The Science of Undertones: How to Accurately Determine a Client’s Skin Tone

Introduction: Why Understanding Undertones Matters

Whether you’re a makeup artist, hair stylist, or fashion professional, understanding skin undertones is one of the most powerful skills you can develop. It’s the invisible foundation that determines which hair color enhances a client’s glow, which foundation shade blends seamlessly, and which clothing hues create instant harmony.

While skin tone can fluctuate with sun exposure, lighting, or seasonal shifts, undertone—the temperature beneath the skin—remains constant. Once you know how to identify it accurately, you can make every color decision with confidence.

Clients may not always know why some shades make them look radiant while others seem to dull their complexion—but you will. Mastering undertones allows you to deliver transformations that feel both subtle and magical, while elevating your expertise and opening a new stream of income through professional color analysis services.

The Three Main Undertone Categories Explained

Warm Undertones

Warm undertones carry golden, peach, or yellow hues beneath the skin. You’ll often notice veins appearing more green than blue, and the client tends to glow in gold jewelry or ivory fabrics. Their skin radiates warmth under sunlight and responds beautifully to colors like coral, olive, camel, and warm red.

When analyzing warm undertones, observe how the skin reflects against a soft white drape. If the complexion brightens and feels “sun-kissed,” it’s a strong indicator of warmth.

Quick cue: Think of tones that echo the earth—sunset golds, terracotta, and glowing bronze.

Cool Undertones

Cool undertones have underlying pink, red, or blue hues. Veins often appear bluish or purple, and silver jewelry complements the skin more naturally than gold. When placed next to cool colors such as fuchsia, icy blue, or true black, the complexion appears luminous rather than washed out.

Cool undertones thrive in winter and summer palettes. However, beware of fluorescent lighting—it can exaggerate redness or dullness in cool skin if not neutralized by proper draping light.

Quick cue: Cool undertones harmonize with colors drawn from the ocean and ice—pure white, sapphire, and soft rose.

Neutral Undertones

Neutral undertones balance both warm and cool pigments, often creating a “chameleon effect.” These clients can wear both gold and silver, and their veins might appear bluish-green. Yet, neutrality is not absence—it’s subtle equilibrium.

Many professionals misclassify olive skin as neutral. In truth, olive carries a yellow base with a green-gray overtone—technically a cool undertone that reads muted or ashy under certain lights.

Quick cue: Neutral undertones thrive in balanced, medium-value colors—soft taupe, muted teal, and dusty rose.

What do you think? Is she warm or cool? Comment below.

The Science Behind Undertones

How Melanin, Hemoglobin, and Carotene Shape Undertone

Three biological pigments determine the visible tone of our skin:

• Melanin controls depth—fair, medium, or deep complexion.

• Hemoglobin contributes red and pink undertones.

• Carotene adds yellow or golden warmth.

The unique interplay of these pigments determines whether someone appears warm, cool, or neutral. Two individuals can have identical surface color yet entirely different undertones due to differences in their blood circulation, melanin concentration, or even oxygen levels in their skin.

The Role of Reflection and Refraction

Color perception is not only biological—it’s optical. When light hits the skin, it refracts and reflects through layers of melanin and collagen. The environment and light temperature influence this reflection dramatically, which is why accurate undertone analysis requires controlled lighting conditions.

A cool fluorescent bulb can falsely make warm skin appear olive; a sunset glow can make cool skin look golden. Professional color analysts therefore rely on neutral-balanced daylight bulbs and draping under standardized conditions.

Environmental and External Factors That Affect Undertone Perception

The Impact of Lighting

Lighting can make or break your analysis.

• Natural daylight reveals the truest tone but shifts throughout the day.

• LED or fluorescent lights may distort color by adding blue or green casts.

• Warm incandescent lighting can falsely exaggerate yellow tones.

When conducting sessions, position your client near a north-facing window or use a daylight-balanced ring light with neutral white backdrop. Consistency is key.

Clothing, Hair, and Makeup Influence

Surrounding colors—especially near the face—reflect back onto the skin. A red blouse can project warmth, while a silver scarf cools the complexion. Hair color and lipstick tones can also skew perception, so begin your assessment with bare skin, neutral cape, and natural light.

