The Hathaura Color Standard · v1.0 · October 2026
Every season scored on undertone, value and chroma, with exact palettes you can shop with. Find yours in three questions, or turn the standard into polished reports for the people you analyze.
Quick check
1. Which jewelry looks better on you?
Or: do you look better in cream (warm) or bright white (cool)?
2. How light or deep is your overall coloring?
Think hair, eyes and skin together, in daylight.
3. Which colors make you look most alive?
Bright means clear and saturated; soft means dusty and muted.
Find your season
Answer the three questions about undertone, value and chroma. We match your answers to the closest seasons in the standard.
The season wheel
Explore the wheel
Hover or tap a season to see its colors and definition. Seasons that sit side by side share two of their three qualities, which is why they are the ones people most often confuse.
How it works
Every person's coloring can be described by three qualities from color theory. The four-season system only asks about warmth and depth. The 12-season system asks which quality is strongest, so each family has three seasons: a Light Spring is defined first by lightness, a Soft Autumn first by softness, a Cool Winter first by coolness.
Dimension 1
Warm or cool?
Warm coloring has golden, peachy or olive undertones and glows in camel, rust and gold. Cool coloring has rosy or blue undertones and looks clearest in icy blues, berry and silver.
Scored 1 (Cool) · 2 (Neutral-Cool) · 3 (Neutral) · 4 (Neutral-Warm) · 5 (Warm)
Dimension 2
Light or deep?
Value is how light or dark your hair, eyes and skin read together. Light seasons are overpowered by dark colors; deep seasons look washed out in pale ones.
Scored 1–2 (Light) · 3 (Medium) · 4–5 (Deep)
Dimension 3
Bright or soft?
Chroma is how clear or muted your coloring is. Bright seasons need saturated, clean colors; soft seasons look best in dusty, greyed shades that blend.
Scored 1–2 (Soft) · 3 (Medium) · 4–5 (Bright)
The standard
Warm and clear. Springs glow in fresh, sunny colors that never look heavy or dusty.
Light Spring is a light, warm-leaning season with clear, delicate coloring and low contrast. It is defined first by lightness, then by warmth.
Also called True Spring
Warm Spring is the warmest of the Spring seasons.
Also called Clear Spring
Bright Spring is a clear, warm-leaning season with vivid coloring and medium-to-high contrast. It is defined first by brightness, then by warmth.
Cool and soft. Summers look their best in gentle, blue-based colors with a little grey in them.
Light Summer is a light, cool-leaning season with soft, airy coloring and low contrast. It is defined first by lightness, then by coolness.
Also called True Summer
Cool Summer is the coolest of the Summer seasons.
Soft Summer is a muted, cool-leaning season with medium value and gently blended coloring. It is defined first by softness, then by coolness.
Warm and rich. Autumns come alive in earthy, golden colors taken from nature in fall.
Soft Autumn is a muted, warm-leaning season with medium value and low contrast. It is defined first by softness (low chroma), then by warmth.
Also called True Autumn
Warm Autumn is the warmest of the Autumn seasons.
Also called Dark Autumn
Deep Autumn is a deep, warm-leaning season with rich coloring and medium-to-high contrast. It is defined first by depth, then by warmth.
Cool and clear. Winters carry crisp, high-contrast colors that would overwhelm softer coloring.
Also called Clear Winter
Bright Winter is a vivid, cool-leaning season with very high contrast and clear coloring. It is defined first by brightness, then by coolness.
Also called True Winter
Cool Winter is the coolest of the Winter seasons.
Also called Deep Winter
Dark Winter is a deep, cool-leaning season with rich coloring and high contrast. It is defined first by depth, then by coolness.
Test your eye
Six familiar faces, three neighboring seasons each. Neighbors are the seasons people mix up most, so this is harder than it looks.
Round 1 of 6 · Score 0
Amanda Seyfried
Which season is Amanda usually typed as?
