Nail Colors You'll See Everywhere In 2025

With 2025 well under way, nail artists are now primed to give us their style predictions for the year ahead. Metallic nails are one of the nail trends we've seen everywhere in winter 2024-2025, along with a square shape and airbrushed finish, perhaps hinting that 2025 was going to prolong the maximalist era. But when it comes to nail color, in particular, we could be in for a range of subtle classics in addition to bold, in-your-face hues. 

Determined to separate the trending from the dated, and the speculation from the evidence, Glam spoke to Valeria Kharkovska, nail master at Backstage Beauty Salon, a newly opened luxurious beauty spot in the heart of Chelsea in London, England. Kharkovska made one admission in our exclusive chat that's hardly surprising: One of the most in-demand nail colors in 2025 is Mocha Mousse, otherwise known as Pantone's Color of the Year. While a few deeper shades are also paving a new path to define what's cool, Kharkovska notes that timeless neutrals are still holding their own as we enter the middle of the decade.

We've already seen how younger and older celebs alike have nailed Pantone's 2025 Color of the Year, with the likes of Beyoncé, Lizzo, and Hailey Bieber all jumping on the cocoa-colored bandwagon. The natural next step is for this subtly provocative hue to infiltrate our nail salons. "We're seeing the rise of interest for all coffee-inspired light-brown shades across our clients, and even big nail polish brands like Luxio produced a line of Mocha colors in different shades that we've already purchased for the salon," Valeria Kharkovska tells us exclusively. "In 2025, we think this trend will continue to grow, especially during the autumn season."

If asking for Mocha Mousse isn't enough at your nail salon, request a color similar to milky coffee or cocoa beans; this should help paint the picture of what you want. Otherwise, search for Mocha Mousse nails on social media and take in any photos you like to your nail technician; they should be able to match up the color to the photo. For those doing their nails at home, the GAOY Brown Gel Nail Polish is a good match, as is the COSMOO Light Coffee Nail Polish. 

Brown nails not really your thing? Kharkovska reveals that there are other deep colors you can opt for and still stay on top of the trends. "Burgundy and deep red are still [in] high demand since last year," she observes. However, the deeper-tone trend doesn't apply to all darker colors, with Kharkovska adding, "On the flip side, deep blue and green shades are becoming less and less popular across our customers." A great DIY pick for a burgundy manicure, by the way, is the Essie Nail Color in the shade Wicked.

The usual suspects seem to remain popular year in and year out, and you can never truly be out of style with a safe nude or neutral nail. But Valeria Kharkovska believes that we may see a vanilla boom come spring, with nudes and neutrals rising in popularity. "This year, baby pink is on the top of customer requests," she observes. For those who like their neutrals with a little oomph, you could try bringing sparkle to your basic manicure design with the neutral glam nails trend, which feature simple colors with shimmery overlays. Otherwise, pick from our list of classy nude nail designs that will never go out of style, from sheer fairy-tale nails to milky pink ballerina nails. The GAOY Jelly Nude Gel Nail Polish is a great option for a brown-tinged nude, so you can get the best of multiple 2025 trends.

"We can not help but mention the classic French manicure," Kharkovska adds in our exclusive chat. "With the trending rise in natural beauty across hair, makeup and nail industries, [the] French manicure is getting more and more popular this year." Luckily, there are plenty of French kits available to help you do this manicure at home, including the Born Pretty French Manicure Kit. Of course, there are many ways to put an updated twist on the classic French manicure, too. Experiment with chrome finishes, deeper-colored tips, themed accents and embellishments, and even nail jewelry to shake up this long-time favorite.