The amount of melanin in your skin determines your natural skin tone. Melanin is a pigment that gives your skin, hair, and eyes their color. People with naturally-occurring dark skin have melanosomes which are clumped, large and full of eumelanin. This means that your body produces more melanin, leading to a darker skin tone.
The amount of melanin you produce is determined by your genetics. Your parents pass down genes that influence your skin color.
For example, if both of your parents have dark skin, you are more likely to have dark skin as well. However, it is possible to have lighter skin than your parents, or darker skin than your parents, depending on the combination of genes you inherit.
