Mocha Mousse (Pantone 12-1230) has been chosen by Pantone as Color of the Year 2025. The company describes it as a brown color with sensory and comforting warmth that, according to the company, evokes the delicious quality of cocoa, chocolate and coffee, and appeals to the desire for well-being.
It is about the Pantone Color of the Year number 26since the Pantone Color Institute launched the initiative in 1999 with the objective, as it points out, of “engage global design communities and color enthusiasts, generating conversations about the cultural meaning of color”.
As Pantone explains, it is a tone that alludes to everyday pleasures and expresses reflective indulgence, and describes it as sophisticated, elegant and exuberant, but at the same time an unpretentious classic. Among other things, it also points out that it connects with the earth and inspires motivation and luxury. “Imbued with subtle elegance and earthy refinement, it presents a touch of discreet and tasteful glamor”says the Pantone Color Institute.
The company ensures that Mocha Mousse inspires to create experiences that increase comfort and personal well-beingfrom sweet treats to nature walks. Pantone notes that this color can be used alone or as a versatile base, enhancing a wide range of palettes and applications.
Pantone has selected Mocha Mousse as the 2025 Color of the Year for its ability to connect people with the natural world. He says that it is a tone characterized by its organic nature, authenticity, minimalism and that finds harmony and balance between modernity and the timeless beauty of artistic creation.
Along these lines, Pantone Color Institute points out that Mocha Mousse picks up the baton of Pecha Fuzz, which was chosen Color of the Year 2024. Thus, it elevates the feeling of well-being, calm and connection to another dimension.
During the last two weeks, Pantone has conducted a survey for users to indicate which tone family the Pantone Color of 2025 would fall into. According to the latest results shared by the company, 30% of voters pointed to the green family; while blue and purple were tied as second option with 14% of the votes.
To unveil Mocha Mousse, Pantone will highlight the color for the first time at events and experiences around the world: from New York and London to Shanghai and Mumbai. The first stop on this international tour will be the London Eye, which will show the color today, Thursday, December 5, and will shine throughout the night.
As is common in recent years, the company has also partnered with several brands to show the Color of the Year, among them, Motorola, the decoration firm Joybird, or the fragrance brand Pura.
Pantone also proposes a series of palettes to combine Mocha Mousse:
- Uniquely balanced, a grouping of warm and cool tones, multicolor
- Floral Pathways, soft floral tones
- Deliciousness, shades that convey sweet colors
- Subtle contrasts, composed of shades of blue and gray
- Relaxed elegance, in beige, cream and brown tones
The choice of Pantone Color of the Year
Pantone started choose the Color of the Year since 1999 with the intention of reflecting on the relationship between culture and color. It has now become a popular culture phenomenon, attracting the attention of the global design community and delivering an iconic message to billions of color enthusiasts.
The first Pantone Color of the Year was Cerulean Blue, and more than two dozen colors have come after it. In recent years, it has been selected Classic Blue (2020), Gray and Illuminating (2021), Very Pery (2022), Long live Magenta (2023) and, the last, Peach Fuzz (2024).
It should be remembered that there have been two occasions in which Pantone has selected two tone as Color of the Year. The first was in 2016 with Rose Quartz and Serenity; and the second was in 2021 with Gray and Illuminating. On the other hand, 2022 was a first for Pantone created a totally new color for Color of the Year, which was Very Peri.
For more than two decades, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and decision making in multiple industries. The company is aware that this tone will be transferred in the coming months to areas such as fashion, beauty, interior decoration or design.
The selection of the pigment is carried out by the specialists of the Pantone Color Institute and, therefore, the definition of the Color of the Year is the result of the analysis of current trends. Products, services and aesthetic proposals from fields such as the film industry, entertainment, art, tourism or new technologies influence the resolution.