Celebrity seasons are often debated; these follow the Hathaura Color Standard.
The Hathaura report maker
Everything on this page, the 12 seasons, the palettes and the scores, becomes a personal color report with your brand on it.
The Hathaura Method: a standardized 12-season analysis based on the hue, value and chroma of your client's hair, skin and eyes, developed by Sci\ART-certified color analysts. Real color analysis, not an AI selfie app.
You analyze with the Hathaura Method
Rate your client’s hair, skin and eyes on hue, value and chroma. Hathaura combines your ratings with color values measured from their photo and scores their season the same way every time. No AI guessing, and the final call is always yours.
You pick their best colors
Choose their signature color, accents and best neutrals from their season’s palette.
You send it, your way
Email your client a link to their results or download the 20+ page PDF, with your logo on the Pro plan.
Your first client report is free. Plans from $49/month, with 30% off your first month. Cancel anytime.
Color Studio
Your Personalized Analysis
Deep Autumn
Deep Autumn has warm, dark, moderately bright/rich coloring. Best colors are deep, warm, and bold.
Skin
#e9d3b7
Hair
#a37e5a
Eyes
#7e6c6a
We showcased your skin, hair, and eye colors because they form the foundation of your natural coloring.
Your Signature Color
RUST
Your Color Palette
Style Guide
20+ Page Reports
Branded & ready to send
The map
Most often confused
Each pair shares two of its three qualities. The top row shows one season's colors; the row below shows the closest match in the other season's palette. The small shift you see is the whole difference.
Undertone. Soft Autumn is neutral-warm; Soft Summer is neutral-cool.
Undertone. Light Spring is warm-leaning and slightly clearer; Light Summer is cool-leaning and slightly softer.
Undertone. Bright Spring is neutral-warm; Bright Winter is neutral-cool and even higher in contrast.
Undertone. Deep Autumn is neutral-warm; Dark Winter is neutral-cool and slightly clearer.
Value and chroma. Warm Spring is lighter and clearer; Warm Autumn is deeper, richer and more earthy.
Chroma and contrast. Cool Summer is soft and gentle; Cool Winter is clear, saturated and high-contrast.
By the numbers
| Soft Autumn | 75 | 24.3% |
| Cool Summer | 44 | 14.2% |
| Soft Summer | 35 | 11.3% |
| Deep Autumn | 34 | 11% |
| Warm Autumn | 33 | 10.7% |
| Dark Winter | 31 | 10% |
| Cool Winter | 30 | 9.7% |
| Bright Spring | 25 | 8.1% |
| Warm Spring | 24 | 7.8% |
| Bright Winter | 16 | 5.2% |
| Light Spring | 10 | 3.2% |
| Light Summer | 10 | 3.2% |
Palettes come from Hathaura's published season guides (800+ sold on Etsy, rated 4.8★). CIELAB values are computed from each hex code (sRGB, D65), measured ranges are the 10th to 90th percentile of each palette, and color differences use CIEDE2000. Every color name maps to exactly one hex code. Moodboard, outfit and banner images are AI-generated illustrations; celebrity photos are licensed and credited on each season page.
The scores, definitions and core palettes are free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.
Hathaura Color Studio (2026). The Hathaura Color Standard, version 1.0. https://hathaura.co/color-analysis
Looking for a tool? See our comparison of the best color analysis apps.
For stylists & color analysts
Run the analysis, then send a polished PDF report with your name and logo on it, in minutes.
Color Studio
Your Personalized Analysis
Deep Autumn
Deep Autumn has warm, dark, moderately bright/rich coloring. Best colors are deep, warm, and bold.
Skin
#e9d3b7
Hair
#a37e5a
Eyes
#7e6c6a
We showcased your skin, hair, and eye colors because they form the foundation of your natural coloring.
Your Signature Color
RUST
Your Color Palette
Style Guide
20+ Page Reports
Branded & ready to send
