Season comparison
Light 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 — depth and clarity.
Light Summer and Soft Summer are both cool seasons; they split on depth and clarity: Light Summer is light and moderately clear, Soft Summer is medium in depth and muted. Their palettes overlap on 14 of Light Summer’s 16 colors and 12 of Soft Summer’s; the widest gaps are Light Summer’s Cool Lemon and Soft Summer’s Pewter Green.
What’s the difference between Light Summer and Soft Summer?
The 12-season system runs on three axes — undertone, depth and clarity. Light Summer and Soft Summer are both cool seasons, so everything below the two rows marked as the split is common ground.
| Undertone | Light Summercool (pink/blue-based) Soft Summercool (pink/blue-based) Identical — this axis cannot tell you apart. |
|---|---|
| Depth — the split | Light Summerlight Soft Summermedium This is where the two seasons part company. |
| Clarity — the split | Light Summermoderately clear Soft Summersoft and muted This is where the two seasons part company. |
| Best metals | Light SummerSilver Soft SummerBoth, leaning silver Different verdicts, but both still lean silver — jewelry cannot settle this pair. Judge on depth and clarity instead. |
| Signature neutral | Light SummerSoft White #F6F4F0 Soft SummerMushroom #B5A899 The color each season reaches for instead of black. |
| Palette lightness (mean L*) | Light Summer78 Soft Summer61 Mean L* of each 16-color palette. Light Summer runs 16 points lighter. |
| Palette saturation (mean C*) | Light Summer23 Soft Summer17 Light Summer runs 6 points more saturated. |
| Palette warmth (mean b*) | Light Summer−6 Soft Summer−3 Positive is yellow, negative is blue — the numeric version of warm versus cool. |
Light 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 Light Summer palette
Light Summer coloring is cool (pink/blue-based), light in depth, and moderately clear.
Powder Blue#A7C7E7 Ballet Rose#F3B8C8 Sea Glass#B5DED4 Lavender Mist#C5B8E0 Cool Lemon#F2E6A2 Dusty Aqua#8FC6CE Rose Quartz#E8A9BD Wisteria#A99BD1 Soft Sky#B9D6EE Cool Mint#A8DEC6 Petal Pink#F5CCD9 Heather#B790B8 Light Denim#7FA6CC Watery Rose#DE8FA8 Cloud Lilac#D4C6E8 Spearmint#8FCDB4
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 Light Summer and Soft Summer palettes agree
Every color in one palette was measured against every color in the other in CIELAB. 18 pairings came back close enough to call the same color: 14 of Light Summer’s 16 have a near-identical counterpart in Soft Summer’s palette, and 12 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: Light SummerRight: Soft Summer
Sea Glass#B5DED4 Seafoam Grey#9FBFB4 7.2 ΔE apart
Rose Quartz#E8A9BD Dusty Rose#C4909B 9.1 ΔE apart
Petal Pink#F5CCD9 Heathered Pink#C9A2AC 9.5 ΔE apart
Cloud Lilac#D4C6E8 Grey Lavender#A79FBB 9.7 ΔE apart
Ballet Rose#F3B8C8 Heathered Pink#C9A2AC 9.8 ΔE apart
Lavender Mist#C5B8E0 Grey Lavender#A79FBB 10.3 ΔE apart
Heather#B790B8 Soft Plum#8E7290 10.4 ΔE apart
Spearmint#8FCDB4 Eucalyptus#8FAF9C 11.7 ΔE apart
Cool Mint#A8DEC6 Eucalyptus#8FAF9C 11.9 ΔE apart
Dusty Aqua#8FC6CE Misty Teal#6E9799 12.1 ΔE apart
Ballet Rose#F3B8C8 Antique Blush#D3A9A9 12.6 ΔE apart
Light Denim#7FA6CC Smoky Blue#7D93AC 12.7 ΔE apart
Watery Rose#DE8FA8 Dusty Rose#C4909B 12.7 ΔE apart
Powder Blue#A7C7E7 Smoky Blue#7D93AC 12.7 ΔE apart
Watery Rose#DE8FA8 Muted Berry#9C5F76 13.5 ΔE apart
Light Denim#7FA6CC Faded Denim#7A8DA6 13.6 ΔE apart
Heather#B790B8 Mauve Smoke#A88399 14.3 ΔE apart
Soft Sky#B9D6EE Smoky Blue#7D93AC 14.8 ΔE apart
Where Light Summer and Soft Summer split
This is the section that decides it. 2 of Light Summer’s colors and 4 of Soft Summer’s have no near equivalent in the other palette — and because the gap runs along depth and 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.
