2025’s trending colours: A look at Mocha Mousse, Cinnamon Slate, and more

Mocha mousse might sound like a delicious dessert, but it is also the name of a colour – not just any colour, but the Colour of the Year for 2025, according to Pantone.

The company is among the world’s leading providers of colour guides and standards across industries such as fashion, advertising and architecture. Every year, its experts survey the global cultural landscape to determine the exact shade that reflects the current zeitgeist.

Ms Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Colour Institute, says Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse is a rich but mellow brown that exudes “comforting warmth”.

As always, the annual announcement attracted admirers and detractors alike. American daily newspaper The Washington Post called it “a win for quiet luxury”, but design magazine Dezeen said it was a classic example of “ensh***ification”.

On social media, some netizens excitedly shared clothes or make-up palettes matching the shade, while others posted poop emojis.  

Brown is not as vibrant or exciting as rainbow colours like violet or red. But, as The Washington Post noted, its earthiness has made it popular among proponents of quiet luxury.

For instance, brown is up there with the most popular colours of the iconic Hermes Birkin bag, and a camel coat is a staple in any stylish jet-setter’s wardrobe. 

The Pantone Colour Institute created five palettes for Mocha Mousse, four of which highlight how well brown hues can balance bolder colours.

The Uniquely Balanced palette, for instance, incorporates Blue Curacao, a cool shade reminiscent of light teal, and the warm, magenta-like Cattleya Orchid. 

Meanwhile, the Floral Pathways palette takes a softer approach, with light pastel shades of violet and green joining Mocha Mousse. Think of a brown leather sofa accented with lilac and cornflower blue.

Pantone is not the only trendsetter in the world of colours.

American paint company Benjamin Moore has chosen its colour of the year: Cinnamon Slate, which looks like a close relation of Mocha Mousse. 

The brand describes it as “a delicate mix of heathered plum and velvety brown”. Matching colours include a shade called antique pearl – reminiscent of the dark ivory of aged pearls – and rich browns such as “pine cone brown”. 

Ms Andrea Magno, director of colour marketing and design at Benjamin Moore, said in a press statement that the deep, rich warmth of Cinnamon Slate comes across as approachable and comfortable when used in interior design.

“As the use of more saturated colour in design has increased in recent years, we are seeing a growing interest in more nuanced colours, whose undertones add intricacy and dimension,” she added.

In contrast, architectural paint company Dulux chose a 2025 shade that feels antithetical to Mocha Mousse: True Joy, a cheerful yellow that the brand describes as optimistic and positive.

As a statement colour, it works well in spaces that may benefit from a burst of sunshine, such as a nursery or home office.

Like Mocha Mousse, True Joy is versatile. It combines well with bold accent colours like navy blue for a classic eclectic look, or with earth tones like olive green for cottagecore.

Coloro, a colour-coding system developed by international trend forecasting company WGSN and the China Textile Information Center, picked Future Dusk for 2025. Coloro makes its forecasts well in advance, having selected the dusky hue, which sits between blue and purple, in May 2023. 

In a press statement announcing Future Dusk’s coronation as Coloro’s Colour of the Year for 2025, the brand said: “As consumers continue to feel anxious in an era of ‘polycrisis’, colours that bring a sense of reassurance will be key in 2025, and we expect to see captivating tinted darks gain momentum.”

Future Dusk is a warmer take on a dark blue. Purple tones lend it a softness suited to a variety of applications, such as clothing and make-up. 

It is also a contrast to Coloro’s Colour of the Year for 2026, which was announced in 2024: Transformative Teal, which reflects the aquatic blue-green of the world’s oceans. 

The brand called it a shade that “represents change and redirection, and can help encourage resilience in the face of complex climate challenges”.  

As it happens, teal matches well with some of the forecast colours of 2025. For example, the vibrant yellow of True Joy and the warmth of both Cinnamon Slate and Mocha Mousse make them each a strong counter-balance to teal’s cool vibes. 

While there is some synergy between the various colours of the year, they are all distinct – which suggests the very idea of a “colour of the year” is dubious.

Colours may impact people’s moods, but the way each person perceives a colour depends on the culture he or she grew up in and other factors. For example, black is the dress code at a Western funeral, but that colour is avoided for Hindu funerals.

But even if the relevance or impact of colour trends is debatable, they provide a framework for experimenting with how people look at and use colour, and can even be a way of documenting the new year and all that it will bring forth. 

So, if you are still on the hunt for a new planner for 2025, or are about to change up your phone case, why not visualise or buy them in shades of Mocha Mousse or Future Dusk? Hopefully, they will help set the tone for a fruitful 2025. 

This article was originally published in The Straits Times.