Colour news
Pigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'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 SetPigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'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 Set
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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 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 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 #DC143C Crimson A deep red with a hint of purple, once made from insectsNamed shade · 🇳🇵 Nepal 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 Red Sindoorसिन्दूर A red or orange-red powder marking marriage for Hindu women in South AsiaTraditional colour · 🇮🇳 India +4 #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 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 #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 Green Jade A decorative stone prized for its green shades and cultural meaning across continentsColour named from nature · 🇨🇳 China +5 #86A1A9 Tourmalineටෝරමල්ලි A mineral group prized for its rainbow of gemstone coloursColour named from nature · 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka +5 Black Onyx A banded stone, usually black and white, prized for carving and jewelleryColour named from nature · 🇲🇽 Mexico +5 Red Polish cochinealczerwiec polski A crimson dye once vital to Poland, made from a native scale insectDye · 🇵🇱 Poland +5 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 White Venetian ceruse A white lead-based cosmetic once prized for skin whitening in Renaissance EuropePigment · 🇮🇹 Italy +2 #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 Blue Blue hair Hair coloured blue by dye, art, or nature’s rare effectsNamed shade · 🇯🇵 Japan +5 Brown Gambiered Guangdong gauze A silk from Guangdong, China, dyed with plant juice and river mudTraditional colour · 🇨🇳 China +1 White Rügen chalkRügener Kreide A soft, white chalk from the cliffs of Rügen, GermanyColour named from nature · 🇩🇪 Germany #6C0277 Zinzolin A rare reddish-purple shade with shifting meanings in art and dressNamed shade Red Red pigment Pigments made from minerals, plants, and insects to create red colours in artPigment · 🇫🇷 France +4 Yellow Saffronزعفران A golden-yellow colour from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus flowerColour named from nature · 🇮🇷 Iran +5 Brown Walnut A brown dye and ink made from the husk of the walnut fruitColour named from nature · 🇮🇷 Iran +5 Orange Annatto A natural orange-red dye from the seeds of a tropical shrubColour named from nature · 🇲🇽 Mexico +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.