Colour news
FestivalsPhotos 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’s 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 SaleCraft and textilesBalenciaga Spring/Summer2027 Runway Dips Into ColourFestivalsPhotos 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’s 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 SaleCraft and textilesBalenciaga Spring/Summer2027 Runway Dips Into Colour
Rang

Colours of body and cosmetics

On skin, hair, lips and nails, for beauty and for ritual.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
#FF0000 Red A primary colour seen in light, pigment, and tradition worldwideBasic colour · 🇺🇸 United States +5 #FFFFFF White The lightest colour, seen in snow, milk and chalk, and opposite to blackBasic colour Yellow Turmeric A golden yellow dye and spice from the rhizome of a tropical plantColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +5 #8000FF Violet A bluish-purple seen in both flowers and the light spectrumBasic colour #800080 Purple A cool colour between red and blue, long linked with royalty and rarityBasic colour · 🇱🇧 Lebanon +5 Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +5 Green Malachite A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +4 Red Cinnabar A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature · 🇪🇸 Spain +5 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment · 🇫🇷 France +5 White Zinc oxide A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment · 🇮🇳 India +2 #CC7722 Ochre A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment · 🇦🇺 Australia +5 Blue Indigo A deep blue dye from plants, now mostly made synthetically and known for colouring denimDye · 🇮🇳 India +5 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Blue Methylene blue A synthetic blue dye and medicine first made in 1876Dye Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5 #E34234 Vermilion A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment · 🇹🇷 Turkey +5 Black India ink A deep black ink made from carbon soot, used for writing, drawing and calligraphyPigment · 🇨🇳 China +1 Yellow Tartrazine A synthetic lemon yellow dye widely used in food, cosmetics and medicinesDye #DC143C Crimson A deep red with a hint of purple, once made from insectsNamed shade · 🇳🇵 Nepal #E32636 Alizarin A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye · 🇹🇷 Turkey +1 Black Kohlكُحْل A dark eye cosmetic made from minerals like galena and stibniteTraditional colour · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Purple and violet Crystal violet A synthetic purple dye used in science, medicine, and industryDye Blue Haematoxylin A natural dye from logwood, best known for staining cell nuclei in histologyDye · 🇵🇭 Philippines Red Sindoorसिन्दूर A red or orange-red powder marking marriage for Hindu women in South AsiaTraditional colour · 🇮🇳 India +4 Green Malachite green A synthetic green dye once common for silk, now controversial in aquacultureDye · 🇨🇳 China +3 #80FF00 Chartreuse A bright yellow-green named after a French liqueurNamed shade Pink and magenta Basic fuchsine A magenta dye used in biology and textile staining since the 19th centuryPigment #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +1 #F4C430 Saffron A yellow-orange shade named after the colour of saffron crocus threadsNamed shade · 🇮🇳 India +1 Orange Annatto A yellow-orange dye and flavour from the seeds of the achiote treeDye · 🇲🇽 Mexico +5 #FFFFF0 Ivory A soft off-white shade with a hint of yellow, named after animal tusksNamed shade Red Hennaحِنَّاء A reddish dye from the henna plant, used for body art and hair since ancient timesColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #9966CC Lavender A pale purple named for the lavender flower, with many subtle variationsNamed shade Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment Red Kermes A deep red dye made from Mediterranean scale insects, once prized for scarlet clothDye · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Kumkum A red powder made from turmeric and lime, used for forehead marks in IndiaDye · 🇮🇳 India #73C2FB Maya blueazul maya A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment · 🇲🇽 Mexico +1 Blue Tekheletתְּכֵלֶת A blue dye from sea snails, central to ancient Jewish ritual and traditionDye · 🇮🇱 Israel +2 Red Lacलाक्षा A red resin secreted by insects and used as dye, varnish and shellacColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +5 #0033CC International Klein Blue A deep blue made famous by Yves Klein's art and a special synthetic binderNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France #F4F0EC Isabelline A pale grey-yellow or fawn colour seen in animal coats and old fashionNamed shade #4A0000 Oxblood A deep, brownish red seen in ceramics, shoes and fashionNamed shade Red Abir A coloured powder used in Hindu rituals and the Holi festivalTraditional colour · 🇮🇳 India White Lead white A dense, opaque white pigment once used in art, home, and cosmetics worldwidePigment · 🇨🇳 China +2 #FA5053 Strawberry A bright red colour inspired by the ripe strawberry fruitNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +4 Green Jade A decorative stone prized for its green shades and cultural meaning across continentsColour named from nature · 🇨🇳 China +5 Grey Hematite A mineral iron oxide, black to red, used since prehistory as a pigment and oreColour named from nature · 🇿🇦 South Africa +5 Green Bioluminescence Light produced by living things through a chemical reactionColour named from nature
More colours

Photo credits on this page

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.