Season comparison
True Summer vs Soft Summer: how to tell the difference
Both palettes side by side, the colors they genuinely share, and the one thing that actually decides it — clarity.
True Summer and Soft Summer are both cool, medium-depth seasons; the only axis that separates them is clarity — True Summer is moderately clear, Soft Summer is muted. Their palettes overlap on 6 of True Summer’s 16 colors and 8 of Soft Summer’s; the widest gaps are True Summer’s Soft Fuchsia and Soft Summer’s Antique Blush.
What’s the difference between True Summer and Soft Summer?
The 12-season system runs on three axes — undertone, depth and clarity. True Summer and Soft Summer are both cool, medium-depth seasons, so everything below the one row marked as the split is common ground.
| Undertone | True Summercool (pink/blue-based) Soft Summercool (pink/blue-based) Identical — this axis cannot tell you apart. |
|---|---|
| Depth | True Summermedium Soft Summermedium Identical — this axis cannot tell you apart. |
| Clarity — the split | True Summermoderately clear Soft Summersoft and muted This is where the two seasons part company. |
| Best metals | True SummerSilver Soft SummerBoth, leaning silver Different verdicts, but both still lean silver — jewelry cannot settle this pair. Judge on clarity instead. |
| Signature neutral | True SummerSoft White #F5F3EF Soft SummerMushroom #B5A899 The color each season reaches for instead of black. |
| Palette lightness (mean L*) | True Summer53 Soft Summer61 Mean L* of each 16-color palette. Soft Summer runs 8 points lighter. |
| Palette saturation (mean C*) | True Summer34 Soft Summer17 True Summer runs 17 points more saturated. |
| Palette warmth (mean b*) | True Summer−15 Soft Summer−3 Positive is yellow, negative is blue — the numeric version of warm versus cool. |
True Summer vs Soft Summer: the two palettes side by side
Sixteen colors each, with hex values. This is the comparison most articles on these two seasons never actually show you.
The True Summer palette
True Summer coloring is cool (pink/blue-based), medium in depth, and moderately clear.
French Blue#5B7FB4 Raspberry Ice#C4577E Cool Jade#5FA88F Slate Blue#6A7BA2 Orchid#B06BA8 Dusty Teal#4E8E96 Cool Rose#D07C97 Periwinkle#7C89C9 Soft Fuchsia#C4519E Sea Blue#3E7CA6 Plum Mist#8E6790 Cool Emerald#3B8A6E Blueberry#4A5D94 Rosewood Pink#B96A80 Lagoon#2E8B9A Amethyst Smoke#9678B6
The Soft Summer palette
Soft Summer coloring is cool (pink/blue-based), medium in depth, and soft and muted.
Dusty Rose#C4909B Eucalyptus#8FAF9C Smoky Blue#7D93AC Mauve Smoke#A88399 Sage Grey#9AA98F Faded Denim#7A8DA6 Rose Brown#A87B7E Soft Plum#8E7290 Misty Teal#6E9799 Antique Blush#D3A9A9 Grey Lavender#A79FBB Muted Berry#9C5F76 Seafoam Grey#9FBFB4 Storm Blue#5F7288 Heathered Pink#C9A2AC Pewter Green#7C8B78
Where the True Summer and Soft Summer palettes agree
Every color in one palette was measured against every color in the other in CIELAB. 9 pairings came back close enough to call the same color: 6 of True Summer’s 16 have a near-identical counterpart in Soft Summer’s palette, and 8 of Soft Summer’s have one going back the other way. These are the colors you can wear whichever of the two you turn out to be.
Left: True SummerRight: Soft Summer
Plum Mist#8E6790 Soft Plum#8E7290 9.2 ΔE apart
Dusty Teal#4E8E96 Misty Teal#6E9799 9.4 ΔE apart
Rosewood Pink#B96A80 Muted Berry#9C5F76 9.5 ΔE apart
Cool Rose#D07C97 Muted Berry#9C5F76 11.9 ΔE apart
Slate Blue#6A7BA2 Faded Denim#7A8DA6 12.6 ΔE apart
Slate Blue#6A7BA2 Smoky Blue#7D93AC 13.1 ΔE apart
Slate Blue#6A7BA2 Storm Blue#5F7288 14.0 ΔE apart
Rosewood Pink#B96A80 Dusty Rose#C4909B 14.4 ΔE apart
Cool Jade#5FA88F Eucalyptus#8FAF9C 14.4 ΔE apart
Where True Summer and Soft Summer split
This is the section that decides it. 10 of True Summer’s colors and 8 of Soft Summer’s have no near equivalent in the other palette — and because the gap runs along clarity, these are the exact swatches to hold against your face when you cannot decide. The shared colors above will look fine either way, which is precisely why they are useless as a test.
Each color below is listed with the closest thing the other season has to it, and how far apart the two measure. The bigger the number, the more that color belongs to one season and not the other.
True Summer only — 10 of 16
The 5 furthest from anything in the Soft Summer palette:
- Soft Fuchsia#C4519ENearest Soft Summer color: Muted Berry — 37 ΔE away
- Periwinkle#7C89C9Nearest Soft Summer color: Faded Denim — 31 ΔE away
- Blueberry#4A5D94Nearest Soft Summer color: Faded Denim — 29 ΔE away
- Amethyst Smoke#9678B6Nearest Soft Summer color: Soft Plum — 26 ΔE away
- French Blue#5B7FB4Nearest Soft Summer color: Faded Denim — 25 ΔE away
Soft Summer only — 8 of 16
The 5 furthest from anything in the True Summer palette:
- Antique Blush#D3A9A9Nearest True Summer color: Rosewood Pink — 23 ΔE away
- Sage Grey#9AA98FNearest True Summer color: Cool Jade — 21 ΔE away
- Heathered Pink#C9A2ACNearest True Summer color: Cool Rose — 21 ΔE away
- Pewter Green#7C8B78Nearest True Summer color: Cool Jade — 21 ΔE away
- Seafoam Grey#9FBFB4Nearest True Summer color: Cool Jade — 18 ΔE away
Can a True Summer wear Soft Summer colors?