Avoid heavy foundation or bronzer during analysis; even a slight tint can alter undertone visibility.

Camera and Screen Distortion

Digital consultations are popular, yet screens compress and distort color. Auto-white-balance features can warm or cool the skin artificially. Always ask clients to photograph themselves in natural daylight against a white background with no filters. For online assessments, use calibrated reference charts or color-balanced drape kits to standardize perception.

Professional Techniques to Identify a Client’s True Undertone

Step-by-Step Skin Tone Assessment Process

1. Prepare the environment: neutral background, daylight lighting, no colored reflections.

2. Clean and balance the face: remove makeup; analyze skin at jawline and upper chest for consistency.

3. Use comparison drapes: start with pure white versus creamy ivory—observe whether the face glows or dulls.

4. Cross-verify: alternate cool vs. warm color drapes (rose vs. coral, teal vs. olive).

5. Document your observation: note subtle reactions like gray cast, yellowing, or shadow exaggeration.

Cross-Checking Results

Visual tests alone can be subjective. Reinforce your analysis with practical indicators:

• Vein Test: Blue/purple veins = cool; green = warm; mixed = neutral.

• Jewelry Test: Silver vs. gold reflection on bare skin.

• White Sheet Test: Hold white fabric near the face; a rosy reflection indicates cool, golden glow indicates warm.

For structured accuracy, professionals use the Sterling Color Quality System—a proprietary methodology integrating undertone science without having to rely on drape sets. It ensures repeatable, objective results across lighting and ethnic variations.

Common Mistakes in Undertone Identification (and How to Avoid Them)

• Confusing surface tone with undertone: Tanned skin doesn’t always mean warm undertones.

• Misreading olive skin: Olive is often cool or neutral-cool, not always warm.

• Analyzing under inconsistent lighting: Avoid mixed light sources (window + overhead).

• Relying on makeup cues: Foundation shades can conceal true undertones.

• Skipping the neck and chest area: Undertones reveal more clearly in these regions than on the cheeks.

Accuracy requires neutrality—your environment, tools, and judgment must all be balanced.

Exercises for Accurate Undertone Detection

Hands-On Draping Exercises

Conduct side-by-side tests with your drape set:

1. Choose one client.

2. Compare warm vs. cool versions of the same hue (e.g., coral vs. rose).

3. Note how the complexion changes—brighter, duller, younger, older.

4. Photograph results for pattern recognition.

Digital Assessment Practice

Ask clients to send photos taken:

• In daylight near a window (no shadows)

• Under indoor lighting (to study distortion)

• In mixed lighting (to practice correction)

Compare these to train your eye in differentiating undertone vs. lighting effect.

Group or Peer Testing

Analyze several people of different ethnicities in the same environment. Seeing contrast among diverse undertones sharpens your visual calibration and helps eliminate bias.

The Future of Undertone Analysis in Color and Beauty Professions

Artificial Intelligence, augmented reality, and digital color tools are advancing—but human perception remains irreplaceable. Machines can map RGB data, yet they cannot interpret how color energy feels on a person.

At Sterling Style Academy, we teach professionals to integrate technology with trained intuition. Our students learn not only the science of light and pigment but also how to interpret psychological resonance—the harmony between color and personality.

By combining structured scientific methodology with sensory awareness, you deliver an experience far beyond “seasonal color typing.” You deliver transformation.

Conclusion: Mastering Undertones and Overtones for True Color Harmony

Understanding undertones isn’t just technical—it’s transformative. It allows your clients to look healthier, more polished, and authentically themselves. When you master undertone science, you elevate from service provider to true color expert.

At the Sterling Style Academy, we take this mastery even deeper by teaching you how to recognize both undertone and overtone—the visible surface hue that interacts with light and makeup. Knowing how overtone shifts with tanning, lighting, or cosmetics ensures your analysis remains accurate in every situation, from photo shoots to in-person consultations.

If you’re ready to refine your craft and learn the professional color analysis techniques, undertone and overtone mastery, and the Sterling Color Quality System that leading image, hair, and beauty professionals use worldwide, begin your journey today.

👉 Enroll now in the Color Analysis Training Online Course by Sterling Style Academy and become the expert your clients remember for life.