Colour news
FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game SetCraft and textilesThe Souls I (Grafix Gold, Topaz, Chilli Red) (2010) by Damien Hirst - For SaleFestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game SetCraft and textilesThe Souls I (Grafix Gold, Topaz, Chilli Red) (2010) by Damien Hirst - For Sale
Rang

Dyes

Colour that dissolves and soaks into cloth, leather, hair and food.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
Brown Aniline A colourless oil that darkens with air and launched the first synthetic dyesPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany Blue Methylene blue A synthetic blue dye and medicine first made in 1876Dye Yellow Tartrazine A synthetic lemon yellow dye widely used in food, cosmetics and medicinesDye #E32636 Alizarin A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye 路 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey +1 Purple and violet Crystal violet A synthetic purple dye used in science, medicine, and industryDye Green Malachite green A synthetic green dye once common for silk, now controversial in aquacultureDye 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +3 Pink and magenta Basic fuchsine A magenta dye used in biology and textile staining since the 19th centuryPigment #E0B0FF Mauve A pale purple named after the mallow flower and once a fashion sensationNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France Purple and violet Mauveine A purple dye first made by accident in 1856, launching the synthetic dye industryDye White Titanium dioxide A brilliant white pigment made from titanium, used in paints, food and sunscreenPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 #E32600 Methyl orange An orange-red azo dye used as a pH indicator in chemistryDye Red Azo dye A large group of synthetic dyes with vivid reds, oranges, and yellowsDye #1C05B3 Trypan blue A synthetic blue azo dye used to stain dead cells in science and medicineDye Yellow Strontium chromate A yellow pigment and corrosion inhibitor made from strontium and chromium compoundsPigment Red Alizarin Red S A synthetic red dye used to reveal calcium and minerals in scienceDye Yellow Chrysophenine A golden-yellow direct dye for textiles and biological stainsDye Red Pigment Red 3 A dark red azo pigment once common in oil paintsPigment Yellow Riboflavin A yellow-orange vitamin used as a food colour and supplementPigment Orange Sunset yellow FCF A synthetic orange-yellow dye used in food, cosmetics, and medicinesDye 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 Red Carmoisine A synthetic red dye used in foods and medicines in the EUDye Blue Indigo carmine A water-soluble blue dye made from indigo, used in food, medicine and sciencePigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States Red Erythrosine A bright red-pink synthetic dye used in food, cosmetics, and industryDye 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +4 Orange Canthaxanthin A reddish-orange pigment used in food and animal feedPigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 Blue Brilliant blue FCF A synthetic blue dye widely used in foods, drinks, and medicinesPigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States Red Ponceau 4R A synthetic strawberry red dye used in foods outside the United StatesDye Green Green S A synthetic green dye used in food and eye testsDye 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +4 Purple and violet Murexide A purple chemical once used as a dye and indicator in chemistryPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +1 Yellow Quinoline Yellow WS A greenish yellow synthetic dye used in foods, drinks, medicines and cosmeticsDye 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +1 Red Amaranth A synthetic red azo dye once used in foods and cosmeticsDye 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 Yellow Yellow 2G A synthetic yellow azo dye once used as a food colouringDye Black Brilliant Black BN A synthetic black dye used in foods and decorations, known as E151 in EuropeDye 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 Brown Brown HT A synthetic brown dye used in processed foods and bakingDye Blue Patent Blue V A synthetic blue dye used in food, medicine, and chemistryDye Red Red 2G A synthetic red azo dye once used in food and inks, now banned in many countriesDye 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +4 Orange Chrysoine resorcinol A synthetic azo dye once used in food and as a pH indicatorDye Orange Food orange 2 A synthetic orange azo dye once used in foods, now banned for safety reasonsDye Pink and magenta D&C Red 7 A synthetic red pigment widely used in printing and food colouringPigment Orange Citrus Red 2 A synthetic dye once used to colour the skins of oranges in the USDye 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States Orange Solvent Yellow 14 An orange-red azo dye once used in food, now banned for food and textilesPigment Red Scarlet GN A synthetic red azo dye once used in foods and now mainly in cosmeticsDye 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +4 Red Sudan dyes A group of synthetic dyes used for colouring fats, plastics and biological samplesDye Brown Brown FK A synthetic brown food dye once used to colour smoked fish and meatsPigment Red Sudan Red G A yellowish red azo dye used for colouring fats, waxes, and some plasticsDye Yellow Martius yellow A synthetic yellow dye once used for wool and in laboratory stainingDye Orange Orange B A synthetic azo dye once used to colour hot dog and sausage casings in the United StatesDye 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States Blue Formazan A group of synthetic dyes with colours from dark blue to deep red or orangePigment Red PTCDA A dark red organic compound used to make Rylene dyes and pigmentsPigment Black Sulfur dye A group of dyes mainly used for dark colours on cotton fabricsDye 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly palette

Every Monday: seven colours you may not know, what the world is wearing this week, and one idea about colour.