A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing PMU Colors

The SofTap Way: Simple, Safe, and Predictable

Choosing PMU color is one of the biggest stress points for new permanent makeup artists. Its permanent! What if you choose the wrong color? And what if it changes color over time? No one wants that. Too warm, too cool, too dark—and suddenly you’re worried about long-term healing, color shifts, or future corrections.

At SofTap, we take a very different approach to PMU pigment selection. We don’t think beginners need complicated formulas or intimidating color theory charts to choose the right eyebrow pigment.

Instead, we choose pigment by answering two simple questions, then we use the SofTap Color Chart to narrow down the exact PMU pigment.

The Two Questions That Matter When Choosing PMU Color

1. How Dark Do You Want Your Brows?

This determines the depth of the PMU color.

• Light – soft, airy, very natural. Choose a light pigment.
• Medium – balanced, versatile, safest for most clients. Choose a medium pigment.
• Dark – stronger definition and higher contrast. Choose a dark pigment.

Beginner rule:
If you’re unsure, choose lighter. Depth can always be added at the touch-up.

2. How Much Red Do You Want in Your PMU Color?

PMU pigments are chosen by richness and warmth, not just how they look in the bottle.

• A lot of red – for clients who like warmth, such as strawberry blondes, redheads, auburn hair, or very cool-healing skin (including melanin-rich skin that tends to pull ashy). Also ideal for correcting gray or ashy brows from previous work. Choose pigments from the Warm Collection.
• Some red – the most common and forgiving option. This is the best starting point if you or your client is unsure. Choose from the Neutral Collection or the Iconic Pigment Line.
• No red – for clients who prefer ash tones, are very fair with very warm skin, or tend to pull red easily. Choose from the Cool Collection or the Iconic Pigment Line.

That’s it. No panicking needed!

Beginner rule:
If you’re unsure, choose from the Neutral Collection or the Iconic Collection.

Use the SofTap Color Chart to Finalize Your PMU Pigment Choice

Once those two questions are answered, the SofTap Color Chart does the narrowing for you.

The chart:

• Groups pigments by darkness (depth)
• Organizes them by red content

You are no longer choosing from the entire PMU pigment line—only from the small, safe group that fits your answers.

PMU Pigment Examples by Depth and Red Content

Light PMU Pigments

• More Red: Amber, Caramel
• Some Red: Platinum Blonde, Bashful Blonde
• No Red: Earl Grey, Champagne, Malibu Blonde

Best for fair skin, lighter hair, mature clients, and very natural eyebrow PMU results.

Medium PMU Pigments

• More Red: Milk Chocolate, Bordeaux
• Some Red: Fawn, Cappuccino, Café Vienna, Redwood
• No Red: Mink, Manuka, Brown Sugar

This is the most commonly used category and the safest starting point for beginner PMU artists.

Dark PMU Pigments

• More Red: Cocoa, Chocolate Truffle, Royal Fudge, German Chocolate
• Some Red: Espresso, Earth, Sugar Maple, Chocolate Silk
• No Red: Chocolate Éclair, Charcoal, Eclipse

Used for naturally dark hair and higher-contrast features. Requires confident depth control.

How Skin Undertone, Hair Color, and Fitzpatrick Scale Affect PMU Color Choice

The two-question method makes choosing PMU color simple, but these factors help inform your answers—they do not replace them.

Skin Undertone in Permanent Makeup

Undertones behave differently in permanent makeup than in traditional makeup.

• Cool undertones – often olive-leaning in PMU healing and usually need some or more red
• Warm undertones – often appear pink or orange in the skin and usually need less or no red
• Neutral undertones – often appear golden or balanced and pair best with some red, not too much

Undertone helps guide how much red to choose in your PMU pigment.

Hair Color and PMU Pigment Selection

Hair color helps determine how dark the brows should be—not the exact pigment shade.

• Brows are typically 1–2 shades lighter than hair
• Cool toned hair color does not mean ash pigment
• Gray hair does not mean gray brows

Hair color changes frequently, so rely more on brow hair and skin behavior than head hair alone.

Fitzpatrick Skin Type and PMU Healing

The Fitzpatrick scale helps predict how PMU pigment will heal.

• Type I–II: Very translucent skin, like clear glass. Pigment undertones show easily. Stable pigments are critical. Top performers include the Iconic Collection, especially Malibu Blonde, Manuka, and Sugar Maple.
• Type III–IV: Medium-toned skin, like lightly tinted glass. More forgiving of pigment shifts. Popular choices include Espresso, Café Vienna, and Chocolate Truffle.

• Type V–VI: Deeper skin tones, like darker tinted glass. Ashy tones show more, and darker pigments are needed for contrast. Warm, dark pigments without carbon black are most flattering. Favorites include Mahogany, German Chocolate, and Café Ole.

Why SofTap PMU Pigments Are More Forgiving for Beginners

Many PMU pigment lines rely on carbon black to create darkness or coolness. Carbon black has its place in traditional body tattooing, but it behaves very differently in cosmetic tattooing.

While it may look crisp initially, carbon black often heals ashy, gray, or blue over time and is extremely difficult to correct. One misplaced tap can require removal. Hairstrokes done with carbon-based pigments frequently blur into a gray haze.

Instead, SofTap pigments are:

• Carbon-black free
• Iron-oxide based
• Soft-healing and stable
• Designed to fade evenly and predictably
• Forgiving of small technique errors without requiring pigment removal

For beginners, this means less anxiety, fewer mistakes, and easier touch-ups.
Student slam dunk: choose from the Iconic Collection and relax.

A Final Word for New PMU Artists

You are not expected to master color theory on day one.

Answer two questions:

• How dark?
• How much red?

Use the chart. Trust the system. Keep it simple.

Simple decisions create predictable healing. Predictable healing creates confident artists.

We wish you confidence and success in your PMU color selection journey. If you ever need help with a specific case, send us a message—we’re happy to troubleshoot with you.

Happy Tapping!
The SofTap Team