Skin tone chart & undertone test
Your shade, undertone and sun type I to VI, on one card you keep.
- 1Shade
- 2Questions
- 3Your card
Tone says nothing about your undertone or how your skin handles the sun: those are separate readings.
Which shade is closest to your inner arm?
In daylight, by a window, on skin that rarely sees the sun. Between two shades? Pick the one that looks closer at arm’s length.
No cameraA guide, not a diagnosisFitzpatrick test as published
Shades: Monk Skin Tone Scale (Dr. Ellis Monk with Google, CC BY 4.0). Colors vary by screen.
Your card shows your type. The back is for your skin today.
Free scan: your skin score.
Zone by zone: with a plan.
Everything in this tool, in full
Tap your shade, answer 4 undertone checks, then the 10-question Fitzpatrick test. You get your tone, your undertone and your sun type, with what each changes for your skin.
- Tone
- How light or deep your skin is.
- Undertone
- The hue beneath it: cool, warm, neutral or olive.
- Sun type
- How your skin reacts to UV, from I (always burns) to VI.
Skin tone chart with names
The 10 shades of the Monk Skin Tone Scale, an open scale built with Harvard sociologist Dr. Ellis Monk to cover the full range of skin tones. The scale only numbers them; the names are our plain descriptions. Any shade can have any undertone.
- 1Very fairMonk 1 · #F6EDE4
- 2FairMonk 2 · #F3E7DB
- 3LightMonk 3 · #F7EAD0
- 4Light-mediumMonk 4 · #EADABA
- 5MediumMonk 5 · #D7BD96
- 6TanMonk 6 · #A07E56
- 7BrownMonk 7 · #825C43
- 8Deep brownMonk 8 · #604134
- 9Very deepMonk 9 · #3A312A
- 10DeepestMonk 10 · #292420
Undertone columns are an illustration: same depth, a hue nudged toward cool, neutral, warm or olive. Colors vary by screen.
Fitzpatrick skin types, I to VI
First developed in 1975 by dermatologist Thomas Fitzpatrick to predict how skin reacts to UV light. Score ranges are from the published 10-question version used in the test above.
| Type | Sun reaction | Sunburn and skin cancer | Brown marks after irritation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type IScore 0–6 | Always burns, never tans | Highest risk. Types I and II burn the fastest and carry the highest skin cancer risk of the six. | Lower. Brown marks after irritation are more typical of darker skin. Your bigger risk with actives is a sunburn. |
| Type IIScore 7–13 | Burns easily, tans poorly | Highest risk. Types I and II burn the fastest and carry the highest skin cancer risk of the six. | Lower. Brown marks after irritation are more typical of darker skin. Your bigger risk with actives is a sunburn. |
| Type IIIScore 14–20 | Burns first, then tans | Moderate. You still burn before you tan, and a tan isn’t protection: UV raises skin cancer risk even when you tan. | Some. The darker your skin, the more a pimple, a scratch or an irritating product can leave a brown mark. |
| Type IVScore 21–27 | Burns minimally, tans easily | Lower, not zero. UV raises skin cancer risk even if you tan and don’t burn. | Higher. Darker skin is more prone to brown marks after a pimple, an injury or a product that irritates. They can take 6 to 12 months to fade. |
| Type VScore 28–34 | Rarely burns, tans darkly | Lower, not zero. Skin cancer is less common in darker skin but still happens, and it’s often found late. | Higher. Darker skin is more prone to brown marks after a pimple, an injury or a product that irritates. They can take 6 to 12 months to fade. |
| Type VIScore 35–40 | Never burns, by the scale | Lowest, not zero. Skin cancer is less common in darker skin but still happens, it’s often found late, and it can appear where the sun rarely reaches, like palms, soles and nails. | Higher. Darker skin is more prone to brown marks after a pimple, an injury or a product that irritates. They can take 6 to 12 months to fade, longer if the color sits deep. |
Sunscreen doesn’t depend on your number
Every type: broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, water resistant, on all uncovered skin. At least 1 teaspoon for your face, about 1 ounce (a shot glass) for your body. Outdoors, reapply every 2 hours and right after swimming or sweating. Skin Cancer Foundation: everyone, whatever their skin type, should practice complete sun protection.
