Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40122935›Full record

ArticleScientific data2025

The International Skin Spectra Archive (ISSA): a multicultural human skin phenotype and colour spectra collection.

Yan Lu, Kaida Xiao, Michael Pointer, Ruili He, Sicong Zhou, Ahmed Nasseraldin, Suchitra Sueeprasan, Cheng Gao, Changjun Li, Ali Sohaib and 8 more

Abstract readDataset
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific data, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The optical origin of the human skin color 'banana' in CIELAB space.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  3. Observational
  4. Skin Colour Does Not Define Ethnicity: Quantifying Variation and Overlap Across Diverse Populations.Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI) · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Yan LuSchool of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Kaida XiaoSchool of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. k.xiao1@leeds.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7197-7159
Michael PointerSchool of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Ruili HeSchool of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Sicong ZhouSchool of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Ahmed NasseraldinSchool of Design, Dar Al-Hekma University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Suchitra SueeprasanFaculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Cheng GaoSchool of Computing, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan, China.
Changjun LiSchool of Computing, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan, China.
Ali SohaibNordson Corp, Dunstable, UK.
Yuanyuan HeSchool of Engineering, Utsunomiya University, Utsunomiya, Japan.
Yoko MizokamiGraduate School of Informatics, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
Mengmeng WangSchool of Digital Technology and Innovation Design, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
Esther Perales RomeroDepartment of Optics, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
Faraedon ZardawiSchool of Dentistry, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq.
Lesley GillSchool of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.
Ningfang LiaoNational Key Lab of Colour Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
Sophie WuergerSchool of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0080-5813

Funding

EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (H2020 Excellent Science - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) 814158RCUK | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) EP/K040057RCUK | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) EP/L001012/1Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This paper presents the International Skin Spectra Archive (ISSA), a multicultural human skin phenotype dataset, containing 15,256 records of both spectral and colorimetric data derived from 2,113 subjects. These measurements, collected between 2012 and 2024, come from eleven different datasets gathered by international laboratories across eight countries, all adhering to a uniform measurement protocol to ensure data consistency. The ISSA dataset addresses the inherent challenges in measuring human skin colour due to its complex structure and covers a wide variability in skin characteristics such as geography, ethnicity, age, gender, and body location. Providing a broad spectrum of human skin data, the ISSA dataset will advance our understanding of skin colour variations and their biological, cultural, and environmental influences. It will also serve as a crucial resource for scientific research and technological development across various fields where diverse and precise spectral and colour data of real human skin are essential.

Indexed as

SkinSkin PigmentationColorimetryFemaleHumansMalePhenotype

Identifiers

PMID40122935
PMCPMC11930939

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.