Olive skin: what you need to know

With so much conflicting information on the Internet about it, it’s really tough to discern the true and the false about olive skin. Here we’ll try to debunk a few myths and give some information with a question-and-answer approach.

Where did olive skin get its name from?

Olive skin is named after a fruit, the olive. It’s because when you look at an olive-skinned person, you can see that same green tinge that you can see in green olives or olive oil. The lighter the olive skin of the person, the easier it will be to see that green tinge.

What makes it so particular?

Apart from that green tinge (which can be grey as well), it’s also particular because regardless of the colour (fair to dark) it’s got more melanin. If you have fair olive skin (a cream shade) then you have more melanin that your non-olive friends, for example. That means means that you tend to tan more and burn less. But never skip that sunscreen!

What undertone does olive skin have?

For the sake of foundation shopping, it fits more into the neutral category. If you have darker olive skin (which is the typical olive skin) then you have the luck of finding foundations that are designed for this specific skin tone. Consider that it’s a blue undertone with a yellow(ish) overtone, making you seem green in certain parts of your body. Because of this “balance” between undertone and overtone, chances are though that you can wear most colours well. By the way, the overtone is the skin as you see it in the mirror. If you find the yellow overtone more dominant (there is a 10% chance of having this combination), then warm colours will suit you better. If your blue undertone is more dominant, you will find that cool colours flatter you better (90% of the time).

What are the main characteristics?

Olive-skinned people often have these characteristics:

1. The veins in the wrist are not just blue or purple or green. They have a teal kind of colour, and that does change according to the lighting.
2. When they are near people that are not olive-skinned, their being ‘green’ is more obvious.
3. They tend to wear both gold and silver jewellery well. Olive skin is very particular and has a pretty wide spectrum, so some olive-skinned people might prefer silver and others might prefer gold but can wear both.
4. Some might have trouble wearing white, yellow and acid green colours because it might bring out the yellow in their skin in an unhealthy-looking way.
5. Their skin tends to be oilier, and so during adolescence they may have more pimples and greasier hair.
6. They have a very tough time finding a foundation that doesn’t make them look too orange, yellow or pink.
7. For them, tanning is either very easy or very tough.
8. It’s not very easy to blush even when extremely embarrassed or having worked out a lot.

How can you check if you have olive skin?

You can see the list above and you can also do this little test here. It does require a sharper eye, but it will work wonders once you know the result. You will see if you have that green tinge yourself. Try to put your wrist next to that of someone who isn’t olive, and see if your wrist looks greener. If it is, you are olive.

Where is it more present?

It’s more present in the Mediterranean Basin, in the Middle East, Central and Southern Asia, Latin America. In these areas of the world, olive skin in all its shades is very common. You can also find it in Eastern Europe, in Western North America and in some parts of Australia. In the latter two regions it’s a bit less common. As you can see, it’s quite present. Still, a lot beauty brands haven’t exactly recognised the existence of this skin tone and so don’t make foundations for “the green tone”. Instead, they think it’s tan.

Can you get it?

No! There are many people that say you can get olive skin by getting a tan at the beach. It’s absolutely not true and it’s dangerous for your skin. The tan you get at the beach (or by any sun exposure) is golden, and olive skin is green or grey. The only way to have it is to inherit it from your parents or grandparents.

What colours suit the best?

It depends a lot on how deep the colour of the skin is, but generally speaking deep purples, reds, blues, greens and jewel tones (especially in shiny fabrics) work very well. The mechanism behind these choices is that blue is the colour of the undertone, and to healthily contrast the green in the skin, red and its combinations are the best colours. Jewel tones will emphasise the “oliveness” of the skin without overhwelming and without making one look sick.

Earth tones suit this complexion very well, especially when paired with a jewel tone: a mustard colored shirt, paired with a pair of emerald green trousers and dark brown boots makes a chic everyday look.

Pastels should be avoided as they tend to wash out the complexion. If you are olive-skinned and you have a very yellow(ish) overtone, you might find that avoiding white, bright yellow and acid green colours will be useful.