Pantone Invented a New Hue for Its 2022 Color of the Year

It’s often not until we look back that we can see that a color defined or can be closely associated with an era or year. You might say avocado green belonged to the late ‘60s thanks to so many household fridges featuring the color; and perhaps the mid-’80s can claim neon yellow (or neon any shade, for that matter). But every December, instead of looking back, Pantone gets a feel for what’s going on currently and attempts to set a vibe for the next 12 months by declaring the Pantone Color of the Year. And today, the company known for being the arbiter of all things color-related, has announced that for 2022, it’s all about Very Peri. 

Pantone describes Very Peri, AKA 17-3938, as “a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet-red undertone.” In other words: blurple. But there truly is something special about the newly created shade. Pantone, which always waxes poetic about its Color of the Year, and this year, it says the “inquisitive and intriguing” color displays “a care-free confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit.” Furthermore, Pantone says in a press statement that Very Peri “helps us to embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives,” referring to the worldwide changes of the last two years. “Rekindling gratitude for some of the qualities that blue represents complemented by a new perspective that resonates today, Pantone 17-3938 Very Peri places the future ahead in a new light.”

Well, yes, but it’s also a really beautiful color to wear — especially on your face, in your hair, or on your nails. “Suggestive of personal inventiveness and daring imagination, Pantone 17-3938 Very Peri makes a novel statement for eyes, nails, and especially in hair in a variety of finishes and applications from glittery and glam to dusty matte,” Pantone’s announcement reads. As usual, there will be collaborations with brands across a variety of industries, but you don’t have to wait for a Very Peri beauty collab to start incorporating the color into your look.

One of the ways we’re most looking forward to wearing Very Peri is as an eyeliner. Wet n Wild MegaLiner Liquid Eyeliner in Voltage Blue looks incredible with just mascara and on an otherwise bare eye because of its instant intensity. For a more blendable liner option that can even be worn as a shadow, try J. Cat Beauty The Big Eye Pencil in Violet. The shade Vanilla Sky also reads quite Very Peri, though in a softer, more blue-leaning way.

Very Peri may seem like an especially bold choice for lips, but there’s a subtle yet stand-out way to wear it: Pat McGrath Labs Lust: Gloss in Astral Moon Flower. It adds periwinkle pearlescence to bare lips while letting your natural lip color still show through. 

Very Peri is obviously going to be a breakout star at nail salons, and if you feel like adding the shade to your at-home arsenal of polishes, there are several widely available options. We love OPI Nail Lacquer in Show Us Your Tips, a stunning periwinkle with lots of shimmer. For a more muted manicure, check out the creamy goodness that is Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Crying Out Loud.

And of course, for the lowest-lift way to wear Very Peri, look to easy hair accessories like headbands and scrunchies. Our favorite at the moment: Madewell’s Fleece Scrunchie in Dusk Peri. The fabric gives is a casual vibe, but the color says, “Yeah, I’m pretty fancy, actually.”

We’re looking forward to watching Very Peri find its way into countless aspects of our lives in 2022. After all, in the words of Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, “As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication and as a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red-violet-infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lie before us.”

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