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
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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)
Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +5 Green Malachite A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +4 Red Cinnabar A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚫 Spain +5 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +5 White Zinc oxide A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +2 #CC7722 Ochre A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +5 Blue Indigo A deep blue dye from plants, now mostly made synthetically and known for colouring denimDye 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 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 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 #E34234 Vermilion A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment 路 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey +5 Black India ink A deep black ink made from carbon soot, used for writing, drawing and calligraphyPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +1 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 #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment 路 馃嚞馃嚪 Greece +1 Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment #73C2FB Maya blueazul maya A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +1 Red Lac啶侧ぞ啶曕啶粪ぞ A red resin secreted by insects and used as dye, varnish and shellacColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 #0033CC International Klein Blue A deep blue made famous by Yves Klein's art and a special synthetic binderNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France White Lead white A dense, opaque white pigment once used in art, home, and cosmetics worldwidePigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +2 Grey Hematite A mineral iron oxide, black to red, used since prehistory as a pigment and oreColour named from nature 路 馃嚳馃嚘 South Africa +5 White Titanium dioxide A brilliant white pigment made from titanium, used in paints, food and sunscreenPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 #86A1A9 Tourmaline喽о窛喽秽陡喽洁穵喽洁窉 A mineral group prized for its rainbow of gemstone coloursColour named from nature 路 馃嚤馃嚢 Sri Lanka +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 White Zinc phosphate A white inorganic compound used to protect metal and in dental cementPigment 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 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +3 Brown Juglone A plant compound that gives deep brown-orange colour to cloth, ink and foodPigment #000F89 Phthalo blue A strong, synthetic blue pigment made from copper phthalocyaninePigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +1 Yellow Anthoxanthin A group of plant pigments ranging from white to yellow, used in foods and dyesPigment Purple and violet Manganese violet A synthetic purple pigment once favoured by Impressionist paintersPigment #123524 Phthalo green A synthetic green pigment made from copper and chlorinated phthalocyaninePigment White Venetian ceruse A white lead-based cosmetic once prized for skin whitening in Renaissance EuropePigment 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy +2 #FF4203 Minium A bright orange-red pigment made by heating lead, once common in medieval manuscriptsPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 #003399 Cobalt glass A deep blue glass coloured with cobalt compounds, used in art and decoration for centuriesPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +2 Yellow Pigment Yellow 74 A yellow-green azo pigment used in inks, paints, and tattoo coloursPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy Red Santalin Red pigments obtained from the wood of the red sandalwood treePigment White R眉gen chalkR眉gener Kreide A soft, white chalk from the cliffs of R眉gen, GermanyColour named from nature 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany Gold and metallics Metal effect pigments Pigments that give paints and inks a metallic look using tiny metal flakesPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +1 Blue Blue pigment Pigments that give blue colour to paints, inks, and art from ancient times to todayPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Red Red pigment Pigments made from minerals, plants, and insects to create red colours in artPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4 Green Green pigment Pigments that give green colour to paint, ink, and art through historyPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Yellow Riboflavin A yellow-orange vitamin used as a food colour and supplementPigment
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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.