a compact, hand-held spectro-colorimeter that is used in the design world to identify color with unsurpassed accuracy. As the first of its kind in cosmetics retail, the device works by taking an image of the skin, analyzing it and assigning an official PANTONE SkinTone number. With that number, Sephora beauty experts reference SEPHORA’s Universal SkinTone Library on an iPad, which holds over 1,000 foundation SKUs, to determine what products are a precise match for each skin tone.

“SEPHORA + PANTONE COLOR IQ eliminates many of the variables that can affect shade selection, including pigment challenges, skin texture and undertones, which can often distort the client’s match,” added SEPHORA PRO Jill Powell. “As an artist, I know the right foundation is essential to a great makeup look so this is an amazing resource to have for my consultations. It allows me to pull the best matches across all our brand offerings for my client’s personalized consultation.”

Facts about SEPHORA + PANTONE COLOR IQ:

This exclusive SEPHORA foundation service will be available at SEPHORA 5 Times Square, Manhattan beginning July 26th and SEPHORA Powell Street, San Francisco beginning August 2nd.