PERLA Color Palette

The PERLA color palette compliments the self-reported measures of race and ethnicity. It was designed to evaluate skin color specifically in Latin America. It is made of eleven skin tones: the number 1 corresponds to the lightest complexion and 11 to the darkest complexion.

Telles, E. (2014), Pigmentocracies: Ethnicity, Race, and Color in Latin America, Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press.

Massey-Martin Scale

The scale is an 11-point scale, ranging from zero to 10, with zero representing albinism, or the total absence of color, and 10 representing the darkest possible skin. The ten shades of skin color corresponding to the points 1 to 10 on the Massey and Martin Skin Color Scale are depicted in a chart, with each point represented by a hand, of identical form, but differing in color. The Scale was constructed with assistance from a graphic designer. The M&M Scale is for use by interviewers, who essentially memorize the scale, so that the respondent never sees the chart.

Massey, D. S., and J. A. Martin (2003), “The NIS Skin Color Scale,” available at https://nis.princeton.edu/downloads/nis-skin-color-scale.pdf. Accessed November 15, 2021.

L’Oréal Skin Tone Color Scale

L’Oréal, the cosmetics company, developed and published1 a color chart showing various shades of skin color. This was based on a sampling of the spectral reflectance characteristics of women’s (healthy) skin around the world.

L’Oréal Company, A New Geography of Skin Color, posted at http://www.loreal.com/research-innovation/when-the-diversity-of-types-of-beauty-inspires-science/expert-in-skin-and-hair-types-around-the-world.aspx