Skin tone chart: shades, names and undertones

What skin tone means

Style Look Lab describes skin tone with two working axes. The first is depth: a current fair-to-deep visual match. The second is undertone: one of four editorial labels used by the site's quiz—warm, cool, neutral, or olive. These labels organize comparisons and shopping guidance; they are not a medical or biological classification.

The site scores the two axes separately so a depth answer does not automatically choose an undertone. A current reading can also change with lighting, body area, recent sun exposure, camera or display processing, and products on the skin. Keep those conditions steady before comparing results.

The skin tone test reports both axes in nine questions, with no photo needed.

Skin tone chart

Google's Monk Skin Tone Scale supplies ten source swatches. Style Look Lab pairs them into five bands for this chart and assigns everyday depth names to those pairs. That grouping is an identified site adaptation, not an official MST extension. Product names are not measurements, and another brand or chart may place the same word differently.

The site's four undertone options are available separately from each depth choice, so no word in the product-name column settles a quiz result. “Olive” is absent from that column because Style Look Lab uses it as an undertone label rather than a depth. The olive guide explains that internal distinction and its limitations.

Fair skin tone

Style Look Lab assigns source swatches 1–2 to its fair band. At this edge, the quiz treats vein, product, and comparison answers as fallible clues rather than facts about the skin. The fair skin tone guide shows how the site compares warm, cool, and neutral options at this depth.

Light skin tone

Style Look Lab assigns source swatches 3–4 to light. There is no separate light article in this cluster; use this chart as the depth reference. If a same-depth comparison raises an olive question, continue to the light olive section and treat its checks as editorial prompts.

Medium skin tone

Style Look Lab assigns source swatches 5–6 to medium. Medium is a depth label in this model, while olive is a separate undertone option; neither implies the other. The medium skin tone guide checks the light and tan boundaries before comparing undertones at one depth. Medium olive remains covered in the olive guide.

Tan skin tone

Style Look Lab assigns source swatches 7–8 to tan. The tan skin tone guide separates a current depth description from a recent change and compares the neighboring bands. The caramel guide handles the site's product-name and shelf-matching use of the same adapted band. Tan olive remains in the olive guide.

Deep skin tone

Style Look Lab assigns source swatches 9–10 to deep and still scores undertone separately. There is no separate deep article in this cluster; this chart remains the depth reference. Lighting, products, and visibility can make any individual clue unclear, so the quiz allows uncertainty. Deep olive is discussed in the olive guide.

Undertones

The four entries below are Style Look Lab's working labels for organizing product and clothing comparisons. They are internal editorial categories, not definitions published by MST or validated by the measurement references listed on this page.

Warm undertone

The site uses “warm” when its warm-leaning observations lead at a held-constant depth. Warm-labeled products and golden or peach clothing are editorial starting points to compare, not guaranteed matches. If a sample looks orange, compare a neutral option at the same depth before deciding whether the issue was label, formula, oxidation, depth, or undertone.

Cool undertone

The site uses “cool” when its cool-leaning observations lead at a held-constant depth. Cool-labeled products and rosy or blue-based clothing are editorial starting points. Product names and one visible mismatch cannot establish the label, so repeat a comparison under the same conditions with another formula or garment.

Neutral undertone

The site uses “neutral” when neither warm nor cool clearly leads across its questions. That does not mean every shade works. Begin with a neutral-labeled option as a practical comparison, then account for depth, product behavior, and how muted or clear the surrounding color is. If the evidence conflicts, keep a runner-up rather than forcing certainty.

Olive undertone

Style Look Lab uses “olive” for a muted same-depth pattern it describes editorially as yellow and blue pulling the visible comparison in different directions. The site allows a warm or cool lean, but the label and its product clues are not externally validated. The olive skin tone guide explains how to test that hypothesis without treating it as a diagnosis.

Undertone is one input in Style Look Lab's seasonal-color model. Overall depth and contrast are considered separately in the color palette guides. None of these skin-tone labels alone establishes a season.

Common mistakes when working out your skin tone

These are shortcuts that can distort a comparison inside Style Look Lab's working model.

• Treating olive as a depth. This site keeps olive on its undertone axis so its fair-to-deep bands remain separate. That is a navigation decision, not an official taxonomy.
• Inferring undertone from depth. The quiz scores depth and undertone separately. A product looking orange is one observation to repeat, not proof of warmth or coolness.
• Reading yellow as warm. A yellowish cast beside white paper does not settle the site's undertone result. Lighting and the comparison surface can shift what is visible, so the quiz combines several imperfect clues.
• Using hair or eye color as evidence. The Skin Tone Test does not use either feature as a scoring input; it asks about observations involving skin and products instead.
• Using a place or heritage as a skin tone. The site does not infer an individual's depth or undertone from identity or origin. It only processes the answers supplied for that individual comparison.

Fitzpatrick and Monk scales

Two scales come up whenever skin tone is discussed, and they measure different things.

Style Look Lab does not translate its five bands into Fitzpatrick types. Fitzpatrick terminology belongs to a different clinical context, while this page is an editorial chart for a current color comparison. Do not substitute one label for the other or use this page for a medical decision.

The Monk Skin Tone Scale (MST) supplies ten tones intended to improve representation in products and image systems. Style Look Lab uses those source swatches under CC BY 4.0, pairs them into five bands, and identifies that pairing as an adaptation. MST does not publish the site's band names, undertone labels, questionnaire, or shopping advice.

FAQ

Short answers to the questions asked most often about skin tone.

How do I identify my skin tone?

Under consistent indirect daylight, compare one body area with the site's adapted swatch pairs, then answer the product and clothing observations in the skin tone test. Treat the result as a starting point to repeat under comparable conditions, not a measurement or diagnosis.

What are the four types of skin tones?

It depends which site axis is meant. Style Look Lab offers four undertone labels—warm, cool, neutral, and olive—and five adapted depth bands based on pairs of MST source swatches. Other systems may use different categories or boundaries.

What is the rarest skin tone or undertone?

This site does not rank or estimate the frequency of its labels. The categories and boundaries are not a validated population classification, so a rarity percentage would not be supported.

What is the prettiest undertone?

This site does not rank undertones by attractiveness. Its labels are only starting points for comparing colors, and aesthetic preference remains individual.

How do I figure out what colors go best with my skin tone?

Use the site's undertone suggestions as garments to compare, then also consider overall depth and contrast. The color analysis offers a separate photo-based estimate with its own image limitations; neither route guarantees a color match.

Does skin tone change over time?

A current color observation can differ with body location, recent sun exposure, lighting, camera or display processing, and surface products. Recheck under comparable conditions when the old swatch pair no longer fits. This styling page does not interpret medical or unexplained skin changes.