Skin appearance plays an important role in the perception of age, health, and attractiveness. Of course skin appearance is affected by actual skin condition, but previous research has also found that skin appearance is affected by the features adjacent to it (e.g., eyebrows, eyes, and lips). These results thus show that skin appearance is affected by contrast between the skin and surfaces that surround the face, whether it be background color or hair color. The current results suggest that black may increase attractiveness partly due to the effects of contrast increasing perceived skin evenness. The study “Perceived skin evenness is influenced by background color and hair color” authored by Dr. Richard Russell and myself was published today in the scientific journal Perception.