Pantone shines 'Ultra Violet' light on beauty industry

Pantone has officially declared ‘Ultra Violet' to be the color of the year for 2018, calling the hue "a dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade."

According to experts at the color authority, the color is the perfect shade for creating beauty looks, due to its complex nature and the ease with which it can be blended and combined with contrasting hues. "A singular matte purple on the lips or nails makes a bold statement of non-conformity, while softly blended metallics and shimmers in Ultra Violet transform the eyes into windows to the cosmos," the brand declares. "On the palette for every beauty medium, Ultra Violet complements and emboldens every other color, adding complexity and mystery." With that in mind, we look at five of the newest purple-toned beauty products to help keep you on trend next year.

L'Oreal x Balmain
One of the hottest beauty collaborations of the year came courtesy of L'Oreal Paris and the French fashion house Balmain, who teamed up on a 12-piece lipstick collection unveiled during Paris Fashion Week in September. The shade ‘468 Liberation' is a commanding, edgy dark purple with a rich matte finish.

Tom Ford
Tom Ford's ‘Private Eyes' collection comes in a vast array of colors and finishes, but it is the metallic-edged ‘Purple Reign' that is on trend for 2018.

OPI
OPI's holiday nail polish range includes the striking magenta-purple shade, ‘Feel the Chemis-tree'.

Inc.redible
Manicure brand Nails.Inc branched into the color cosmetics industry this November with the launch of its new beauty line Inc.redible, and it hasn't disappointed. The collection features a range of playful, holographic lip colors, including a ‘Lip Trippin Strobe Lipstick' in the dazzling iridescent purple shade of ‘Fiyay Feeling.'

Sinful Colors
Sinful Colors was another nail polish brand that made its move on the makeup industry last month, debuting a cosmetics collection on Amazon.com in collaboration with Vanessa Hudgens. Highlights include the very colorful ‘Diva Lash Color Mascara' in ‘Scanda-lash', which is described as a "bright, high-impact purple."