The Fitzpatrick scale (also Fitzpatrick skin typing test; or Fitzpatrick phototyping scale) is a numerical classification schema for human skin color. It was developed in 1975 by Thomas B. Fitzpatrick as a way to estimate the response of different types of skin to ultraviolet (UV) light. It was initially developed on the basis of skin and eye color, but when this proved misleading, it was altered to be based on the patient's reports of how their skin responds to the sun; it was also extended to a wider range of skin types. The Fitzpatrick scale remains a recognized tool for dermatological research into human skin pigmentation.
The following list shows the six categories of the Fitzpatrick scale, in relation to the 36 categories of the older von Luschan scale:
The Unicode Standard has introduced special "Emoji modifiers", characters intended to specify the skin color of Emoji characters based on the Fitzpatrick scale, with Unicode version 8.0 (June 2015). The purpose of these modifiers is to represent "diversity" (i.e. race). As of Unicode 9.0, Emoji modifiers can be used with 83 human emoji spread across six blocks: Dingbats, Emoticons, Miscellaneous Symbols, Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs, Supplemental Symbols and Pictographs and Transport and Map Symbols.