Seasonal color analysis: the 12 color seasons
Seasonal color analysis sorts natural coloring into four families, each split three ways by whichever characteristic dominates: how light or deep the coloring is, how warm or cool, and how bright or muted. All 12 color seasons are below with their palettes.
By Ruslan ShchuchkinML engineer and data scientistUpdated
12 season color analysis chart
All twelve seasons on the four traits. Undertone, depth and chroma are the positions our analysis scores against. L* and C* are the mean lightness and chroma of each palette, computed from its hex codes.
| Season | Undertone | Depth | Chroma | Leads with | L* | C* | Palette |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light SpringSpring | warm-leaning | light | bright-leaning | Depth | 79 | 37 | |
| True SpringSpring | warm | medium-light | bright-leaning | Undertone | 66 | 58 | |
| Bright SpringSpring | warm-leaning | medium-light | bright | Chroma | 69 | 79 | |
| Light SummerSummer | cool-leaning | light | soft-leaning | Depth | 74 | 22 | |
| True SummerSummer | cool | medium-light | soft-leaning | Undertone | 60 | 30 | |
| Soft SummerSummer | cool-leaning | medium | soft | Chroma | 63 | 15 | |
| Soft AutumnAutumn | warm-leaning | medium | soft | Chroma | 60 | 24 | |
| True AutumnAutumn | warm | medium | soft-leaning | Undertone | 50 | 45 | |
| Deep AutumnAutumn | warm-leaning | deep | medium | Depth | 36 | 38 | |
| Deep WinterWinter | cool-leaning | deep | bright-leaning | Depth | 41 | 43 | |
| True WinterWinter | cool | medium-deep | bright | Undertone | 56 | 55 | |
| Bright WinterWinter | cool-leaning | medium-deep | bright | Chroma | 64 | 75 |
Contrast, the fourth trait, is on each season page: our analysis reads it as part of chroma. What chroma means
Spring seasons
- Light SpringLight, warm and fresh, color with the lights turned up.warm, strongly light and moderately bright
- True SpringThe warmest season, golden, clear and sunlit.strongly warm, moderately light and bright
- Bright SpringMaximum clarity, warm color turned all the way up.moderately warm, moderately light and strongly bright
Summer seasons
- Light SummerCool, light and gentle, watercolor, not poster paint.cool, strongly light and moderately soft
- True SummerPurely cool, blue-based, elegant, slightly hazy.strongly cool, moderately light and moderately soft
- Soft SummerMuted and blended, every color has gray folded into it.moderately cool, medium in depth and strongly soft
Autumn seasons
- Soft AutumnWarm but dusty, the colors of a dried bouquet.moderately warm, medium in depth and strongly soft
- True AutumnRich earth, rust, olive, gold and forest.strongly warm, medium in depth and moderately soft
- Deep AutumnWarm darkness, mahogany, forest and deep spice.warm, strongly deep and balanced in clarity
Winter seasons
- Deep WinterCool darkness, jewel tones against true black.moderately cool, strongly deep and moderately bright
- True WinterIcy and pure, blue-based color at full strength.strongly cool, moderately deep and bright
- Bright WinterThe highest-contrast season, electric color on ice.moderately cool, moderately deep and strongly bright
Seen 16 seasons somewhere? All 16 seasons, explained
Frequently asked
What are the 12 color seasons?
The twelve seasons are Light, True and Bright Spring; Light, True and Soft Summer; Soft, True and Deep Autumn; and Deep, True and Bright Winter. Each of the four classic seasons is split three ways according to which trait dominates: depth, undertone or chroma.
What is the difference between the 4, 12 and 16 season systems?
The 4-season system only asks whether you are warm or cool and light or deep, which is too coarse for most people. The 12-season system adds a chroma axis (bright versus muted, also called clarity) and is the standard used by most modern analysts. The 16-season system subdivides further; in practice its extra categories sit between the twelve rather than replacing them, so a 12-season result maps onto it cleanly.
Which color season is the most common?
There is no reliable population data, and any site claiming a percentage is guessing. What is true is that the muted seasons, Soft Summer and Soft Autumn, are the most frequently searched for, partly because they are the most often mistaken for something more dramatic.
Can my color season change over time?
Your skin undertone does not change, so your temperature reading stays put. What does change is depth and contrast: hair grays or is dyed, and skin lightens with less sun exposure. That can move you within your family, a Deep Winter drifting toward True Winter, for example, but rarely across it.
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