Free Tool · For PMU Artists

    Fitzpatrick Pigment Selector

    Every pigment shifts under skin. Pick your client's skin type and procedure — this tool predicts the healed color and hands you the exact FNS pigment codes to pull, in the order to layer them.

    Fitzpatrick skin type chart with pigment swatches on inner forearms
    01

    Client's Fitzpatrick type

    Read from the wrist — the palest area of the client's body. Sunburn history tells you the rest.

    02

    Procedure

    03

    Undertone (optional refinement)

    Pick a Fitzpatrick type above to see your recommendation ↑

    How this tool works

    The Fitzpatrick scale predicts how skin melanin will interact with implanted pigment. Warmer melanin (Types IV–VI) pulls every pigment orange over 8–12 weeks. Cooler melanin (Types I–II) pulls pigment ashy grey. This tool bakes in ten years of healed-color data from working PMU artists into a two-tap lookup.

    It is a starting point, not a substitute for a patch test. Always deposit a 5mm test on the inner ear or hairline, wait 24 hours, and confirm no adverse reaction before your main session.

    Why we built it

    Ninety percent of the "PMU touch-up" tickets we see aren't technique problems — they're pigment-matching problems. An artist pulled a standard mid-brown for a Fitzpatrick V client and it healed orange. A neutral pink went on a Type IV lip and healed purple. Both were preventable with a two-minute cross-check.

    Keep learning

    Master PMU color theory

    This selector is the fast version. If you want the reasoning behind every recommendation, these guides unpack it.

    PMU Pigment Color Chart 2026→

    Full undertone walkthrough, Fitzpatrick I–VI healed prediction, corrector sequencing.

    Color Matching for Every Skin Tone→

    The reasoning behind every pigment we recommend in this tool.

    FNS Pigment Range→

    The complete brow, lip, and eyeliner pigment line — including neutralisers.

    Lip Blush Complete Guide→

    Full breakdown of the highest-shift procedure in PMU.

    Pigment selection

    Pigment and healed-colour questions

    How do I choose a PMU pigment for my client's skin tone?
    Match the pigment's undertone to how the client's skin will shift it, not to the swatch. Fitzpatrick I–II heal cooler, so pick a slightly warm brown; Fitzpatrick IV–VI push pigment orange, so a cool or olive-corrected base is needed. This selector returns exact FNS codes for each combination.
    Why does PMU pigment heal a different colour than the swatch?
    Healed colour is the pigment seen through the client's own skin, plus the drift caused by melanin and iron-oxide breakdown over 4–8 weeks. Expect a cool shift on fair skin and a warm or orange shift on Fitzpatrick IV–VI without correction.
    What is a corrector and when do I use one?
    A corrector neutralises an unwanted undertone before or during the main pass — olive against orange or red, orange against blue or grey. Use one when the client has previous faded work pulling a colour, or on melanin-rich skin where warm drift is predictable.
    Which pigment is best for lip blush?
    Lip blush shifts more than any other PMU procedure. Choose a shade 1–2 steps warmer and more saturated than the target, and neutralise blue, purple or hyperpigmented lips with an orange or coral corrector pass first.
    What pigment do I use for scalp micropigmentation?
    Carbon-based blacks diluted to grey — never blue-black iron oxides, which heal blue on the scalp. Dilution ratio, not shade choice, controls the tone across hair-loss patterns.
    Is this pigment selector free?
    Yes — free, no signup, and it runs in your browser. It returns FNS pigment codes plus healed-colour prediction and corrector sequencing for each Fitzpatrick type and procedure.