This Is the Most Attractive Color You Can Wear, Study Shows

There are many things that can make you seem more attractive.

The idea of attractiveness is always changing and can be based on a number of different factors. A recent U.K. study found that specific eye colors are more attractive than others: blue for males and hazel for females. Dack in 2021, researchers found that even your name could set you up to be more desirable, with Anna being the most common name among famous models, and David or Dave being most common among male models.

Of course, attractiveness has also changed during the pandemic: A study from Jan. 2022 found that wearing a blue medical face mask can make you look more desirable to other people. But as it turns out, the color of your face mask isn't the only color to consider.

Wearing one specific color can make you appear more attractive.

If you're looking to up your level of attractiveness through something as simple as a wardrobe change, you're in luck. A 2021 study published in the Color Research & Application journal sought to determine what is seen as the most attractive color someone can wear. The researchers for this study selected 14 Pantone colors to evaluate based on colors most frequently mentioned in previous studies, and gathered 146 respondents to complete an online questionnaire concerning attractiveness and unattractiveness in regards to the colors.

According to the study, the most attractive color in terms of fashion is black. The second most attractive color is pink, followed by the color yellow. On the other hand, the two least attractive colors someone can wear were determined to be gray, followed by brown as the "most unattractive color," the researchers said.

The color black has risen in popularity for clothing in recent years.

Black has not typically topped the list of color preferences in prior color studies, "as the color black is often associated with negative associations," the study noted. But the researchers explained that they were aiming to "showcase new color preference trends in the digital age" for their new study. And it's clear that the popularity of the color black has risen in the recent years—both among designers and consumers.

The study cited recent analysis from the retailer Edited who looked at more than 183,000 dresses sold online in the U.S. and found that 38.5 percent were black in some way. This analysis also revealed that from 2014 to 2017, the amount of black clothing being sold to women increased significantly at several fast fashion brands, including at Boohoo by 269 percent, Zara by 145 percent, and H&M by 114 percent. "Clearly, people dressed entirely in black reflect the modern fashion system in which wearing black has become fashionable," the researchers stated in their study.

Experts say this color can help people appear to have more desirable traits.

The study's results indicate that "participants tend to prefer distinctive colors," such as black, pink, and yellow. But that's not the only reason why wearing black might help you attract others. Experts say this color often makes people appear as if they have traits or qualities that are typically deemed as desirable.

"Black is associated with power and authority. Wearing black may subconsciously give the impression to others that you are someone who is strong and in charge," Ashley Grader, a beauty expert who manages a beauty school directory website, explains. "And people who are in positions of power and authority are often considered to be more attractive than those who are not."

Amber Lee, a relationship expert of more than 20 years and CEO of Select Date Society, reveals that she tends to recommend her matchmaking clients wear the color black on a first date. "We often suggest that women wear a little black dress and that men opt for a black dress shirt or black blazer," she says. "You can't go wrong with black, so it makes choosing a great date outfit easy. Black is elegant, sophisticated, and classy."