Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year Slammed For Being ‘Tone-Deaf’ and ‘Completely Cringeworthy’

Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year is getting some serious shade.

On Thursday, December 4, the company announced that PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer was their color of the year, posting an Instagram video featuring a person dressed in a white jacket and pants combo being buffeted by a breeze against a backdrop of clouds.

“A lofty white neutral whose aerated presence acts as a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world. PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer symbolizes a calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection,” the company wrote in part in the caption. “A billowy white imbued with serenity, it invites true relaxation and focus, allowing the mind to wander and creativity to breathe.”

The public took to the comment section to discuss the color choice, with many suggesting it tells a bigger story about current national events.

“Worst pick ever Pantone. Boring and completely cringeworthy,” one person commented.

“Color is slowly fading from our world… but I refuse to dim ✨,” a second noted.

“This says a lot about the state of the world, how boring,” a third added.

Another suggested the choice was “painfully tone-deaf” amid reports of the rise of white supremacy in the U.S.

“Skin tones did not factor into this at all,” Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute, told the Washington Post, while Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute shared a statement about the color on the company’s website.

“At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete white hue offering a promise of clarity,” Eiseman shared. “The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves. A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences.”