Caran d'Ache
Caran d’Ache: A Century of Colour Expertise
For more than 100 years, Caran d’Ache has been synonymous with Swiss quality, colour expertise and creative expression. Founded in Geneva in 1915, the family-owned Maison has remained committed to developing and manufacturing its colour products in Switzerland, combining generations of craftsmanship with continual innovation.
At the heart of Caran d’Ache is a deep understanding of colour, pigments and the way artists interact with materials. Its colour ranges are developed using carefully selected raw materials and pigments, with around 400 shades across the wider colour collection. From the composition of the pigment and binder through to the finished product, each stage is carefully controlled to deliver consistency, intensity, texture and an exceptional creative experience.
Colour innovation since 1931
Caran d’Ache has repeatedly pioneered new ways to work with colour. In 1931, it introduced Prismalo, recognised as the world’s first watercolour pencil, establishing a heritage of innovation in water-soluble colour. This spirit continues through an extensive portfolio spanning permanent and water-soluble coloured pencils, watercolour pencils, pastels, wax pastels, oil pastels, fibre-tip colours, gouache and acrylic paints.
The collection includes some of the Maison’s most celebrated Fine Arts products. Luminance 6901 combines an exceptionally lightfast, permanent colour formulation with a smooth, highly blendable texture, making it particularly suited to professional artists and detailed work. Pablo offers precision and rich, permanent colour, while Museum Aquarelle brings the qualities of fine watercolour paint into pencil form. Neocolor I and II have become iconic wax pastels, valued for their coverage, versatility and, in the case of Neocolor II, water-soluble properties.
Swiss craftsmanship and product excellence
Quality is built into the manufacturing process. Caran d’Ache’s colour products are made in its Geneva workshops, where specialist knowledge accumulated over generations is combined with modern production techniques. More than 90 specialist trades contribute to the Maison’s manufacturing expertise, helping preserve the craftsmanship behind its products while allowing Caran d’Ache to continue innovating.
For coloured pencils, production involves numerous stages, from the selection and preparation of the wood and colour formulation through to finishing the completed pencil. Careful controls throughout production help ensure the quality, performance and consistency expected of a Swiss Made product.
This combination of heritage, technical knowledge and meticulous manufacturing is what distinguishes Caran d’Ache. The result is colour designed not simply to look beautiful, but to perform: delivering richness, precision, blendability, durability and a distinctive interaction with the surface being worked on.
A heritage trusted by artists
Caran d’Ache’s colour heritage extends from generations of students and emerging creatives to professional artists, illustrators, designers and architects. Its products have become part of the creative vocabulary of internationally recognised artists, while remaining accessible to anyone discovering the pleasure of drawing and colour.
For e-commerce, Caran d’Ache offers a compelling proposition: a genuine Swiss heritage brand with more than a century of colour expertise, exceptional product quality and a portfolio developed for every level of creative expression. From a first set of coloured pencils to professional Fine Arts materials, Caran d’Ache brings together the precision of Swiss manufacturing, the depth of pigment knowledge and a passion for colour that has defined the Maison since 1915.
Caran d’Ache — Swiss Made colour expertise, crafted for creative expression