The tiny grains of pigment deposited in cells that provide skin with its color are _____.

• A. Carotene
• B. Keratin
• C. Hemoglobin
• D. Melanin

Answer: (D)

Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its color. It’s formed in specialized skin cells called melanocytes in the epidermis and packed into tiny pigment granules called melanosomes. These melanosomes are then transferred into neighboring keratinocytes, producing the color you see on the skin’s surface. This pigment also helps protect skin from UV radiation.

Why this fits the clue about tiny grains deposited in cells: the color comes from those melanin granules inside the skin cells themselves, whereas the other options don’t fit this description. Carotene is a yellow-orange pigment from foods that can tint skin but is stored in fatty tissues and on the surface layers, not as intracellular pigment grains in the epidermal cells. Hemoglobin is the red pigment in blood, contributing to skin tone through underlying vasculature rather than pigment within epidermal cells. Keratin is a structural protein, not a pigment.