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Fitzpatrick skin type quiz: how easily do you burn?

8 quick questions about your natural coloring and how your skin reacts to sun. Find your Fitzpatrick type, I to VI, and the sun care that suits it.

Question 1 of 8

1. What color are your eyes?
2. What is your natural hair color?
3. What color is your skin where the sun doesn’t reach, like your inner arm?
4. Do you have freckles where the sun doesn’t reach?
5. What happens if you stay in the sun too long without sunscreen?
6. How much do you tan?
7. Does your skin go darker within a few hours of sun?
8. How does your face react to the sun?

The six Fitzpatrick types

  • Type I: always burns, rarely or never tans.
  • Type II: burns easily, tans a little.
  • Type III: sometimes burns, tans gradually.
  • Type IV: rarely burns, tans easily.
  • Type V: very rarely burns, tans very easily.
  • Type VI: almost never burns.

Why it matters for your skincare

Your type tells you how quickly sun gets to your skin, not whether you need sunscreen: every type does. Lighter types burn sooner, so they need the most care outdoors. Deeper types rarely burn, but sun makes dark spots and marks from breakouts darker and slower to fade.

If you use retinol or exfoliating acids, daily sunscreen matters even more. See where it goes in your routine with the routine order builder.

Source: Fitzpatrick TB, “The validity and practicality of sun-reactive skin types I through VI”, Archives of Dermatology, 1988 (scale first published in 1975). This quiz is our shortened, cosmetic take on that questionnaire: 8 of its questions (the tanning-habit ones are left out), scored on a simple scale. It gives an estimate of your type, not a clinical assessment.

Questions

What is the Fitzpatrick skin type?

A scale from I to VI, created by dermatologist Thomas Fitzpatrick in 1975, that describes how skin reacts to sun: from type I, which always burns and rarely tans, to type VI, which almost never burns.

How do I find my Fitzpatrick type?

Take the quiz above. It asks about your natural coloring and how you burn and tan, then estimates where you sit on the Fitzpatrick scale.

Does dark skin need sunscreen?

Yes. Types V and VI rarely burn, but sun still causes dark spots, uneven tone and dullness. Broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day helps every type.

What SPF should I use?

Broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day, and SPF 50 if you burn easily (types I and II). How much you use matters too: about two finger lengths for your face and neck, reapplied every 2 hours outdoors.

Does retinol make you burn more easily?

Retinol and exfoliating acids can make skin more sensitive to the sun, so wear sunscreen every morning while you use them.

Is this a diagnosis?

No. It’s a cosmetic guide to how your skin reacts to sun. If a mole or spot changes in size, shape or color, see a dermatologist.

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