Lavender “Very Peri” named Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2022

The global authority on colour, Pantone, has announced 17-3938 “Very Peri” as its Colour of the Year 2022.

The “happiest and warmest of all the blue hues”, the shade is “a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone blends the faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red,” said the company. 

The colour is described as “displaying a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit”, and, as we begin to emerge from isolation periods and our digital and physical lives have merged in a new way, the colour acts as “a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through”.

The colour is expected to make a huge impact in the beauty industry, and will be seen in the nail, make-up and hair sectors as brands integrate the colour into their products. The colour lends itself well as an eyeshadow choice for brown eyes, as the hue brings out the true brown shades in the iris.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of The Pantone Color Institute, said: “Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude, and dynamic presence that encourages creativity and imaginative expressions.”

The colour was selected based on socioeconomic conditions, which include travel, music, art, lifestyle, beauty, social media, and new technologies.

Very Peri brings a big change after last year’s colour pairing of Ultimate Gray and bright yellow Illuminating, which was described as “a marriage of colour conveying a message of strength and hopefulness”, and reverts back to the blue colour family, last seen two years ago with 2020’s “calm, confidence and connection” instilling Classic Blue.

Previous colours chosen include bright shades Living Coral in 2019, Ultra Violet in 2018 and Greenery in 2019.