Fitzpatrick Guide

Skincare chosen with your skin in mind.

Understand how your skin responds to the sun.

The Fitzpatrick scale classifies skin into six types based on its typical response to sun exposure—giving you a clearer starting point for understanding your skin.

Discover Your Fitzpatrick Type

THE THINKING BEHIND SABBSKIN

It started with understanding skin differently.

Sabeen Sheikh built SABBSKIN around the
belief that effective skincare should begin with understanding how skin
behaves. Fitzpatrick I–VI provides a framework for recognizing different
responses to sun exposure, while i68™ carries that thinking into a more
considered approach to everyday skincare.

Understanding comes first. Everything
else follows.

This is where the SABBSKIN approach begins.

THE FITZPATRICK SCALE

Types I–VI — full detail.

BURN / TAN Always burns, never tans

PIGMENT Very low melanin density

SPF NEED SPF 50+ every day

ACTIVES Gentle; patch test everything

LED NOTE All wavelengths well tolerated

BURN / TAN Burns easily, tans minimally

PIGMENT Low melanin density

SPF NEED SPF 50 daily

ACTIVES Introduce actives slowly

LED NOTE Red and yellow well-tolerated

III

BURN / TAN Sometimes burns, tans uniformly

PIGMENT Moderate melanin

SPF NEED SPF 30–50 daily

ACTIVES Watch for uneven-looking tone

LED NOTE Yellow-first approach recommended

BURN / TAN Rarely burns, tans easily

PIGMENT Moderate-to-high melanin

SPF NEED SPF 30+ even overcast days

ACTIVES Caution with strong exfoliants

LED NOTE Yellow-first protocol

BURN / TAN Very rarely burns, tans darkly

PIGMENT High melanin density

SPF NEED SPF 30+ year-round

ACTIVES Melanin-aware actives only

LED NOTE Yellow-first always

BURN / TAN Never or very rarely burns

PIGMENT Very high melanin density

SPF NEED SPF 30+ for photoprotection

ACTIVES Yellow-light ritual only

LED NOTE Yellow-first, non-negotiable

Fitzpatrick type is not a medical diagnosis, ethnicity label, or a fixed rule — it's a starting signal for how your skin tends to respond to light and stress. Individual results will vary.

@ Sophie Farsaii

"This retinol night cream leaves my skin smoother by morning"

Aging Backwards™ Retinol Night Cream

@ Sabeen Sheikh

"My morning routine looks brighter with this products"

Eye Need Coffee Cream

@ Lynde Moore

"This LED mask is my favorite at-home skincare step"

Skinimalist™ Yellow-First LED Face Mask

@ Daniela Rojas

"This vitamin C serum gives my mornings instant glow"

Fountain of Youth Vitamin C Serum

@ Sabeen Sheikh

"This heat protectant keeps my blowout smooth, shiny, and frizz-free daily"

Luxe 10 Heat Protection Blowout Cream

NOT SURE WHICH ONE IS YOU?

The quiz helps you understand your response.

No email required. No jargon. An educational estimate and a clear routine matched to the needs you report.

Take the Skin Response Quiz

How do I find my Fitzpatrick type?

The most practical way is our 2-minute Skin Response Quiz — 7 questions covering your burn/tan history, how your skin responds after a breakout or inflammation, and how quickly you tan. You can also refer to the I–VI cards above as a starting point. If you're between two types, start with the higher number (more melanin-protective) rituals and adjust from there.

Is Fitzpatrick typing the same as skin tone or race?

No. Fitzpatrick typing is a photoresponse framework — it describes how your skin reacts to UV light. It's not an ethnicity label, not a shade match, and not fixed. Two people of the same race can have completely different Fitzpatrick responses. Your Fitzpatrick range can also shift with tanning, seasonal exposure, medication, or health.

Can my Fitzpatrick type change over time?

Yes. While your baseline Fitzpatrick response is largely genetic, your functional response at any given time can be influenced by how much sun exposure you've had recently, medications (some increase photosensitivity), skin health, and age. Many people shift slightly lighter in winter and darker in summer. This is why we treat Fitzpatrick as a starting signal, not a fixed rule.

Which LED wavelength is best for my Fitzpatrick type?

For Fitzpatrick I–II: all wavelengths are generally well-tolerated. Red and near-infrared work well. For Fitzpatrick III–IV: a yellow-first approach is recommended — yellow light (570–590nm) is less likely to stimulate unwanted melanin activity than some red wavelengths. For Fitzpatrick V–VI: yellow-first is non-negotiable. The Skinimalist™ LED Mask leads with yellow precisely for this reason.

Why do higher Fitzpatrick types need to be more careful with actives?

Melanin-rich skin (Fitzpatrick IV–VI) has a higher risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) — meaning actives that cause surface irritation can trigger excess melanin production as a response, leaving marks that are harder to fade than the original concern. Strong AHAs, high-percentage retinols, and aggressive exfoliants are common culprits. Sabbskin formulas are built to support the skin's appearance without triggering this response.

I have Fitzpatrick V–VI skin. Do I still need SPF?

Yes. Melanin does provide some natural protection — but it's not full protection, and it doesn't prevent all UV-induced skin changes or the appearance of photoaging over time. SPF 30+ year-round is the Sabbskin recommendation for Fitzpatrick V–VI. The protection goal is still real; only the formulation choice changes (mineral vs. hybrid vs. chemical SPFs can behave differently on deeper skin tones).

What is the i68™ framework and how does it relate to Fitzpatrick?

Fitzpatrick tells you how your skin responds to light. i68™ is Sabbskin's eight-dimension skin memory framework that goes further — mapping how your skin holds onto past experiences: melanin production after UV exposure, barrier behavior after inflammation, texture response to stress, and more. Fitzpatrick is the starting signal. i68™ is the full map of what your skin has been through and how it remembers it.