What is the name of the pigment that gives skin its color?

The pigment that gives skin its color is melanin.

Melanin is a family of natural pigments made by specialized skin cells called melanocytes, located mainly in the epidermis. The pigment is packaged into microscopic structures called melanosomes and transferred to nearby keratinocytes. The amount, type, and distribution of melanin strongly influence the range of human skin tones.

The two principal forms in human skin are eumelanin, which is brown to black, and pheomelanin, which contributes red and yellow hues. Differences in pigmentation usually reflect how much melanin melanocytes produce, the proportions of these forms, and how melanosomes are distributed—not simply the number of melanocytes.

Melanin also helps protect skin-cell DNA by absorbing ultraviolet radiation. Sun exposure can stimulate melanogenesis, producing a delayed tan, but tanning does not eliminate the risk of UV damage. Carotene can add a yellow-orange tint, and hemoglobin affects underlying redness, yet melanin remains the primary pigment associated with skin color. Keratin is a structural protein, not the skin’s main pigment.