Summer 2026 is bringing colour back to fingertips and toes. From soft pastels and sheer neutrals to saturated pinks, Mediterranean blues and sunlit corals, this season’s nail polish collections embrace a noticeably broader palette.

Chanel, Birkenstock, Kure Bazaar, Dior, Pink Gellac, Manucurist, Cénée and Nailberry each approach the season differently. Some return to timeless reds and delicate pinks. Others explore butter yellow, vivid blue, green and high-impact colour.

The result is a summer manicure wardrobe designed to move easily from city days to seaside escapes.

Chanel Captures the Light of Summer

For its L’Appel de l’été collection, Chanel introduces two exclusive shades that reflect two different moments of the season.

Solstice arrives as a luminous coral, warm and instantly summery. Party Girl, meanwhile, offers an iridescent pink illuminated with shimmering reflections.

Together, the shades move effortlessly from bright afternoons to evenings after sunset, while staying within Chanel’s polished approach to colour.

Birkenstock Brings Colour to Its Summer Icons

Best known for sandals that have become synonymous with effortless summer dressing, Birkenstock is extending its universe to beauty with its first nail polish collection.

The line features five shades alongside a top coat. Red and Eggshell offer an understated, timeless approach, while Light Rose, Surf Green and Crocus introduce a softer pastel dimension.

It feels like a natural extension of the Birkenstock summer aesthetic. After all, when sandals become part of the daily uniform, the pedicure becomes part of the look too.

Dior Looks Towards the Mediterranean

With Dioriviera, Dior turns once again towards a Mediterranean vision of summer.

The house introduces Sunset, a warm coral touched with bronze reflections, alongside Azur, a clear and luminous blue. The contrast captures two defining elements of the season: the warmth of late-afternoon sunlight and the freshness of the sea.

More broadly, blue has emerged as one of summer 2026’s strongest nail directions, appearing alongside coral, milky whites and butter yellow across the season’s beauty palette.

Manucurist Turns Up the Colour

Manucurist takes a more experimental direction for summer with Electric Feel, a three-shade collection designed around luminous finishes and electric colour.

Halo is a milky glazed mauve, Bloom introduces a neon pink with blue undertones, while Groove brings a pearlescent green into the mix. The three colours are available in the brand’s Green and Green Flash formulas.

Beyond the collection, the French brand is also embracing contrasting summer shades, from vibrant Bougainvillea red to the almost fluorescent Brazil green.

Kure Bazaar Revisits Summer Through Richer Colour

Kure Bazaar offers a different interpretation of the season. Rather than limiting summer nails to pastels, the Parisian brand explores a wider spectrum of shades.

Orange is particularly relevant for sun-warmed skin, with Kure Bazaar highlighting tones that move between bright citrus, coral and deeper terracotta. At the same time, shades such as Ganache, a chocolate brown, show how darker colours can also find a place in a summer manicure.

Its current colour universe also includes new shades such as Rouge Imperial, Rouge Illusion, Rouge Velvet, Vert Manoir and Pepper Grey, balancing classic polish tones with less expected alternatives.

Cénée Makes the Classics Feel Current

Cénée approaches nail colour through a compact wardrobe that moves easily between neutrals and stronger shades.

The collection includes Rose Nude, Corail, Rouge Cinabre, Rouge Profond, Cerise Noire, Bleu Marine, Mocha, Crème and Rose Clarkia, alongside a transparent base and top coat.

For summer, coral and softer cream-toned shades feel particularly relevant. Meanwhile, the brand’s nail formulas contain more than 80% ingredients of natural origin, positioning colour alongside its wider dermo-active beauty philosophy.

The Colours to Wear Now

There is no single manicure defining summer 2026. Instead, the season is about choosing between different expressions of colour.

Coral remains a natural warm-weather classic, while blue brings a fresher Mediterranean note. Pastels stay relevant, but brighter pinks, greens and yellows are becoming increasingly visible. At the same time, milky whites, sheer pinks and even deeper chocolate tones offer quieter alternatives.

From Chanel’s luminous coral to Dior’s Mediterranean blue, Manucurist’s neon accents the summer 2026 nail trends are less about following one shade than finding the colour that completes the season.