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’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 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’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 Sale
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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)
Yellow Turmeric A golden yellow dye and spice from the rhizome of a tropical plantColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +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 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5 #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 Blue Haematoxylin A natural dye from logwood, best known for staining cell nuclei in histologyDye · 🇵🇭 Philippines #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +1 Orange Annatto A yellow-orange dye and flavour from the seeds of the achiote treeDye · 🇲🇽 Mexico +5 Red Hennaحِنَّاء A reddish dye from the henna plant, used for body art and hair since ancient timesColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 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 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 #86A1A9 Tourmalineටෝරමල්ලි A mineral group prized for its rainbow of gemstone coloursColour named from nature · 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka +5 #F56FA1 Cyclamen A pinkish flower colour named after the Cyclamen plantNamed shade Black Onyx A banded stone, usually black and white, prized for carving and jewelleryColour named from nature · 🇲🇽 Mexico +5 Red Iron(III) oxide A deep red iron compound found in hematite and used as pigment and polishPigment Black Iron(II) oxide A black iron compound used as a pigment and found deep in the EarthPigment Green Chromium(III) oxide A strong green pigment and polishing compound made from chromium orePigment Yellow Urobilin The yellow pigment that gives urine its colourPigment Red Dragon's blood A deep red resin from several plants, used as pigment, dye and varnish since ancient timesColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +3 Brown Juglone A plant compound that gives deep brown-orange colour to cloth, ink and foodPigment Red Polish cochinealczerwiec polski A crimson dye once vital to Poland, made from a native scale insectDye · 🇵🇱 Poland +5 Yellow Anthoxanthin A group of plant pigments ranging from white to yellow, used in foods and dyesPigment Brown Bryoria fremontii A dark brown lichen used for food, medicine, and dye by First Nations in North AmericaColour named from nature · 🇷🇺 Russia Purple and violet Orcein A reddish dye made from lichens, changing colour with acidityDye · 🇳🇴 Norway +4 #FF4203 Minium A bright orange-red pigment made by heating lead, once common in medieval manuscriptsPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5 #003399 Cobalt glass A deep blue glass coloured with cobalt compounds, used in art and decoration for centuriesPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +2 Brown Gambiered Guangdong gauze A silk from Guangdong, China, dyed with plant juice and river mudTraditional colour · 🇨🇳 China +1 Red Santalin Red pigments obtained from the wood of the red sandalwood treePigment White Rügen chalkRügener Kreide A soft, white chalk from the cliffs of Rügen, GermanyColour named from nature · 🇩🇪 Germany Blue Blue pigment Pigments that give blue colour to paints, inks, and art from ancient times to todayPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Red pigment Pigments made from minerals, plants, and insects to create red colours in artPigment · 🇫🇷 France +4 Green Green pigment Pigments that give green colour to paint, ink, and art through historyPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5
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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.