The 16-Season Personal Color System — Why Summer Deep and Autumn Light Were Added, and How They Differ From the 14-Season System
Why Personal Color Now Has 16 Seasons
APL COLOR expanded its 14-season classification into a 16-season system by adding two tones — Summer Deep and Autumn Light. This gives each of the four base seasons — Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter — a symmetrical set of four sub-tones.
| Season | 4 Sub-Tones |
|---|---|
| Spring (Warm) | Spring Light · Spring Soft · Spring Bright · Spring Clear |
| Summer (Cool) | Summer Light · Summer Bright · Summer Mute · Summer Deep ← New |
| Autumn (Warm) | Autumn Light ← New · Autumn Mute · Autumn Strong · Autumn Deep |
| Winter (Cool) | Winter Clear · Winter Strong · Winter Deep · Winter Soft |
Both new tones are “border tones” shaped by the influence of a neighboring season. They were introduced to account for real diagnosis cases that never quite fit any of the original 14 seasons.
Summer Deep — A Summer Mute Tone Influenced by Winter Deep
Skin and Hair
- Calm, slightly yellow-toned skin with a greyish cast, roughly shade 21–23 on the Korean cosmetics scale
- Natural black hair; sharp eyes that read jet black or a rich chocolate brown
Color Attributes
- Best colors are muted, mid-to-low value, and mid-to-slightly-high chroma — between clear and muted, muted takes priority
- Dull (Dl) tone is the best match, with Deep (Dp) working well as an accent. Handles muted Dl and Dark Gray (dkgy) tones as well as the darker, cool-leaning Dark (dk) and Deep (Dp) tones without trouble
- Reads higher contrast than a typical Summer Mute — around mid-contrast
Hair Color
- BEST — natural black, dark brown, and low-value ash plum or ash blue that isn’t too saturated
- Handles ash-toned bleaching (like ash blonde) noticeably better than a typical Summer type, though not as well as a Winter type
- WORST — high-chroma, warm-leaning hair colors
Styling
- Among Summer types, this is the one that carries bold accessories and jewelry best (a Winter influence)
- Handles gloss and shine far better than Summer Mute (also a Winter influence)
- Jet black, blue-black, or squid-ink-black hair dye reads heavy and stifling
- Low-contrast, high-value combinations feel flat; extreme black-and-white contrast reads disjointed
- BEST — mid-to-low value tone-on-tone in charcoal or dark greige rather than true black, paired with moderate contrast
- Weak points — high chroma, neon undertones, warm temperature
How Summer Deep Differs From Winter Soft
These two tones are the hardest to tell apart, since both sit where Summer Mute and Winter Deep overlap — but they start from opposite directions. The key deciding factor is which attribute takes priority, clear or muted — Summer Deep leads with muted, while Winter Soft leads with clear.
| Factor | Summer Deep | Winter Soft |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Summer Mute influenced by Winter Deep | Winter Dark influenced by Summer Mute |
| Priority attribute | Muted | Clear |
| Skin | Calm greyish, often with a yellow cast | Whiter, paler ivory |
Autumn Light — An Autumn Tone Influenced by Spring Light
Skin and Hair
- Likely has paper-white ivory skin, shade 19 or lighter on the Korean cosmetics scale
- Or low-chroma peachy skin around a light shade 21
- Natural hair and eyes are often on the lighter side
Color Attributes
- Light Gray (Ltgy) tone is the best match
- Low contrast is recommended
- Between clear and muted, muted is the best attribute
- Chroma is genuinely hard to carry — recommend extremely low chroma
Hair Color
- BEST — low-chroma browns such as milk brown, natural brown, dust beige, ash beige, ash blonde, and ash brown
- WORST — jet black or blue-black hair reads heavy, almost wig-like. High-chroma hair colors are also not recommended
Styling
- Low-contrast tone-on-tone outfits work well
- Muted, low-chroma “my-lips-but-better” (MLBB) shades and a soft, toasted makeup look suit this tone
- Doesn’t carry shine well — favor soft, matte fabrics
- Checks work better than florals or small polka dots
- Extreme black-and-white contrast doesn’t suit this tone, but it handles muted, greyish colors well
- Pushing chroma up in clothing, makeup, or hair reads harsh or overdone
- Styling too light with an all-whitish look falls flat and can look puffy — this is what separates it from Spring Light
How Autumn Light Differs From Autumn Mute
- Autumn Light has higher value than Autumn Mute (Ltgy)
- Because of the Spring Light influence, Autumn Light leads with “muted” but can also pull from clear, brighter colors
- Using Autumn Mute’s muted brick-red shades on an Autumn Light reads too dark and dated
- Autumn Light carries far less chroma than Autumn Mute
Takeaways
Summer Deep and Autumn Light are both border tones shaped by a neighboring season. Summer Deep is a Summer Mute base with Winter’s depth added, giving it the ability to carry more contrast and shine. Autumn Light is an Autumn base with Spring Light’s brightness added, raising its value while pushing its chroma even lower. With these two tones added, all four seasons now have a complete light–mid–deep axis.
Curious whether your tone falls into Summer Deep or Autumn Light? Get an in-depth APL COLOR diagnosis to find out for sure.
Sources: APL COLOR diagnosis reference materials (“The 16 Seasons for Women,” “Summer Deep & Autumn Light Attribute Analysis”)
Also see: A Complete Guide to the 14-Season Personal Color Naming System · What’s the Most Common Personal Color Tone in Korea? — A Practical Guide to Telling Confusing 14-Season Tones Apart
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