AAD · Skin Cancer Foundation · Cleveland Clinic
Work out your amount and reapply timeThree readings, three different things
Depth isn’t hue
Tone is how light or deep you are; undertone is the hue under it. They vary independently: even the fairest skin can have a warm undertone, and deep skin a cool one. That’s why the chart above shows every shade in four undertones.
Healthline
Your phototype is about sun, not color
The Fitzpatrick scale was built in the 1970s to estimate how skin responds to UV, and dermatologists warn it’s often misused as a stand-in for skin color or race. In a 2014 study, race and self-reported skin, eye and hair color were inaccurate predictors of sun sensitivity. So the test asks how your skin reacts, not just how it looks.
Cutis 2026 · JAAD 2014
Myth: a base tan protects you
It doesn’t: a base tan can’t prevent sunburn. There’s no such thing as a safe tanning bed, booth or sun lamp, and indoor tanning can more than double the risk of melanoma. UV raises skin cancer risk even in skin that tans and doesn’t burn.
AAD · Skin Cancer Foundation
Irritation can leave marks
Darker skin is more prone to brown marks after a pimple, a scratch or a product that irritates. If something burns or stings, stop using it. A mark a few shades darker than your skin usually fades in 6 to 12 months, and every bit of sun makes it darker.
DermNet · AAD · Cleveland Clinic
What kind of dark spot is it?Acids make skin burn faster
After four weeks on an alpha hydroxy acid, people reddened 18% more easily in UV light, in a study the FDA reports. Its label advice: sunscreen, protective clothing and less sun while you use an AHA and for a week after. Retinoids go on at night.
FDA · AAD
What not to mix with glycolic acidA selfie can’t read your shade
Clinics that need to measure skin color use tools like a spectrophotometer. A phone photo shifts with the light and the camera’s settings, so this test asks what you see in daylight, against a white reference, instead of guessing from a picture.
Cutis 2026
One face scan. Your whole routine, sorted.
This page answered your question. MySkincare starts from your own skin, and the products you already use.
- 1Scan your face3 photos: front, left profile, right profile.
- 2See your skin scoreFree6 zones scored separately: forehead, eye area, T-zone, both cheeks, chin.
- 3Scan your productsIt reads each ingredient list and says: keep it, watch it or replace it.
- 4Follow your routineMorning and night, checked so your products work together. With reminders.
Questions people ask
What is my skin tone?
Your skin tone is how light or deep your skin is. Look at skin that rarely sees the sun, like your inner arm, in daylight, and pick the closest of the 10 shades on the chart. Tone says nothing about your undertone or how your skin handles the sun: those are separate readings.
What is my undertone?
It’s the hue under your skin color: cool (pink, rosy or bluish), warm (peach, yellow or golden), neutral (about the same as your skin color) or olive (a muted, ashen or grayish cast). The vein, jewelry and white-or-cream checks in the test are the usual ways to tell. Fair skin can have a warm undertone and deep skin a cool one.
What is the Fitzpatrick skin type?
A 1975 scale by dermatologist Thomas Fitzpatrick that sorts skin by how it reacts to ultraviolet light, from type I (always burns, never tans) to type VI (never burns, by the scale). The published questionnaire scores 10 questions from 0 to 4; your total out of 40 gives your type.
Is the Fitzpatrick type the same as skin color or race?
No. It was made to estimate how skin responds to UV, and dermatologists warn against using it as a stand-in for skin color or race. In a 2014 study, race and self-reported skin, eye and hair color were inaccurate predictors of sun sensitivity, which is why the test asks how your skin reacts.
Can my Fitzpatrick type change if I tan?
Your phototype is something you’re born with. A tan doesn’t move you to a safer type, and a “base tan” can’t prevent sunburn, the American Academy of Dermatology says.
Which skin type is safe for tanning beds?
None. Dermatologists say there is no such thing as a safe tanning bed, booth or sun lamp, and indoor tanning can more than double the risk of melanoma, whatever your type.
Do darker skin tones need sunscreen?
Yes. Cleveland Clinic advises sunscreen every day for people of color, SPF 30 or higher, and the AAD says skin cancer in darker skin is often found late. Sun also makes dark spots darker. A tinted sunscreen is less likely to leave a white cast.
Is skin type 1 to 6 the same as oily or dry skin?
No. Types I to VI are about the sun. Oily, dry, combination, normal and sensitive describe oil and reactivity: the skin type quiz covers those. Take the skin type quiz →
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It’s a guide built on a published questionnaire. If a spot or mole changes, or a dark mark doesn’t fade, see a board-certified dermatologist.