Partly, and the split is measurable rather than a matter of taste. 8 of the 16 Soft Summer colors sit close enough to something in the True Summer palette to borrow freely — starting with Soft Summer’s Soft Plum (#8E7290), which measures 9.2 ΔE from True Summer’s Plum Mist (#8E6790). The remaining 8 are where Soft Summer pulls away along clarity, and those are the ones that read as almost-right on a True Summer.
It runs the same way in reverse: 6 of True Summer’s colors are fair game for a Soft Summer, and 10 are not. Neither palette is the better one — they are different answers to different faces.
How do I know if I’m True Summer or Soft Summer?
Only test the axis that separates them. Everything else is common ground and will give you an answer that fits both. Do this in daylight near a window, with no makeup on, and watch your skin rather than the fabric.
1. Does bright read vivid or harsh?
Hold True Summer’s most saturated color, Soft Fuchsia (#C4519E), beside Soft Summer’s, Muted Berry (#9C5F76). If the clearer color makes your eyes come forward, you are the clearer season. If it looks like it is shouting over you — the color wins, your face goes flat — you are the softer one.
2. The head-to-head
The cleanest single test on this page: put True Summer’s Soft Fuchsia (#C4519E) next to Soft Summer’s Antique Blush (#D3A9A9). Those two measure furthest from each other’s palettes of anything either season owns, so whichever one your face prefers is the strongest signal available without a full analysis.
Undertone will not separate these two — True Summer and Soft Summer share it. If you are not yet certain you are in the right half of the system at all, settle that first with the undertone guide or the free undertone quiz, and come back to clarity once it is answered.
True Summer — the test colors
Soft Summer — the test colors
What a True Summer and a Soft Summer wear differently
Same three axes, applied to the things you buy. Where the two seasons agree, the advice is interchangeable; where they do not, this is what changes.
| Lipstick | True Summercool berry, raspberry rose and mauve pink — satin, not gloss-heavy Soft Summermauve, rosewood and muted berry — blotted, lived-in finishes |
|---|---|
| Blush | True Summermuted cool rose Soft Summerdusty rose, barely-there |
| Foundation | True Summerrosy-neutral; avoid anything golden or bronzy Soft Summerneutral undertone; satin-matte, never dewy-bright |
| Hair color | True Summerash brown, cool mocha, smoky blonde — depth is fine, warmth is not Soft Summerkeep it smoky: ash brown, mushroom blonde, cool bronde — high-shine warmth clashes |
| Jewelry | True SummerSilver Soft SummerBoth, leaning silver |
| Wardrobe | True Summerblended cool tones; grey navy over black; matte fabrics over shine Soft Summertonal layering of greyed pastels and mid-tones; texture adds the interest color would |
Deeper on each: True Summer makeup and True Summer hair, or Soft Summer makeup and Soft Summer hair.
True Summer vs Soft Summer: common questions
What is the difference between True Summer and Soft Summer?
True Summer and Soft Summer are both cool, medium-depth seasons, and the only axis that separates them is clarity — True Summer is moderately clear, Soft Summer is muted. In palette terms that shows up as 10 of True Summer's 16 colors and 8 of Soft Summer's having no near equivalent on the other side — for example True Summer's Soft Fuchsia (#C4519E) and Soft Summer's Antique Blush (#D3A9A9).
Can a True Summer wear Soft Summer colors?
Some of them, and the count is exact: 8 of the 16 colors in the Soft Summer palette have a near-identical counterpart in True Summer's, so those are safe to borrow. The other 8 are where Soft Summer pulls away — wearing those is what makes a True Summer look slightly off rather than lit. Borrow the overlap, skip the rest.
How do I tell if I'm True Summer or Soft Summer?
Test the axis that separates them, which is clarity. Hold True Summer's Soft Fuchsia against Soft Summer's Muted Berry: if the brighter one reads vivid you are the clearer season, if it reads harsh you are the softer one. Run it in daylight with no makeup on, and watch your skin rather than the fabric.
Do the True Summer and Soft Summer palettes share any colors?
Yes — measured in CIELAB, 6 of True Summer's 16 colors have a near-identical match in Soft Summer's palette, and 8 of Soft Summer's have one in True Summer's. The closest single pairing is True Summer's Plum Mist (#8E6790) against Soft Summer's Soft Plum (#8E7290), 9 ΔE apart. Those are the colors you can wear either way while you decide.
Does a True Summer or a Soft Summer wear gold?
True Summer: silver. Soft Summer: both, leaning silver. Different verdicts, but both still lean silver — jewelry cannot settle this pair. Judge on clarity instead.
What if I'm somewhere between True Summer and Soft Summer?
That is a normal place to land — these two are on this list precisely because they are confused constantly. Live in the overlap: the 9 near-identical pairings between the two palettes work either way. Then judge yourself on clarity alone, in daylight, using the colors each season does not share with the other. Those are the only colors that can actually tell you apart.
Which colors should I avoid if I'm True Summer rather than Soft Summer?
True Summer should steer clear of orange rust, golden yellow, camel; Soft Summer should steer clear of neon coral, sun yellow, jet black. The avoid lists are a useful cross-check: if one season's "avoid" colors are the ones you already know look bad on you, that is a vote for the other season.