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Eligibility

Clinical testing panellist
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Skin tone photo examples

Very fair I always burns,
cannot tan
Fair II usually burns,
sometimes tans
Medium III sometimes burns,
usually tans
Olive IV rarely burns,
always tans
Brown V rarely burns,
tans easily
Dark brown VI never burns,
always tans

Very fair (I)

Typical physical features

  • White, very pale, porcelain, ivory skin tone
  • Red or blonde hair
  • Light colored eyes (light blue, light green, grey)
  • Freckles are common
  • Fair-skinned Caucasian or Albino, Celtic

Reaction to sun exposure

  • Always burns, blisters, and peels
  • Never tans

Fair (II)

Typical physical features

  • White, fair skin
  • Light colored hair
  • Blue, hazel, or green eyes
  • May have freckles
  • Fair-skinned Caucasian, Scandinavian

Reaction to Sun Exposure

  • Usually burns, blisters, and peels
  • Tans minimally or with difficulty

Medium (III)

Typical physical features

  • Cream white, peachy to beige or light olive skin tone
  • Any hair color
  • Any eye color
  • Darker Caucasian, European mix, lighter-skinned Hispanic or Asian

Reaction to sun exposure

  • Sometimes burns
  • Tans gradually

Olive (IV)

Typical physical features

  • Golden to olive or light brown skin tone (like caramel)
  • Usually dark hair and eyes
  • Mediterranean, European, Asian, Hispanic, American Indian, sometimes mixed-race, African American

Reaction to sun exposure

  • Burns minimally
  • Always tans easily

Brown (V)

Typical physical features

  • Brown to dark brown skin tone
  • Dark hair and dark eyes
  • Hispanic, African American, Middle Eastern

Reaction to sun exposure

  • Very rarely burns
  • Tans very quickly and easily

Dark brown (VI)

Typical Physical Features

  • Deep mahogany to ebony or black skin tone
  • Dark hair and dark eyes
  • African American, African, Middle Eastern

Reaction to sun exposure

  • Never burns
  • Deeply pigmented (tans quickly and deeply)
 
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