Reference Guide
Skin Tone Chart: 12 Depths, 6 Bases, 3 Undertones
A skin tone chart is only useful if it separates the three things people mix up: how light or deep your skin is, what colour cast it carries, and whether it leans warm or cool. This chart covers all three — and shows how to measure yours from a photo instead of eyeballing it.
The 12 skin tone depth categories
Depth is pure lightness — in colour science, the L* axis of the Lab colour space, which separates how light skin is from what colour it leans. MoonSkin divides the natural facial-skin range into 12 even steps. Each swatch below is a representative colour computed with the same Lab conversion the analyzer uses; real skin at each depth varies with undertone and base.
Very Fair
L* 72+The lightest depth — burns easily, often with visible pink or ivory cast.
Fair
L* 68–72Light complexion that tans minimally and shows flushing readily.
Light
L* 64–68Light skin with a touch more warmth than fair.
Light Beige
L* 60–64Light-to-medium beige, common across many populations.
Light Medium
L* 56–60The bridge between light and medium depths.
Medium
L* 52–56True medium — tans easily, rarely burns.
Medium Tan
L* 48–52Medium with a distinctly tanned depth.
Tan
L* 44–48Often described as wheatish or dusky in everyday language.
Deep Tan
L* 40–44Rich tan depth, very common across South Asia.
Brown
L* 36–40Warm brown complexion with strong natural pigment.
Deep Brown
L* 32–36Deep brown depth — high contrast with bright, saturated colours.
Very Deep
L* below 32The deepest category — jewel tones and crisp whites shine here.
Depth vs. undertone vs. natural base
These three are independent, and that independence is the whole point. Depth answers “how light or deep?”. Undertone answers “does my skin lean golden or pink?” — it decides gold vs. silver jewellery and warm vs. cool clothing colours. The natural base is more specific than undertone: it names the actual colour family in your skin's hue, so an olive or peach cast is captured instead of being rounded off to plain “warm”. A person with Deep Tan depth can have a cool pink base; a Very Fair person can be distinctly golden.
The 3 undertones
- Warm. Skin leans golden or yellow. Gold jewellery, earth tones, and warm reds flatter.
- Cool. Skin leans pink or blue. Silver jewellery, blues, and berry shades flatter.
- Neutral. Neither cast dominates — both warm and cool palettes can work.
The 6 natural bases
- Golden Base. Yellow-gold cast in the skin. Earthy and golden colours harmonise naturally.
- Pink Base. A rosy-pink cast. Cool berries, blues, and soft pastels tend to flatter.
- Neutral Base. No single dominant cast — the widest range of colours works.
- Olive Base. A subtle green-grey cast. Muted, desaturated shades usually sit best.
- Peach Base. Warm peach-orange cast. Corals, warm neutrals, and cream shades pair well.
- Red/Rosy Base. Visible redness or flush. Calmer mid-tones balance the natural warmth.
Why 12 depths matter for Indian skin tones
Most skin tone charts were built around a fair-to-medium range and compress everything deeper into one or two labels. Indian skin commonly spans Light Beige through Very Deep — the middle and lower half of this chart — so a 3-tier scale erases exactly the distinctions that matter here. Wheatish and dusky complexions land around Tan; Deep Tan and Brown each get their own step instead of sharing a generic “dark”. That resolution is what makes the resulting advice specific: the dress colours that flatter Deep Tan skin with a golden base are genuinely different from those for Brown skin with an olive base.
How to find your skin tone
You can estimate by eye: in natural daylight (not direct sun), compare clean facial skin — cheek or jawline — against the swatches above. Skip the inner wrist; it is usually lighter and cooler than your face. But screens, lighting, and adjacent colours all bias the eye, which is why two people rarely agree on “wheatish vs. dusky”.
The measured route takes about 30 seconds: the free MoonSkin analyzer samples your actual facial skin pixels from a photo, normalises for lighting, and classifies your depth, undertone, and natural base in the Lab colour space — then turns that into dress colours, colours to avoid, and a skincare routine. Free, no account, and your photo is never stored on our servers.
Find my skin tone freeSkin tone chart FAQ
How do I find my skin tone on this chart?
Compare bare facial skin — cheek or jaw, not the back of your hand — against the swatches in natural daylight without direct sun. For a measured answer, use the free MoonSkin analyzer: it samples your cheeks, forehead, and jaw from a photo, corrects for lighting, and classifies your depth in the Lab colour space in about 30 seconds.
What is the difference between skin tone and undertone?
Skin tone (depth) is how light or deep your skin is — the 12 categories from Very Fair to Very Deep. Undertone is the subtle colour cast beneath the surface — Warm (golden), Cool (pink or blue), or Neutral. Two people can share the same depth with opposite undertones, and they suit very different colours.
Why 12 categories instead of fair, medium, and dark?
Three labels flatten most of the world's skin into 'medium' or 'dark' and give you nothing actionable. Twelve evenly spaced depth steps mean the difference between Tan, Deep Tan, and Brown is actually captured — which matters for foundation shades, dress colours, and how much contrast suits you.
What is a natural skin base?
The natural base describes the dominant colour family in your skin's hue — Golden, Pink, Neutral, Olive, Peach, or Red/Rosy. It is measured separately from depth and from undertone, so an olive cast or a rosy flush is identified even when the warm/cool label alone would miss it.
Is the skin tone chart accurate for Indian skin?
The chart was built with the full depth range in mind. Indian skin commonly spans Light Beige through Very Deep — exactly the range that 3-tier charts compress into one or two labels. The Tan, Deep Tan, and Brown categories each get their own step here, which is what makes colour recommendations for these depths useful rather than generic.
MoonSkin provides cosmetic and styling guidance, not medical advice. For any skin health concern, please consult a qualified dermatologist.