Table 2

Skin type categories from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Academy of Dermatology.

Skin types

Sun history

Example

I

Always burns easily, never tans, extremely sensitive skin

Red-headed, freckled, Celtic, Irish-Scots

II

Always burns easily, tans minimally, very sensitive skin

Fair-skinned, fair-haired, blue-eyed Caucasians

III

Sometimes burns, tans gradually to light brown, sun-sensitive skin

Average-skinned Caucasians, light-skinned Asians

IV

Burns minimally, always tans to moderate brown, minimally sun-sensitive

Mediterranean-type Caucasians

V

Rarely burns, tans well, sun-insensitive skin

Middle Easterners, some Hispanics, some African-Americans

VI

Never burns, deeply pigmented, sun-insensitive skin

African-Americans

Zhang and Naughton Nutrition Journal 2010 9:65   doi:10.1186/1475-2891-9-65