Light Summer only — 2 of 16
Everything Light Summer holds that Soft Summer does not:
- Cool Lemon#F2E6A2Nearest Soft Summer color: Sage Grey — 37 ΔE away
- Wisteria#A99BD1Nearest Soft Summer color: Grey Lavender — 20 ΔE away
Soft Summer only — 4 of 16
Everything Soft Summer holds that Light Summer does not:
- Pewter Green#7C8B78Nearest Light Summer color: Spearmint — 21 ΔE away
- Storm Blue#5F7288Nearest Light Summer color: Light Denim — 18 ΔE away
- Sage Grey#9AA98FNearest Light Summer color: Cool Mint — 18 ΔE away
- Rose Brown#A87B7ENearest Light Summer color: Rose Quartz — 17 ΔE away
Can a Light Summer wear Soft Summer colors?
Partly, and the split is measurable rather than a matter of taste. 12 of the 16 Soft Summer colors sit close enough to something in the Light Summer palette to borrow freely — starting with Soft Summer’s Seafoam Grey (#9FBFB4), which measures 7.2 ΔE from Light Summer’s Sea Glass (#B5DED4). The remaining 4 are where Soft Summer pulls away along depth and clarity, and those are the ones that read as almost-right on a Light Summer.
It runs the same way in reverse: 14 of Light Summer’s colors are fair game for a Soft Summer, and 2 are not. Neither palette is the better one — they are different answers to different faces.
How do I know if I’m Light 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. Do deep colors ground you or swallow you?
Hold Light Summer’s deepest color, Heather (#B790B8), against Soft Summer’s, Storm Blue (#5F7288). If the deeper of the two anchors your face and sharpens your features, you belong to the deeper season. If it takes over — your eyes and mouth recede and the garment arrives before you do — you belong to the lighter one.
2. Does bright read vivid or harsh?
Hold Light Summer’s most saturated color, Cool Lemon (#F2E6A2), 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.
3. The head-to-head
The cleanest single test on this page: put Light Summer’s Cool Lemon (#F2E6A2) next to Soft Summer’s Pewter Green (#7C8B78). 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 — Light 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 depth and clarity once it is answered.
Light Summer — the test colors
Soft Summer — the test colors
What a Light 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 | Light Summercool rose, soft berry and pink nude — sheer and fresh Soft Summermauve, rosewood and muted berry — blotted, lived-in finishes |
|---|---|
| Blush | Light Summercool pink with a satin finish Soft Summerdusty rose, barely-there |
| Foundation | Light Summerrosy or neutral undertone; keep coverage airy Soft Summerneutral undertone; satin-matte, never dewy-bright |
| Hair color | Light Summercool and light: ash blonde, beige blonde, light ash brown — golden warmth fights you Soft Summerkeep it smoky: ash brown, mushroom blonde, cool bronde — high-shine warmth clashes |
| Jewelry | Light SummerSilver Soft SummerBoth, leaning silver |
| Wardrobe | Light Summertonal pastels head-to-toe; swap black for grey-blue or soft white Soft Summertonal layering of greyed pastels and mid-tones; texture adds the interest color would |
Deeper on each: Light Summer makeup and Light Summer hair, or Soft Summer makeup and Soft Summer hair.
Light Summer vs Soft Summer: common questions
What is the difference between Light Summer and Soft Summer?
Light Summer and Soft Summer are both cool seasons, and they split on depth and clarity: Light Summer is light and moderately clear, Soft Summer is medium in depth and muted. In palette terms that shows up as 2 of Light Summer's 16 colors and 4 of Soft Summer's having no near equivalent on the other side — for example Light Summer's Cool Lemon (#F2E6A2) and Soft Summer's Pewter Green (#7C8B78).
Can a Light Summer wear Soft Summer colors?
Some of them, and the count is exact: 12 of the 16 colors in the Soft Summer palette have a near-identical counterpart in Light Summer's, so those are safe to borrow. The other 4 are where Soft Summer pulls away — wearing those is what makes a Light Summer look slightly off rather than lit. Borrow the overlap, skip the rest.
How do I tell if I'm Light Summer or Soft Summer?
Test the axis that separates them, which is depth and clarity. Hold Light Summer's Heather against Soft Summer's Storm Blue and watch whether the deeper one grounds your face or swallows it. Hold Light Summer's Cool Lemon 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 Light Summer and Soft Summer palettes share any colors?
Yes — measured in CIELAB, 14 of Light Summer's 16 colors have a near-identical match in Soft Summer's palette, and 12 of Soft Summer's have one in Light Summer's. The closest single pairing is Light Summer's Sea Glass (#B5DED4) against Soft Summer's Seafoam Grey (#9FBFB4), 7 ΔE apart. Those are the colors you can wear either way while you decide.
Does a Light Summer or a Soft Summer wear gold?
Light Summer: silver. Soft Summer: both, leaning silver. Different verdicts, but both still lean silver — jewelry cannot settle this pair. Judge on depth and clarity instead.
What if I'm somewhere between Light 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 18 near-identical pairings between the two palettes work either way. Then judge yourself on depth and 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 Light Summer rather than Soft Summer?
Light Summer should steer clear of jet black, pumpkin, mustard; 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.