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The Monk Skin Tone scale explained
The Monk Skin Tone scale is ten swatches from lightest to deepest, developed by Harvard sociologist Ellis Monk and published by Google in 2022, and you use it by picking the swatch closest to your skin in indirect daylight. It describes color only, not sun response and not undertone. Expect your point to move about one step between winter and summer.
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Verdict10-point tone scale
Verdict
10-point tone scaleTen points, built to describe color fairly
Find your tone: Monk scale finder →What it is
The scale presents ten skin tone swatches running from lightest to deepest, intended to be used by picking the swatch closest to your own skin. Ten points were chosen deliberately: enough to give meaningfully better coverage than a six-point scale, few enough that people can still choose consistently without training.
It came out of research by Ellis Monk on how skin tone shapes social outcomes, and was published openly by Google for use in datasets, product design and evaluation. It describes color only, with no claim about ancestry, health or how skin responds to sunlight. Anyone can use it, and the swatches are meant to be compared against directly rather than interpreted.
Why it was created
Technology that deals with images of people had largely borrowed the Fitzpatrick scale as a stand-in for skin color, since it was the most familiar classification available. That borrowing was a poor fit, Fitzpatrick measures UV response, and its six types compress the deeper end of the range in particular.
The practical consequence was systems that performed unevenly. Camera exposure, face detection and image enhancement all tended to be tested against narrower sets of skin tones than they were deployed on. A scale with better representation across the full range makes those gaps measurable, which is the first step to closing them.
How it differs from Fitzpatrick
The two scales answer different questions. Fitzpatrick asks how your skin behaves under ultraviolet light and is assigned by asking about burning and tanning history. Monk asks what color your skin is and is assigned by visual comparison against swatches. Neither is a substitute for the other, and using Fitzpatrick as a color chart is the most common version of that substitution.
The Monk scale also does not encode undertone. It is a depth scale, so it will tell you where your skin sits from light to deep but not whether the hue beneath leans warm, cool, neutral or olive. For foundation, you need a point on a depth scale and an undertone reading together.
Using it yourself
Compare in indirect daylight, on bare skin, and pick the swatch nearest your own rather than agonizing over an exact match, the scale is designed to tolerate that. Choose from an area that gets typical sun exposure, such as the jaw or inner forearm, and be aware that your point can shift by a step across the year as you tan.
Today, stand at a window, hold the ten swatches beside your jaw or inner forearm on bare skin, and pick the nearest one without agonizing over an exact match. Write it down with the date, since it moves a step across the year. The Monk scale finder does the comparison from a daylight photo and gives you the number. Pair it with an undertone reading before you shop for foundation; the Monk point alone is only half the match, and it is the half brands label most consistently.
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FAQ
Common questions
What is the Monk Skin Tone scale?+
A ten-point scale of skin tone swatches developed by Harvard sociologist Ellis Monk and published by Google in 2022, designed to represent a broader range of skin tones in technology and research.
How is it different from the Fitzpatrick scale?+
Monk describes skin color across ten points. Fitzpatrick describes how skin responds to ultraviolet light across six types. They measure different things and are not interchangeable.
Does the Monk scale include undertone?+
No. It is a depth scale only. To match foundation you also need an undertone reading, warm, cool, neutral or olive, from a separate test.
How do I find my Monk skin tone?+
Compare bare skin against the ten swatches in indirect daylight and pick the closest one. Use an area with typical sun exposure, and expect your point to move by about a step between winter and summer.