A skin tone chart maps skin along two lines, depth from fair to rich, and undertone from cool to warm. To use one, find the row that matches how light or deep your skin looks in daylight, then the column that matches its hue. Our free undertone test reads the hue for you.
The skin tone chart
Our chart uses six depths and four undertones, which covers most people without getting lost in tiny differences. Every swatch was mixed by us for this chart.
The two directions answer different questions.
- Depth answers how much pigment shows. It is what most people mean by skin tone, and it is what foundation shade numbers usually describe.
- Undertone answers which hue sits underneath. It decides whether a foundation looks pink, golden or just right, and which clothing colors look most natural on you.
The six skin depths
These names are descriptive, not official. Brands and charts use many different words for the same depth.
| Depth | What it looks like | Common names in shade ranges |
|---|---|---|
| Fair | Very light, often burns quickly | Porcelain, ivory, alabaster |
| Light | Light, may tan slowly | Light beige, sand, vanilla |
| Medium | Clearly between light and deep | Beige, honey, natural |
| Tan | Golden or bronze, tans easily | Caramel, warm tan, golden |
| Deep | Deep brown | Chestnut, cocoa, mahogany |
| Rich | Very deep brown | Espresso, ebony, deep cocoa |
Scientists measure skin depth more precisely with a number called the individual typology angle, worked out from how light the skin is and how yellow it is. The angle was first proposed in 1991, and later research uses it to group skin into bands from very light to dark, a lot like the rows of our chart.
The four undertones
| Undertone | What it looks like | Jewelry that tends to suit |
|---|---|---|
| Cool | Pink, rosy or bluish hints | Silver, platinum, white gold |
| Neutral | A balance of pink and golden | Both gold and silver |
| Warm | Golden, peachy or yellow hints | Yellow gold, brass, copper |
| Olive | A muted green or gray gold cast | Antique gold, bronze, rose gold |
Olive is technically a cast that sits on top of an undertone rather than an undertone of its own, but so many people use it as a fourth group that we include it. Our guide to olive skin explains why it is so often misread.
How to find your place on the chart
You need daylight, bare skin and a mirror. Lamps and screens change how skin looks, so a window on a bright day gives the most honest view.
- Clean and dry your face. Remove makeup, and wait for any redness from washing to fade.
- Stand by a window. Face it, out of direct sun.
- Find your depth. Look at the side of your jaw and your inner arm, which see less sun than your forehead. Choose the row on the chart that matches best.
- Find your undertone. Hold a sheet of white paper under your chin. If your skin looks pink next to it, you lean cool. If it looks yellow or golden, you lean warm. If it looks balanced, you are likely neutral. A green or gray cast suggests olive.
- Check with jewelry. Compare gold and silver against your skin. The one that makes you look brighter confirms your undertone.
If you would rather skip the guesswork, our undertone test balances the light in your photo using the whites of your eyes, then reads the hue of your cheeks and forehead on your device. For a step by step version with three quick tests, see what is my skin tone.
Skin tone charts and the Fitzpatrick scale
You may see the Fitzpatrick scale in dermatology and skincare. It sorts skin into six types by how it reacts to the sun.
| Type | Sun reaction |
|---|---|
| I | Always burns, never tans |
| II | Usually burns, tans with difficulty |
| III | Sometimes burns, tans gradually |
| IV | Rarely burns, tans easily |
| V | Very rarely burns, tans very easily |
| VI | Never burns |
The Fitzpatrick scale was designed for sun protection and treatments such as lasers, not for makeup. It tells you about sun sensitivity, while a skin tone chart tells you about color. They often line up with depth, but not always, and neither one says anything about undertone.
What your skin tone means for foundation
Foundation shade names usually combine a number for depth with a letter or word for undertone. A shade like 3N might mean medium depth with a neutral undertone, while 3W might mean the same depth with a warm one. Every brand uses its own system, so learn your depth and undertone first, then read each brand chart.
- Find your depth row to narrow the shade numbers.
- Find your undertone column to choose between cool, neutral and warm versions.
- Swatch on the jaw. Put three close shades in stripes on your jawline and check them in daylight. The one that disappears is your match.
Our guides to foundation for cool undertones go into more detail.
Why skin tone charts differ between brands
You may notice that the same person is called light in one brand and medium in another. There is no single industry standard for shade names or numbers. Each brand builds its own range, chooses its own steps between shades, and names them in its own style. Some ranges have 15 shades, others more than 50. That is why it helps to know your depth and undertone in plain words, and then read each chart separately.
Depth and undertone combinations, with color ideas
| Combination | Clothing colors to try |
|---|---|
| Fair and cool | Soft rose, powder blue, lavender, soft navy |
| Light and warm | Peach, coral, aqua, camel |
| Medium and neutral | Jade, true red, teal, taupe |
| Medium and olive | Olive, plum, burgundy, teal |
| Tan and warm | Rust, mustard, emerald, chocolate |
| Deep and cool | Sapphire, fuchsia, emerald, crisp white |
| Rich and warm | Gold, orange red, forest green, cream |
These are only starting points. Your eye and hair color shift your best colors too, which is what a full color analysis adds.
What your skin tone means for clothes
Depth and undertone both shape which clothes look best near your face.
- Lighter skin often looks best with colors that are not much darker than the skin itself, or with softer contrast.
- Deeper skin can carry rich, saturated colors and strong contrast beautifully.
- Cool undertones shine in blue based colors, such as berry, navy and emerald.
- Warm undertones shine in golden colors, such as coral, olive and camel.
Your eyes and hair matter too. Our free seasonal color analysis combines all of them to find your personal palette, and our article on skin undertones explains each undertone in depth.