Beautler.Your beauty butler

Foundation Stick 201 dupes and alternatives Essence

Medium tan · Neutral undertone

Closest shade match is the equivalent shade, scored on colour, depth and undertone only. Closest overall alternative is the most similar foundation overall, scored on shade match (55%), finish and visual result (25%), wear and performance (15%) and skin suitability (5%).

Filters, 4 applied

Coverage

Finish

Formulation

Skin type

Preferences

Fragrance-free1No drying alcohol1Vegan0Cruelty-free0Oil-free0With SPF0Mineral0

Avoid an ingredient

Sort

1 of 32

Only showing matches with full coverage, with a natural matte finish, without coconut oil or alcohol denat.

  • 2 matches have no ingredient list listed and are not shown.

Closest shade matchClosest overall alternative: KimChi Chic Beauty A Really Good Foundation 121MD

The equivalent shade and the most similar foundation overall.

Your shade
Essence
201Change shade
Depth and undertone: Medium tan · Neutral
Finish and coverage: Matte · Medium coverage
The match
KimChi Chic Beauty
121MD
Depth and undertone: Medium tan · Warm
Finish and coverage: Natural matte · Full coverage
Overall match
79out of 100
Shade (Shade match)
89
Finish (Finish & visual result)
79
Wear (Wear & performance)
40
Skin (Skin suitability)
80
Shade match
89out of 100
Colour
97
Depth
99
Undertone
65
Medium confidence· Digital matchWhy it matches
Match price
$29Ulta BeautyUlta Beauty
Costs $22.01 more

Your shade $6.99 at Ulta Beauty · product price; shade not separately priced

Ulta BeautyView at Ulta Beauty

Looking for a concealer in your shade?

The closest shade to Essence Foundation Stick 201 (Medium tan · Neutral undertone) in each concealer range, compared on measured colour, depth and undertone. Price never changes the order.

Closest concealers

  1. Dior Forever Skin Correct Full-Coverage Concealer

    4.5 Neutral

    Dior Forever Skin Correct Full-Coverage Concealer, shade 4.5 Neutral

    • Very close colour
    • Medium tan · Neutral undertone

    $42

    SephoraView at Sephora
  2. Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Matte Buildable Coverage Waterproof Concealer

    Caramel Corn 5.1 Neutral

    Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Matte Buildable Coverage Waterproof Concealer, shade Caramel Corn 5.1 Neutral

    • Very close colour
    • Medium tan · Neutral undertone

    $31

    SephoraView at Sephora
  3. Kosas Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer

    Tone 7.8 N

    Kosas Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer, shade Tone 7.8 N

    • Very close colour
    • Medium · Neutral undertone

    $32

    SephoraView at Sephora
  4. Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Hydrating Face and Under-Eye Concealer

    8

    Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Hydrating Face and Under-Eye Concealer, shade 8

    • Very close colour
    • Medium · Neutral undertone

    $42

    SephoraView at Sephora
  5. bareMinerals ORIGINAL Liquid Mineral Brightening Concealer

    Tan 4N

    bareMinerals ORIGINAL Liquid Mineral Brightening Concealer, shade Tan 4N

    • Very close colour
    • Medium · Neutral undertone

    $31

    Ulta BeautyView at Ulta Beauty
  6. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Long-Wear Blur Concealer

    11 Tan

    Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Long-Wear Blur Concealer, shade 11 Tan

    • Very close colour
    • Medium tan · Neutral undertone

    $36

    SephoraView at Sephora

Concealer shade colours are sampled from retailer swatch images, so check the shade on the retailer page before buying.

Why the closest match works

KimChi Chic Beauty A Really Good Foundation in 121MD, against Essence Foundation Stick in 201. Every attribute compared, with its share of the score.

ComparedYour shade201Closest match121MDScore
Shade match55% of overall89
Colour97#c58a60#c88b5eLooks identicalColour difference 0.9 (0 is identical)
Depth99Medium tanMedium tanSameDepth difference: 0.8
Retailer descriptionMedium tanMediumSome differenceRetailer descriptions one depth band apart
Undertone65NeutralWarmSome differencefrom retailer shade descriptions
Finish & visual result25% of overall · 2 of 4 compared79
Finish78MatteNatural matteCloseNatural matte finish rather than matte
Coverage80MediumFullCloseFull coverage rather than medium (buildable: one step of tolerance)
Skin-like finishnot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists a skin-like finish
Blurringnot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists a blurring or smoothing effect
Wear & performance15% of overall · 3 of 5 compared40
Longevity40Not listedLong-wearingSome differenceThe match claims long wear; your product does not list it
Transfer resistancenot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists transfer resistance
Settling40Not listedClaimedSome differenceThe match claims not settling into pores or fine lines; your product does not list it
Colour stabilitynot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists colour stability (no oxidation)
Comfort40Not listedClaimedSome differenceThe match claims a comfortable, lightweight feel; your product does not list it
Skin suitability5% of overall80
Skin type80Combination, dry, normal, oily, sensitiveDry, normal, combination, oilyBoth marketed for combination/​dry/​normal/​oily skin
Overall match 79/100Shade match 89/100Medium confidence· Digital match

Weights are each part's share of the overall match and each attribute's share of its part; an attribute neither product lists is not comparable and its weight goes to the others in its part. Confidence reflects data quality, not similarity. Price and ingredients are not part of either score.

How scoring works

If you switch

To KimChi Chic Beauty A Really Good Foundation in 121MD.

Same or better

  • Near-identical swatch colour
  • Natural matte finish instead of matte
  • Full rather than medium coverage
  • Claims long-wearing
  • Claims not settling into lines
  • Claims a lightweight feel

Different

  • Slightly warmer undertone
  • Not marketed for sensitive skin

Ingredients (information only, not scored)

5 shared ingredients; weighted similarity 5%. Ingredients only affect results through the filters.

AttributeYour shadeClosest match
Basemoderate siliconeWater-based, high silicone
FragranceNot listedNot listed
Drying alcoholNot listedNot listed
SPFNot listedNot listed
OverlapUnknown-based vs water-based; silicone moderate vs high
View full match

Where to buy 121MD

Match price
$29Ulta BeautyUlta Beauty
Costs $22.01 more

Your shade $6.99 at Ulta Beauty · product price; shade not separately priced

Ulta BeautyView at Ulta Beauty

How these matches are scored

32 similar shades scored two ways: the shade match on colour, depth and undertone; the overall match on shade match, finish and visual result, wear and performance and skin suitability. Ingredients are shown for information and used by the filters only. Prices are shown next to every match and never change a score. How scoring and confidence work.

Shade colours are sampled from Beautler’s processing of retailer swatch images and are a digital approximation. Prices and stock were last checked when the product was imported; the retailer page is the source of truth.