The pigment produced by the body that is red to yellow in color is called which?

• A. Eumelanin
• B. Melanin
• C. Carotene
• D. Pheomelanin

Answer: (D)

Pheomelanin is the pigment that yields red to yellow tones. Hair and skin color are influenced by two main forms of melanin produced by melanocytes: eumelanin, which gives brown to black shades, and pheomelanin, which gives red to yellow hues. When pheomelanin is present in higher amounts relative to eumelanin, those warmer red-to-yellow tones appear, as seen in red or strawberry-blonde hair. Carotene is a dietary pigment that can affect skin color toward orange-yellow but isn’t the pigment produced by these cells in hair. Melanin is the broad term for pigment produced by melanocytes, but the specific red-to-yellow variant is pheomelanin.