Pantone unveils white hue, Cloud Dancer, as Color of the Year 2026

Image credit: The Development

PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is Pantone’s Color of the Year 2026.

The global colour authority selects a shade each year that it sees to be influencing all areas of design, and that resonates with consumers and their attitudes.

Pantone describes Cloud Dancer as a ‘lofty white whose aerated presence acts as a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world’. “[Its] versatility provides scaffolding for the color spectrum, allowing all colors to shine. This is a shade that can adapt, harmonise and create contrast, bringing a feeling of airy lightness,” the organisation comments.

“[The hue] exemplifies our search for balance between our digital future and our primal need for human connection: a liminal space that is a launchpad for creative expression, as individuals and communities are experimenting beyond traditional boundaries, opening the door to increased imagination and innovation,” notes Laurie Pressman, vice president at the Pantone Color Institute.

Ethereal and ‘a calming influence in a frenetic society’, the hue highlights consumers’ desire for a black canvas or fresh start, as well as peace and unity, Pantone details.

“At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and place in the world, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete hue offering a promise of clarity,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director at the Pantone Color Institute.

“The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves. A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences.”

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Focusing on applications of Cloud Dancer in beauty, a Pantone spokesperson comments: “Tied to simplicity, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer offers a clean, modern base for making a statement of minimalist chic, or endless creativity when used as a base for art.

“Whether you’re leaning into soft, dreamy pastels or high-contrast, statement-making details, white nails are the perfect way to keep things fresh, modern and effortlessly chic.”

Click here for Scratch’s gallery of milky white nail ideas.

To mark the launch of Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026 and celebrate global creativity and artistry, the organisation is releasing limited-edition designs, showcasing artists’ interpretations of Cloud Dancer – from graphics to fashion pieces.