Monk said Fitzpatrick is great for classifying differences among lighter skin. But most people are darker, so he wanted a scale that "does better job for the majority of world," he said.

During the invention of the scale, Fitzpatrick’s patients were originally white people, rendering a scale of I to IV that reflects lighter skin tones. In 1988, V and VI were added to include ...

The company said the Monk Skin Tone Scale replaces the flawed current tech industry standard of six colors, Fitzpatrick Skin Type (FST). Tech companies have often used it to test whether products ...

Launched earlier this month, the MST Scale has a scale of 10 hues, and has been designed to help AI applications address the real-world variations in skin tone.

A study reveals the widespread use of skin-lightening products among female medical students, highlighting gaps in knowledge, ...

References Desai S, Friedman A. Skin tone bias of Google Image results for vitiligo. Presented at American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting; March 8-12, 2024; San Diego, CA. Abstract 52941 ...

The 10-point scale has been validated through a U.S. study launched by Google Research, which asked people from a range of different communities if they felt their skin tone was represented on it.

The scale was created in partnership with Harvard professor and sociologist Dr. Ellis Monk. The new Monk Skin Tone (MST) scale is designed to be more inclusive of various skin tones.