Colorescience

Colorescience was founded in 2000 in Carlsbad, California by Diane Ranger — the industry figure who coined the term "mineral makeup" in the 1970s and launched the original loose-mineral concept before starting this brand to take it further. The idea was makeup that behaves like skincare: talc-free mineral formulas built on physical sunscreens, so color, coverage and broad-spectrum SPF come in a single step. That clinical, protection-first angle is why the line is sold heavily through dermatology offices, medical spas and physician channels rather than positioned purely as glam.

The brand's signature is the Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50, a brush-on mineral powder that reapplies SPF over makeup without disturbing it — a format so popular it's become a category reference point and is recommended by thousands of physicians. Colorescience landed on BeautyMatter's Future50 2026 list as mineral and "skinification" makeup surged back into the conversation, and it sits alongside bareMinerals and Jane Iredale as one of the defining clean, mineral-makeup names, frequently cross-shopped by anyone looking for coverage that doubles as sun and pollution protection.