A system for the characterization of vital or reconstituted tissues, in particular skin appendages such as hair or eyelashes or structures associated therewith, wherein it comprises in combination: - a plurality of sources of electromagnetic radiations of analysis with different wavelengths adapted to irradiate a sample of vital or reconstituted tissue comprising a series of filaments of a person which are homogeneous in their structural type, including one of a lock of hairs or a series of eyelashes of a person, that are homogeneously, flat and continuously distributed on a support said plurality of sources including at least one source of coherent light with planar geometry which is arranged to irradiate the sample along a linear section thereof; - at least one image acquisition device arranged in a region close to the sample so as to receive a reflected and/or dispersed radiation from the sample when irradiated by said electromagnetic radiation of analysis and/or a fluorescence radiation emitted by the sample due to the effect of said electromagnetic radiation of analysis; and - image processing means designed to process reflection and/or dispersion images of said electromagnetic radiation from the sample and/or fluorescence images emitted by the sample due to the effect of said electromagnetic radiation, wherein the angle of incidence of the radiation on the sample form said sources of electromagnetic radiation of analysis is adapted to be selected relative to the sample and said at least one source of coherent light with planar geometry is arranged to irradiate the sample along a linear section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the filaments which constitute said sample; and wherein said image processing means are further designed for: - determining at least one of the parameters out of gloss, size, colour, contour of the filaments of the sample of said tissue starting from said acquired images and for classifying the tissue under examination by comparison of the value of said at least one parameter with a database of parameters of classes of predetermined vital or reconstituted tissues, and/or - determining at least one out of the parameters of gloss, size, colour, contour of the filaments of the sample of said tissue starting from said acquired images and for comparing the value of said at least one parameter with a database of historic values of said at least one parameter for said tissue. - a plurality of sources of electromagnetic radiations of analysis with different wavelengths adapted to irradiate a sample of vital or reconstituted tissue comprising a series of filaments of a person which are homogeneous in their structural type, including one of a lock of hairs or a series of eyelashes of a person, that are homogeneously, flat and continuously distributed on a support said plurality of sources including at least one source of coherent light with planar geometry which is arranged to irradiate the sample along a linear section thereof; - at least one image acquisition device arranged in a region close to the sample so as to receive a reflected and/or dispersed radiation from the sample when irradiated by said electromagnetic radiation of analysis and/or a fluorescence radiation emitted by the sample due to the effect of said electromagnetic radiation of analysis; and - image processing means designed to process reflection and/or dispersion images of said electromagnetic radiation from the sample and/or fluorescence images emitted by the sample due to the effect of said electromagnetic radiation, - determining at least one of the parameters out of gloss, size, colour, contour of the filaments of the sample of said tissue starting from said acquired images and for classifying the tissue under examination by comparison of the value of said at least one parameter with a database of parameters of classes of predetermined vital or reconstituted tissues, and/or - determining at least one out of the parameters of gloss, size, colour, contour of the filaments of the sample of said tissue starting from said acquired images and for comparing the value of said at least one parameter with a database of historic values of said at least one parameter for said tissue.