Rihanna Rewrites the Foundation Rules Again With Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex
Rihanna did not exactly enter the beauty industry quietly.
When Fenty Beauty launched with a foundation shade range that made inclusivity impossible to ignore, it changed the conversation around complexion products. Seven years later, she is taking that same idea of listening to the community and pushing it further with what she calls the “rebirth” of Fenty Beauty: the new Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear Foundation.
And this time, the brief is movement.
Skin moves. Faces move. Expressions move. Your foundation should probably keep up.
Available in 50 all-new shades, Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex has been developed around more than seven years of consumer feedback, with Fenty Beauty going back to the drawing board to refine everything from undertones to shade matching. The result is a medium, buildable foundation designed to flex with every (e)motion while maintaining a natural-looking finish throughout the day.
Basically, this is Fenty asking: what if matte foundation could actually behave like skin?
A Matte That Moves With You
The star of the formula is Fenty Beauty's Fluid Flex Foundation Technology, a smooth and breathable polymer blend expertly crafted in Japan.
Designed to move with the skin, the technology is paired with colour-true longwear pigments that resist oxidation. The foundation offers medium, buildable coverage with a next-generation natural matte finish that is intended to look like skin rather than sit visibly on top of it.
Even better, Fenty Beauty says it feels like nothing from application right through to the end of the day.
For anyone who has experienced the particular betrayal of a foundation looking flawless at 9am and decidedly less interested in cooperating by lunchtime, the performance claims are worth paying attention to. Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex is waterproof and designed to resist sweat, humidity and transfer, while Starfruit Extract helps provide all-day oil and shine control.
So yes, it is matte. But Fenty Beauty is very specifically going after a different kind of matte.
One that moves.
Seven Years of Feedback, Three Years in the Making
The new foundation was almost three years in development, with Fenty Beauty using more than seven years of consumer feedback as part of the process.
Rather than simply tweaking the original shade range, Rihanna took it back to the beginning.
The team started from scratch, fine-tuning undertones, introducing more neutral shades and testing the formula and colour range around the world. The goal was accuracy, not just adding more numbers to a shade chart.
That process involved 800 hours of development, more than 30 prototypes and testing across multiple continents. The foundation was assessed under different lighting conditions and video scenarios, with input from industry experts and consumers throughout the development process.
There is something particularly Fenty about that level of testing. The brand built its reputation on making space for more people at the complexion counter, and this launch continues that conversation by focusing on whether the shades actually work for the people wearing them.
The result is a 50-shade range that Fenty Beauty describes as its best yet, created to help more people find their Fenty fit.
The Brush
Of course, a new foundation deserves a new brush.
Enter the Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation Brush 165, a dense brush with wavy bristles and a soft-scoop shape designed specifically for application.
The shape is made to trace the contours of the face evenly, while the bristle density is designed for product pickup without unnecessary waste. In other words, Fenty Beauty is not leaving the application technique as an afterthought.
The idea is simple: pick up the right amount, follow the shape of the face and blend it out smoothly.
And considering the foundation itself is all about flexibility, having a brush designed around those contours makes sense.
The New Fenty Foundation Era
There is a certain full-circle feeling to Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex.
Fenty Beauty's original foundation helped make shade inclusivity a much bigger conversation in beauty. Now, after years of feedback from the very community that helped shape the brand, Rihanna is rebuilding the foundation from the ground up.
Fifty new shades. More precise undertones. A formula designed to move. Longwear performance built to withstand sweat, humidity and transfer. A natural matte finish that aims to look more like skin than traditional matte makeup.
Rihanna has already changed what people expect from a foundation shade range.
With Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex, Fenty Beauty is asking us to rethink what we expect from the formula, too.
Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear Foundation retails for RM237, while the Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation Brush 165 retails for RM181. Both are available from September 5, 2026 in stores and online at Sephora Malaysia.
