Mint green as a named colour emerged in the 20th century, taking its name from the herb. It became associated with hygiene and freshness in mid-century American design — hospitals, bathrooms, and kitchens were often painted mint green for its associations with cleanliness.

Fresh, clean, and cooling. Mint green is the most refreshing of greens — its lightness removes the heaviness of forest green while retaining greenness. Associated with fresh air, herbal medicine, and cool summer mornings. In large quantities it can feel institutional; in accents it reads as fresh and contemporary.

Mint green was the dominant colour of mid-20th century American institutional spaces — schools, hospitals, and government buildings. This association with institutions gave it a slightly clinical quality that contemporary designers have worked to overcome. In the 2010s, mint green was rehabilitated by Scandinavian and Korean design aesthetics as a fresh, youthful colour.