Forecasters name neo mint colour of choice for SS20

Neo mint will be making its mark on beauty, hair and fashion in spring/summer 2020, according to trend forecaster WGSN.

The Beauty Global Colour SS20 report, which forecasts seasonal colour trends 24 months before they enter the retail space using a combination of social science, deep insight and instinct, predicts the cool mint tone will be big, encapsulating a drive towards futuristic times.

“It’s a shade that succinctly aligns futuristic development with nature. For years, we’ve been imagining life in 2020, and now the worlds of technology and science are turning these dreams into reality,” says Jane Monnington Boddy, WGSN colour director. 

“[In 2020] it’s the first ‘AI Olympic Games,’ where AI will be helping gymnastics judges to score marks as precisely as possible, and the world’s tallest building – the neo-futuristic Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia – will be completed, standing 1km high.”

The shift away from mid-tones and neutrals to cooler hues “signifies the dawn of a new decade”, with the likes of clinical blues and greens, soft oranges and yellows coming to the fore in beauty palettes – colours set to be “trans seasonal, versatile and gender neutral”. 

Millennial Pink and generation Z bright yellow will fade out of fashion after hitting market saturation. However, “warmth” will still remain key for beauty lines, with earthy, relatable tones “that offer an antidote to an era defined by digital connections”, the report says. 

Red, in particular, will take on deep, earthy tones with russet influences, and will no longer be used on just the cheeks and lips, becoming a focus for eyeshadow palettes too. 

WGSN’s Key Colours present a glimpse of the five tones set to make a big impact in 2020:

You can access the report here.

Earlier this year, colour systems provider Pantone announced Ultra violet as its Colour of the Year 2018.