Skin tone guide, Fitzpatrick III to IV
Medium skin tone: undertones, best colors, makeup, and hair
A medium skin tone is mid-depth skin, from honey and golden beige to a light brown, that tans easily and burns less often than lighter skin. It can lean warm and golden, neutral, cool and rosy, or olive. Medium skin roughly matches Fitzpatrick types III and IV, and it can wear a wide span of color, from clear pastels to rich jewel tones.
What is medium skin?
By a window, a medium skin tone looks like honey, almond, golden beige, or a soft light brown. It sits in the middle of every skin tone chart, deeper than light beige and lighter than caramel or bronze, and summer usually deepens it a shade or two.
Medium skin is common across Latin American, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East and Southeast Asian, and mixed backgrounds, and among some Black people with lighter brown skin. Hair is usually brown to black, and eyes are often brown or hazel.
Tap any swatch to copy its hex code.
- Fitzpatrick type
- III to IV tans after an initial burn, or burns minimally
- Closest Monk shades
- 5 to 6 of 10
Is medium skin the same as olive skin?
Not necessarily. Medium describes depth; olive describes an undertone. Many people with medium skin have an olive undertone, which is why the two get mixed up, but medium skin can just as easily be warm, neutral, or cool. Our olive skin tone guide covers how to tell.
Medium skin undertones
Depth is only half of your skin tone. Underneath it, medium skin can lean cool, neutral, warm, or olive, and that undertone decides which colors, foundations, and metals look most natural. Here is how each one looks at this depth.
- Cool undertone
Rosy medium
Beige-brown with a pink or red cast. Berry, fuchsia, and royal blue look vivid; orange can look harsh.
- Neutral undertone
Neutral medium
An even almond or soft beige-brown. True red, teal, and cobalt all work, and so do both metals.
- Warm undertone
Honey
A golden, glowing medium. Marigold, rust, turquoise, and olive green echo the gold in your skin.
- Olive undertone
Medium olive
The classic olive: a muted green-gold beige that looks warmer in summer. Wine, forest green, and petrol blue suit it.
More on olive skin
Not sure which is yours? Compare gold and silver, or bright white and cream, next to your bare face by a window, or let the undertone test read it from a selfie. Our guide to skin undertones explains every check.
Best colors for medium skin
Choose your undertone to see the clothing colors that tend to flatter medium skin. Each swatch shows your skin above a neckline of the color, the way it sits when you wear it.
Rosy medium, pink, red, or blue castSaturated cool color: berry, fuchsia, royal blue, emerald, and plum, with soft lavender as the lighter option.
Neutral medium, neither pink nor goldenClear mid-tones with depth: true red, teal, cobalt, and dusty rose, with taupe and off-white as neutrals.
Honey, golden, peach, or yellow castSpice and sunshine: coral, marigold, rust, turquoise, and olive, grounded with chocolate brown.
Medium olive, muted green-gray castDeep, earthy color: wine, forest green, petrol, burnt sienna, and gold ochre, with cream instead of bright white.
Colors that wash medium skin out, and what to wear instead
Instead of
skin-tone camel, wear tealCamel in your exact depth blurs the line between face and fabric. Wear it lower down, with teal or another color near your face.
Instead of
chalky pastel, wear soft lavenderGrayed pastels can look chalky on medium skin. A clearer tint like soft lavender reads fresh.
Instead of
olive drab, wear emeraldMuddy olive can make medium skin look sallow, olive skin most of all. Emerald brings the green with clarity.
Save the medium skin colors
The skin swatches and all four undertone palettes on one card, with hex codes. Keep it on your phone and hold it next to clothes when you shop, near a window if you can.
Download the colorsMakeup for medium skin
Foundation
Medium is where foundation ranges are often widest, and where undertone matters most. If golden shades look orange and pink ones look gray, try neutral or olive. Swatch on your jaw and blend down onto your neck, since the neck and the edges of the face are often slightly deeper. Check again after 10 minutes: some formulas turn more orange as they dry.
