# The Monk Skin Tone Scale, explained (and how to find your number)

> The Monk Skin Tone Scale is a scale of 10 skin tones, from 1 (lightest) to 10 (deepest), created by Harvard sociologist Dr. Ellis Monk and released by Google in 2022 to help technology work well for every skin tone. It describes how light or deep your skin is, not your undertone.

## Where it comes from
Dr. Ellis Monk developed the scale from his research on skin tone. Google released it in May 2022 and uses it to check that products such as its camera and image search work well across skin tones. The scale is free for anyone to use.

## Monk and Fitzpatrick are different
The Fitzpatrick scale, from 1975, sorts skin into 6 types by how it reacts to the sun: it was made for dermatology, not for color. The Monk scale has 10 shades and describes the color itself, with more steps for medium and deep skin, where older scales lump many tones together.

## How to use your number for makeup
- 1 to 3, light: sheer coverage, soft pinks and peaches; go easy on bronzer, it can look muddy.
- 4 to 6, medium: the widest choice of blush and lip colors; bronzer one or two shades deeper than your skin.
- 7 to 10, deep: rich, saturated colors such as berry, brick, plum and deep coral, and highlighters with gold or copper; avoid ashy or gray-based shades.

## Depth plus undertone equals your shade
Your Monk number tells you how light or deep your foundation should be. Your undertone tells you which family: pink, neutral, golden or olive. You need both: the right depth in the wrong undertone still looks off.

## Questions
### What Monk number am I?
Compare your jaw, in daylight, with the 10 shades and pick the closest. If you’re between two, you may need the deeper one in summer and the lighter one in winter. Glam Bestie reads your number from a 30-second face scan.

### Do brands use the Monk scale for foundation?
Brands use their own shade systems, but the Monk scale is a useful neutral guide: it tells you roughly where in a brand’s range to start, then your undertone narrows it down to two or three shades to test.

### Why does the Monk scale matter for AI?
AI trained mostly on light skin can misjudge deeper skin. Checking results across all 10 Monk shades is one way to catch that. Glam Bestie uses the scale so its advice covers every depth, from 1 to 10.

Start my free scan: https://glambestie.com/
Source: https://glambestie.com/guides/monk-skin-tone-scale