Cue the evolution of quiet luxury
Who could have predicted this bold shift? The signs for brown’s meteoric rise were there if you were watching. From paint companies’ palettes to LA-based interior designer Kelly Wearstler’s bronze wonderland Instagram, the glamification of brown signaled the next phase of quiet luxury. Pantone’s Mocha Mousse offers the second food-themed color of the year in a row — and the first time since revealing a color of the year 25 years ago that a shade of brown was chosen. Media outlets have compared the color to natural elements and “little treat culture.” Pantone says the color intends to represent the zeitgeist, playing on a “desire for comfort” and a “growing movement to align ourselves with the natural world.” Read on for ways to envelop ourselves in this cozy, welcoming color, from home to apparel!
Brown shades at home
Paint offers one of the easiest ways to embrace this new neutral. In April, Little Greene launched a range of brown hues, including a decadent chocolate called Ganache. The capsule, inspired by treats like madeleines and affogato, draws from the walls, woodwork, and furniture of historic UK properties. Simultaneously, Farrow & Ball began showing a palette dominated by various browns, including Broccoli Brown and Cardamom. In October, Benjamin Moore revealed Cinnamon Slate as their 2025 Color of the Year, emphasizing balance, reassurance, and restoration at home. Following Pantone’s announcement, BEHR Paint responded with a playful TikTok: “Mocha mousse, meet cocoa nutmeg.”
Color – an international language
Sabrina Carpenter’s song of the summer Espresso summed things up even better than the now sold-out Norma Kamali swimsuit she wears in the video. Bella Hadid’s sheer Saint Laurent gown at Cannes came in café au lait, while at Vogue’s Wimbledon party, model Alva Claire arrived in a brown Ralph Lauren tank dress. Ryan Gosling has long been a fan of tobacco tailoring. Anti-tech, from paint choices to catwalks, brown can be seen as the color du jour. Brands like Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu, JW Anderson, and Chloé embraced some variation, inspiring a 1,000% increase in searches for chocolate brown on the shopping platform LTK this past November. Pantone will take Mocha Mousse on a celebratory international tour, stopping in London, New York, Shanghai, and Mumbai. Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, Laurie Pressman, says, “It’s emblematic of a snapshot in time, and it’s giving people what they feel they need — that color can hope to answer,” Pressman said. “It’s us taking the temperature: What’s taking place in the world around us, and how does that get expressed into the language of color?”
Versatile for beauty & hair
According to Pantone, this soft brown suits various skin tones across various undertones and is a perfect foil for packaging. Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse is a versatile shade, blending seamlessly with other colors and serving as an ideal base for metallic gloss finishes. Juvia’s Place, an inclusive beauty brand, recently debuted The Coffee Shop Collection, with a glam brown eyeshadow palette and flattering lip glosses and liners. The day the Pantone announcement was made, many were inspired to take the rich hair color route!
Mocha mousse merch
Pantone’s Instagram promotes the new shade while adding momentum to products, including Limited Edition Mugs, Cortado, and Espresso Cups. While Pantone can’t copyright “light brown,” they have partnered with companies like Motorola and makeup subscription service Ipsy to create products in color. Speaking of, if you search Arket, “brown” reaps plenty of decadent apparel options! You can also check out British brand Tove’s cult Joni bodysuit and cinnamon tanks.
Symrise has been following the food-color connection, and according to those in the know, brown will continue to be a warm-weather hit. In the comments below, let us know your favorite way to indulge in Mocha Mousse!
