The world's authority on color has spoken: 2024 is the year of "Peach Fuzz."

The Pantone Color Institute named its color of the year on Thursday, declaring our need for compassion and human connection in the year ahead.

According to influential color consultancy, only one shade can deliver on that front: Pantone describes the orange-pink hue as gentle, warm and cozy, subtly sensual and heartfelt.

Peach Fuzz, a "velvety peach tone" is meant to represent "our desire to nurture ourselves and others" and "whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul."

"In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless," said Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone's executive director, in a news release.

Pantone's colors of the year end up shaping product development and consumer decisions in fashion, industrial and interior design, product packaging and other industry areas.

Pantone previously picked Viva Magenta for 2023 and Very Peri for 2022.

The new, orange-pink hue brings comfort, calm and beauty to a digital world, the company said; it's modern, while also referencing the past.