Preference for appearance of Chinese complexion under different lighting

The method for evaluating the colour rendering of light-emitting diode sources is controversial, especially for the appearance of human complexions. A psychophysical experiment was conducted using Chinese models to examine the effect of various illumination settings, characterized by two levels of preferred skin colour index and four levels of correlated colour temperature, on preference for the appearance of the Chinese complexion. Results showed that the preferred skin colour index was an effective indicator. Taking incomplete colour adaptation into account, the preferred skin colour index was recalculated and shown to be the best colour rendering index for the appearance of the Chinese complexion. This research examined the concept of preferred skin colour index for Chinese women. This can supplement other colour quality evaluation methods, and shows promise for commercial lighting applications.