Sources
- Sun type scored with the published Fitzpatrick questionnaire
- Shades: Monk Skin Tone Scale by Dr. Ellis Monk and Google, CC BY 4.0
American Academy of Dermatologyaad.org
- 10 surprising facts about indoor tanning
No tanning bed, booth or sun lamp is safe; a base tan can’t prevent sunburn; indoor tanning can more than double melanoma risk.
- How to apply sunscreen
SPF 30 or higher, water resistant, broad spectrum; about 1 ounce for the body and at least 1 teaspoon for the face; reapply every two hours and right after swimming or sweating.
- Finding skin cancer in darker skin tones
People with darker skin can get skin cancer; it is often advanced when diagnosed; it may appear where the sun rarely reaches (palms, soles, nails); tinted broad-spectrum SPF 30+ water-resistant sunscreen.
- How to fade dark spots in darker skin tones
A product that irritates can cause dark spots; use gentle products and stop one that burns or stings; tinted sunscreen with iron oxide; a spot a few shades darker usually fades in 6 to 12 months, deeper color can take years.
- Retinoid or retinol?
With skin of color, irritation can trigger dark marks; start slowly, every other night, with a moisturizer; use retinoids at night and protect skin from the sun by day.
The Skin Cancer Foundationskincancer.org
- Skin type quiz: are you at risk for skin cancer? (updated Feb. 2025)
First developed in 1975 by Thomas Fitzpatrick, MD; six phototypes; types I and II face the highest skin cancer risk; people with darker skin can still get skin cancer; everyone should practice complete sun protection.
- Your skin type and skin cancer (updated March 2025)
UV exposure can raise skin cancer risk even if you tan and don’t burn; broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, plus shade, clothing, hats and UV-blocking sunglasses.
DermNetdermnetnz.org
- Skin phototype (Fitzpatrick skin type)
How each type burns and tans; pale skin burns easily and needs more protection; darker skin is more prone to brown marks after injury; phototype is present at birth.
US Food and Drug Administrationfda.gov
- Alpha hydroxy acids
AHAs may increase sensitivity to the sun and the chance of sunburn (18% more UV reddening after four weeks in a study); use sunscreen, protective clothing and limit sun while using them and for a week after.
Cleveland Clinicclevelandclinic.org
- Why sunscreen is an important tool for people of color (2023)
People of color should wear sunscreen every day to protect from sunburn; skin cancer is less common in people of color but still occurs; SPF 30 or higher for daily use; sun makes dark spots darker; tinted formulas are less likely to leave a white cast.
Studies and other sources
- ARPANSA (Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency): Fitzpatrick skin type questionnaire (PDF)arpansa.gov.au
The 10 questions in three parts (genes, sun reaction, tanning habits), the 0–4 score of each answer, and the score ranges: I 0–6, II 7–13, III 14–20, IV 21–27, V 28–34, VI 35+.
- Garg K, McMichael AJ. Limitations of Fitzpatrick skin type as a proxy for skin color and race. Cutis. 2026;117(6):176,184.mdedge.com
Fitzpatrick type was created in the 1970s to guide UVA dosing and estimate UV response; it is often misused as a stand-in for skin color and race; limits are greatest for types IV to VI; measuring color objectively takes tools like spectrophotometry.
- He SY, et al. Self-reported pigmentary phenotypes and race are significant but incomplete predictors of Fitzpatrick skin phototype. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2014;71(4):731-737 (open-access copy).escholarship.org
Race and self-reported skin, eye and hair color are inaccurate predictors of sun sensitivity as defined by the Fitzpatrick type.
- Healthline: How to identify your skin’s undertones (medically reviewed, updated May 2024)healthline.com
Undertone is not the same as skin tone; cool, warm, neutral and olive; the vein, jewelry and true-white vs off-white checks; ashen or gray skin can point to olive; fair skin can have warm undertones and darker skin cool ones.
- Google: Monk Skin Tone Scale (May 2022)blog.google
A 10-shade scale developed with Harvard sociologist Dr. Ellis Monk, released openly to be more inclusive of the range of skin tones.
- Wikipedia: Monk Skin Tone Scaleen.wikipedia.org
The 10 color values used in our chart, and the scale’s CC BY 4.0 license.