Skin pigmentation (light vs dark)

SLC24A5 is one of the largest-effect genes for skin tone. One variant, carried by nearly all Europeans and South Asians, lightens pigmentation considerably.

Possible results

Lighter skin tone. You have two copies of the light-skin version of SLC24A5, one of the biggest single genes for skin tone. It's carried by nearly all people of European and South Asian descent and lightens pigmentation. Skin color comes from many genes together, so this is one major piece.

Intermediate skin tone. You carry one light-skin and one ancestral copy of SLC24A5, placing you in an intermediate range as far as this pigment gene goes. Overall skin tone depends on many genes, so this is just one input.

Darker skin tone. You have two ancestral copies of SLC24A5, associated with deeper skin pigmentation. This is one of several major pigment genes, and your overall tone reflects all of them together.

Evidence & sources

Across global populations, about 87% of people carry two copies of this variant, and about 7% carry none.

This variant appears in 5 published genetic studies: PubMed 29195075 · PubMed 30664655 · PubMed 30895295 · PubMed 31315583 · PubMed 34570997.

Related

Endurance / aerobic capacity (PPARGC1A) · Eye color (blue, green/hazel, brown) · Hair thickness / shovel-shaped incisors · Height · Male-pattern baldness tendency · Muscle fiber type (power vs endurance) · Red hair / fair skin (MC1R gene)