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Which Fitzpatrick Skin Type Are You?

Which Fitzpatrick Skin Type Are You?

If you’re like me—Ama, Dieux copywriter, and reality TV lover—and just finished watching Love Island USA, if someone asks, “What’s your type?” your mind might automatically think they’re talking about dating. But when it comes to skincare, they’re either referring to your skin type (oily, dry, combination, normal, and sensitive) or where you fall on the Fitzpatrick scale. While you may be familiar with the former, the latter may be a complete mystery to you.


If that’s the case, don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, I’ll explain what the Fitzpatrick scale is, how it’s used, how we updated Deliverance 3-in-1 Repair Serum's clinical testing with the full Fitzpatrick scale in mind, and more.

What is the Fitzpatrick Scale?

Created by Harvard dermatologist Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick in 1975, the Fitzpatrick scale was designed to standardize skin types based on how easily a person burns or tans, which helps predict their risk of skin cancer.

Today, the scale is also used by dermatologists and clinicians to predict a patient’s response to treatments like chemical peels, microneedling, and lasers, which can respond differently depending on skin type. Knowing where you fall on the Fitzpatrick scale helps dermatologists customize treatments, reducing the risk of negative side effects like hyperpigmentation. Skincare brands also use the Fitzpatrick scale in clinical trials (more on that later). 

What are the Different Skin Phototypes on the Fitzpatrick Scale?

The scale includes six skin types—more specifically, phototypes—with 1 being the lightest and 6 being the deepest.

Here’s the gist: the less melanin you have, the lighter your skin phototype, and the greater your sensitivity to the sun.

Fitzpatrick Scale

The Fitzpatrick scale isn't just useful for understanding sun sensitivity; it also impacts how skincare products are tested.

How the Fitzpatrick Scale is Used in Clinical Testing

Some beauty brands will do third-party clinical testing to evaluate the safety and efficacy of their products. In those trials, participants are categorized by their Fitzpatrick scale classification.

“Most brands test their products on Fitzpatrick types 1 to 3—a.k.a. fair skin tones—instead of all 6,” says Becca Perry, cosmetic chemist and Dieux Senior Innovation Manager. According to a chemist interviewed for a 2022 McKinsey & Company report, “The testing done for the performance of an active ingredient is done on someone who is Caucasian or Asian 99 percent of the time…There’s rarely data validating the efficacy on melanated skin.”

According to Perry, there are a couple of reasons for this, the first being money. Labs consider testing on a wider range of skin tones a “premium service,” so they charge more to do so. Another reason is racism and the systemic bias in the beauty industry, which historically prioritized lighter skin tones.

Why is it important to test on a wide range of skin tones? Deeper skin might respond to certain ingredients differently than lighter skin. Plus, skin concerns don’t look the same across all skin tones. 

Hyperpigmentation, redness, or irritation can look different on darker skin compared to lighter skin tones. For example, on deeper skin tones, inflammatory spots tend to appear more pigmented and can be harder to treat. You can’t really claim that a product is effective on all skin tones if you only tested it on the three lightest ones.

Hyperpigmentation across skin tones

Why (and How) Did We Expand Deliverance Serum’s Clinical Testing?

Deliverance 3-in-1 Repair Serum helps minimize the look of redness, wrinkles, and dark spots over time. We had already proven this in a previous clinical trial, but pigmentary spots are notoriously difficult to treat for people with deeper skin tones, and we didn’t have testing data on deeper tones. So, we conducted another clinical trial exclusively on participants with Fitzpatrick skin types 4 to 6 to prove that Deliverance can work for anyone.

From that most recent trial, we’re proud to share that*:

  • 100% had a significant reduction in the appearance of age spots after 8 weeks.

  • 100% had an improvement in skin tone and the appearance of redness after 4 weeks.

  • 94% had an improvement in the look of fine lines and wrinkles after 8 weeks.

(P.S. Between this new trial and our original testing, we've spent over $190,000 on clinical testing for Deliverance to back up our claims.)

And as a reminder, you’ll continue to see results with daily use.

This level of testing goes beyond what most beauty brands currently do, but we see it as an important step, not the finish line. A more comprehensive approach to clinical testing would be to use the Colorimetric scale, which accounts for a wider, more inclusive range of deeper skin tones.

However, the Fitzpatrick scale is still what’s widely used by labs. So, until we have another option, we’ll continue to prioritize testing on the entire Fitzpatrick scale where we can, so you can trust that our products will work for you. 

If you have any questions about our clinical testing process or approach, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hello@dieuxskin.com, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

As always, you’re Dieux-ing great.

*Based on an independent clinical study of 18 panelists with Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI and self-perceived sensitive skin measured via expert grading.

 

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