Color of 2025: Pantone Names Mocha Mousse as Color for the Year 2025

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Color of 2025

Pantone has distinguished Mocha Mousse (Pantone 17-1230) as its Color of the Year 2025, characterizing it as “a unique, evocative soft brown that transports our senses into the pleasure and deliciousness it inspires.” 

With its quiet luxury and tasteful indulgence, this shade promises to influence fashion, interiors, and beyond.

Key takeaways

  • Everyday Pleasures: Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, calls Mocha Mousse a “flavorful brown shade,” delivering “sensorial warmth” and “a discrete and tasteful touch of glamour.”
  • Global Buzz: Pantone’s servers crashed during the announcement, highlighting the intense interest in the new shade.
  • Design Impact: Will Mocha Mousse redefine fashion, tech, and interior trends or blend into the background of bolder choices?
  • Color Psychology: Mocha Mousse symbolizes indulgence, groundedness, and quiet luxury, resonating with our desire for connection and rootedness.

Thoughtful indulgence in every hue

The Pantone Color Institute announced Mocha Mousse on Thursday. The shade reflects a growing desire for “everyday pleasures.” 

According to Eiseman, it represents “thoughtful indulgence,” offering a subtle sense of glamour while connecting us to earthy comforts.

Described as a “flavorful brown shade,” Mocha Mousse evokes luscious desserts, rich coffee, and cacao. 

Its sensorial warmth creates a feeling of connection, turning brown into an aspirational color that embraces quiet luxury rather than loud statements.

Pantone’s 2025 Color goes global

For the first time, Pantone is taking its Color of the Year on a worldwide tour. The launch began at the London Eye, which was lit up in Mocha Mousse during the unveiling. 

Events in New York, Mumbai, Shanghai, and other cities will follow, marking the shade’s global debut.

Pantone’s annual colors have a long history of influence. From Met Gala gowns to film art direction, makeup, and furniture, the Color of the Year often sets a tone that ripples across industries.

A shade that whispers, not shouts

With its representation of quiet luxury, Mocha Mousse is set to shift the narrative around brown tones.

It’s a shade that whispers, not shouts, and its unique qualities are sure to be appreciated by design enthusiasts.

Brown’s connection to earthiness adds to its appeal, lending a sense of rootedness that complements its indulgent charm.

However, its understated nature raises the question: Will Mocha Mousse stand out enough to dominate design trends?

From Peach Fuzz to Mocha Mousse

Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz, was a soft peach that symbolized warmth, compassion, and empathy. 

Laurie Pressman, Pantone’s Vice President, described it as “a color of compassion” that brought succor to a world recovering from pandemic hardships, war, and mass shootings.

Peach Fuzz’s message of joy and self-care resonated deeply, while Mocha Mousse builds on this foundation, embracing indulgence and rootedness.

The two shades complement each other, offering a natural progression in Pantone’s yearly picks.

Competing shades for 2025

While Pantone’s choice often leads trends, other brands have announced their 2025 colors:

  • Cinnamon Slate (Benjamin Moore): A warm, spicy hue.
  • Purple Basil (Glidden Paint): A bold, sophisticated tone.
  • Mapped Blue (Dutch Boy Paints): A muted, timeless blue with cool undertones.
  • Caramelized (Dunn-Edwards Paints): A terra-cotta shade with organic warmth.

The competition highlights the diversity in color trends, but Mocha Mousse’s soft indulgence sets it apart.

Beyond the year: Expanding the palette

In late 2022, Pantone added 224 new colors to its Pantone Matching System, reformulating its base mixing inks for the first time since 1963. 

These new shades addressed the need for colors that bridge gaps between existing ones, covering groups like earthy blues, warm grays, bold reds, and delicate pinks.

Pantone continues expanding its influence across industries with nearly 25,000 colors in its libraries.

Will Mocha Mousse inspire or fade?

Mocha Mousse enters a world eager for quiet luxury and connection. Its understated glamour and earthy tones align with current design trends, but its success depends on how fashion, tech, and interiors embrace it—or choose to defy it.

As Pantone boldly names Mocha Mousse the color of 2025, the industry’s collective gaze turns to this flavorful shade. 

Will it dominate runways and living rooms, or will louder contenders overshadow it? Only time will tell.

Source: Forbes

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Jayshree Ochwani

Jayshree Ochwani is a seasoned content strategist and communications professional passionate about crafting compelling and impactful messaging. With years of experience creating high-quality content across various platforms, she brings a keen eye for detail and a unique ability to transform ideas into engaging narratives that captivate and resonate with diverse audiences.

She excels at understanding her clients' unique needs and developing targeted messaging that drives meaningful engagement. Whether through brand storytelling, marketing campaigns, or thought leadership content, her strategic mindset ensures that every piece is designed to inform and inspire action.

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Jayshree Ochwani

Content Strategist

Jayshree Ochwani, a content strategist has an keen eye for detail. She excels at developing content that resonates with audience & drive meaningful engagement.

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