The 12 colour seasons
Four families, each split three ways by whichever characteristic dominates: how light or deep the colouring is, how warm or cool, and how bright or muted. All 12 are below with their palettes.
Spring seasons
- Light SpringLight, warm and fresh — colour with the lights turned up.warm, strongly light and moderately bright
- True SpringThe warmest season — golden, clear and sunlit.strongly warm, moderately light and bright
- Bright SpringMaximum clarity — warm colour turned all the way up.moderately warm, moderately light and strongly bright
Summer seasons
- Light SummerCool, light and gentle — watercolour, not poster paint.cool, strongly light and moderately soft
- True SummerPurely cool — blue-based, elegant, slightly hazy.strongly cool, moderately light and moderately soft
- Soft SummerMuted and blended — every colour has grey folded into it.moderately cool, medium in depth and strongly soft
Autumn seasons
- Soft AutumnWarm but dusty — the colours of a dried bouquet.moderately warm, medium in depth and strongly soft
- True AutumnRich earth — rust, olive, gold and forest.strongly warm, medium in depth and moderately soft
- Deep AutumnWarm darkness — mahogany, forest and deep spice.warm, strongly deep and balanced in clarity
Winter seasons
- Deep WinterCool darkness — jewel tones against true black.moderately cool, strongly deep and moderately bright
- True WinterIcy and pure — blue-based colour at full strength.strongly cool, moderately deep and bright
- Bright WinterThe highest-contrast season — electric colour on ice.moderately cool, moderately deep and strongly bright
Frequently asked
What are the 12 colour seasons?
The twelve seasons are Light, True and Bright Spring; Light, True and Soft Summer; Soft, True and Deep Autumn; and Deep, True and Bright Winter. Each of the four classic seasons is split three ways according to which characteristic dominates — depth, temperature or clarity.
What is the difference between the 4, 12 and 16 season systems?
The 4-season system only asks whether you are warm or cool and light or deep, which is too coarse for most people. The 12-season system adds a clarity axis (bright versus muted) and is the standard used by most modern analysts. The 16-season system subdivides further; in practice its extra categories sit between the twelve rather than replacing them, so a 12-season result maps onto it cleanly.
Which colour season is the most common?
There is no reliable population data, and any site claiming a percentage is guessing. What is true is that the muted seasons — Soft Summer and Soft Autumn — are the most frequently searched for, partly because they are the most often mistaken for something more dramatic.
Can my colour season change over time?
Your skin undertone does not change, so your temperature reading stays put. What does change is depth and contrast: hair greys or is dyed, and skin lightens with less sun exposure. That can move you within your family — a Deep Winter drifting toward True Winter, for example — but rarely across it.