Foundation by undertone
- Cool
- Neutral
- Warm
- Olive
Most brands mark undertone with a letter after the shade number: C for cool, N for neutral, W for warm, and O for olive where they offer it.
Blush
- Apricot
- Rose
- Terracotta
Apricot and terracotta on warm and olive skin, a deeper rose on cool and neutral. Very light pastel blush can look chalky.
Bronzer
- Warm bronze
- Neutral tan
Warm bronze for honey skin, a neutral tan for cool and olive. Medium skin carries a little more bronzer than lighter tones.
Lipstick
- Caramel nude
- Brick
- Berry
- Orange red
Caramel nude, brick, berry, and an orange-red. Nudes look best a shade deeper than your skin, not lighter.
Best hair colors for medium skin
- Chocolate brownRich, glossy, and easy to wear on every medium undertone.
- Caramel highlightsWarm ribbons around the face brighten medium skin.
- Honey brownGolden medium skin looks sunlit with honey brown.
- MahoganyA red-brown that suits cool and neutral medium skin.
Hair colors to skip
- Icy platinum: often looks stark against medium skin and can bring out sallowness.
- Flat ash brown: can make medium and olive skin look gray.
Whatever you choose, test it first: the NHS advises testing hair dye at least 48 hours before you use it.
Gold or silver for medium skin?
Medium skin wears gold beautifully, honey and olive medium skin most of all. Cool medium skin looks sharp in polished silver, and neutral medium skin can mix both. Medium-weight pieces like hoops and chain links hold their own, and stones like turquoise, garnet, and emerald look rich.
Sun care for medium skin
Usual Fitzpatrick type
III to IV
Tans after an initial burn, or burns minimally
Whatever your depth, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, reapplied about every two hours outdoors. For medium skin, add these:
- If you have melasma or dark spots, choose a tinted sunscreen. The AAD explains that visible light can darken skin and the iron oxide in tinted formulas helps protect against it.
- Reapply after swimming or sweating, even if you never seem to burn. Medium skin can take UV damage without turning red.
- Cover the ears, neck, and backs of your hands, which are easy to miss and see a lot of sun.
Common skin concerns for medium skin
Every skin tone can have any skin concern, but some show up more often, or more visibly, at each depth. These are the ones worth knowing for medium skin.
Melasma
Melasma causes brown or gray-brown patches, often on the cheeks, forehead, and upper lip. The American Academy of Dermatology says women with medium to dark skin tones are most likely to develop it, and it tends to return with time in the sun.
Dark marks after breakouts
Medium skin often leaves a brown mark after a pimple, scratch, or rash heals. This is postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, which DermNet notes is more common in darker skin. Sunscreen keeps marks from darkening, and our guide to dark spots on the face covers what fades them.
Sun damage you cannot see yet
Medium skin burns less, but it still takes UV damage. As the AAD puts it, anyone can get skin cancer, whatever their skin tone, so daily SPF 30 or higher is worth the habit.
See a board-certified dermatologist about any spot, rash, or color change that is new, growing, or worrying you.
Color seasons for medium skin
Medium skin is common in the autumns and the softer seasons. Honey and olive medium skin often lands in Soft Autumn or True Autumn, cooler medium skin in Soft Summer, and medium skin with clear eyes and dark hair in Bright Spring.
Want a full palette for your coloring? Try the free seasonal color analysis.
Frequently asked questions
What colors look best on a medium skin tone?
Medium skin handles both depth and brightness. Warm medium shines in marigold, rust, and turquoise; cool medium in berry and royal blue; neutral in true red and teal; olive in wine and forest green.
What foundation undertone is best for medium skin?
The one that matches your undertone, not your depth. If golden shades look orange and pink ones look gray, try a neutral or olive shade.
What hair color suits medium skin?
Chocolate brown, honey brown, and caramel highlights suit most medium skin, and mahogany suits cool medium skin. Icy platinum and flat ash brown are the hardest to wear.
Is medium skin warm or cool?
It can be either, or neutral or olive. Medium describes how deep your skin is, not its undertone. The undertone test helps you find yours.
