Seasonal color analysis
12 Color Seasons Explained
The 12-season system groups people by three qualities of their natural coloring. This overview shows how the seasons relate, what defines each one and where to go next.
Seasonal color analysis started as a four-season system that grouped people into Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. It was later expanded to 12 seasons because many people did not fit neatly into one of four. The idea is the same in both versions: a person's skin, hair and eyes share certain qualities, and colors that share those same qualities tend to look harmonious next to the face.
The 12 seasons are built on three dimensions. Undertone is warm or cool. Value is light or deep. Chroma is bright and clear, or soft and muted. Every season has one dominant trait, which gives it its first name, and a secondary trait, which places it in a family. Soft Summer, for example, is soft first and cool second; Soft Autumn is soft first and warm second. That is why those two look similar on paper and still suit different people.
Find your season with the color analysis quiz →
All 12 seasons compared
Each row shows the season's undertone, value and chroma, with four colors that capture it. The first word of each name is its strongest trait.
| Season | Undertone | Value | Chroma | Signature colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Spring | Warm-neutral | Light | Clear, gentle | Peach #f8c3a0Light Warm Turquoise #6cc8c0Buttercup #f8d96bPoppy Coral #f57a62 |
| True Spring | Warm | Medium-light | Clear | Golden Yellow #f5c518Coral #ff7f50Warm Turquoise #12b3a8Grass Green #5cb83a |
| Bright Spring | Warm-neutral | Medium, high contrast | Bright (clear) | Hot Coral #ff5a4eBright Turquoise #00c2b8Sunshine Yellow #ffc61aEmerald Green #00a86b |
| Light Summer | Cool | Light | Soft to moderate | Periwinkle #a3acdcCool Pink #eab3c6Sea Glass #a8d5c8Light Sky Blue #8fb8de |
| True Summer | Cool | Medium | Soft to moderate | Denim Blue #5f7fa8Raspberry #b24a72Lavender #a596c8Blue Spruce #4d7a72 |
| Soft Summer | Cool-neutral | Light-medium to medium | Soft (muted) | Dusty Rose #b98a92Smoky Blue #7890a6Sage Grey-Green #88a592Mauve #a38593 |
| Soft Autumn | Warm-neutral | Medium | Soft (muted) | Sage #9aa082Terracotta Rose #b07a66Soft Teal #5f8580Dusty Coral #c88f78 |
| True Autumn | Warm (golden) | Medium to medium-deep | Rich, moderately muted | Rust #b5532aMustard #c9a032Olive Green #7a7a2eWarm Teal #2f7a6e |
| Deep Autumn | Warm-neutral | Deep | Rich | Oxblood #6a1f1fDeep Teal #1f4a4aBurnt Orange #a8481cForest #2a4a2e |
| Deep Winter | Cool-neutral | Deep | Rich, fairly clear | Deep Emerald #0b5d45Burgundy #6d1a2cSapphire #1d3f8fTrue Red #c8102e |
| True Winter | Cool | Medium to deep | Clear, vivid | Royal Blue #1f3fbfBlue Red #c4122fFuchsia #d1157fEmerald #009b77 |
| Bright Winter | Cool-neutral | Medium, high contrast | Bright (very clear) | Hot Pink #f0168cElectric Blue #0a63f0Emerald #00a36cTrue Red #e0102f |
Spring seasons
Springs share warmth and clarity. Their colors look like fresh flowers and new leaves: golden, clean and lively, never smoky or heavy.
Light Spring
Lightness first, warmth second: a sunny, airy palette of peach, buttercup, light aqua and ivory that never goes dark or heavy.
Warm-neutral · Light · Clear, gentle
True Spring
The warmest of the Springs: golden, yellow-based colors that are clear and fresh, from coral and marigold to warm aqua and grass green.
Warm · Medium-light · Clear
Bright Spring
Clarity first, warmth second: saturated, high-energy colors with a warm lean, plus strong contrast from dark navy and soft white.
Warm-neutral · Medium, high contrast · Bright (clear)
Summer seasons
Summers share a cool lean and a gentle, slightly greyed quality. Think of sea glass, lavender and blue hydrangeas rather than primary colors.
Light Summer
Light first, cool second: powdery blues, cool pinks, lavender and sea glass, worn with soft white and pale grey instead of black.
Cool · Light · Soft to moderate
True Summer
Cool above all: denim, raspberry, lavender and blue spruce at medium depth, anchored by navy, blue-grey and cool rose-brown.
Cool · Medium · Soft to moderate
Soft Summer
Muted first, cool second: dusty rose, smoky blue, sage and mauve with charcoal, pewter and greige as the everyday basics.
Cool-neutral · Light-medium to medium · Soft (muted)
Autumn seasons
Autumns share warmth and richness. Their colors are earthy and blended, like spice, moss, bronze and turning leaves.
Soft Autumn
Muted warm colors at medium depth: sage, camel, terracotta rose and soft teal that flatter low-contrast, gently warm coloring.
Warm-neutral · Medium · Soft (muted)
True Autumn
Fully warm, golden-based earth tones like rust, pumpkin, mustard and olive, with camel and chocolate standing in for black and white.
Warm (golden) · Medium to medium-deep · Rich, moderately muted
Deep Autumn
Dark, warm and rich: espresso, oxblood, forest green and deep teal, with burnt orange and copper accents for depth-led warm coloring.
Warm-neutral · Deep · Rich
Winter seasons
Winters share a cool lean and strong contrast. Their colors are saturated or very dark and very light, like jewel tones against snow.
Deep Winter
Dark first, cool second: Deep Winter shines in black, burgundy, emerald, sapphire and aubergine, sharpened with crisp white and a true red.
Cool-neutral · Deep · Rich, fairly clear
True Winter
The coolest Winter: blue-based reds, royal blue, emerald, fuchsia and icy pastels against pure black and optic white, with no golden warmth at all.
Cool · Medium to deep · Clear, vivid
Bright Winter
Maximum clarity with a cool lean: electric blue, hot pink, emerald, true red and lemon ice, framed by black and pure white.
Cool-neutral · Medium, high contrast · Bright (very clear)
How the seasons connect
Seasons that sit next to each other share their dominant or secondary trait, so they form a circle: Bright Spring, True Spring, Light Spring, Light Summer, True Summer, Soft Summer, Soft Autumn, True Autumn, Deep Autumn, Deep Winter, True Winter, Bright Winter, and back to Bright Spring. If you are unsure between two seasons, they are usually neighbours in this circle, and each season page explains how to tell its two neighbours apart.
Treat the seasons as guidance from a styling tradition, not as a scientific classification. They are a useful shortcut for choosing the shade of a color, the right neutral or a lipstick, but they do not limit what you are allowed to wear.
How to find your season
The quickest way to narrow it down is the color analysis quiz, which scores your answers on the three dimensions and suggests a season plus its closest neighbour. Then test the two candidates in daylight with clothes you own: hold one color from each palette under your chin and compare how your skin and eyes look. For the most reliable answer, a draping session with a trained color analyst is still the gold standard.