Saphir Médaille d'Or shoe polish colour guide
Introduction
Shoe polish will almost never exactly match the colour of your shoes. Even though your shoes are made and branded the colour ‘Cognac’ there are still many interpretations of what the colour needs to look like. This guide will mostly refer to Saphir Médaille d’Or Pommadier shoe creams, but also apply to Saphir Pate de Luxe shoe wax and Saphir crème Surfine since they all use the same colour numbering and naming.
Neutral or coloured shoe polish?
If you're unsure about which shoe polish colour to pick, a neutral shoe cream or shoe wax is often the easiest and safest option. It nourishes the leather while keeping the original colour of your shoes intact. That said, a coloured polish can be really useful too. Over time, leather can lose some of its vibrancy, and that's when a matching shoe cream helps bring the colour back to life. It’s also handy for covering up scuffs and scratches (more on that below).
Make sure to choose the right colour, as a coloured shoe polish will recolor the leather. This is a gradual process, since only about 10% of the pigment in the cream remains on the shoes, so don’t worry about your shoes suddenly changing colour. Sometimes, a colour change is actually desired, in which case you’ll need to polish a bit more frequently. For optimal results during regular maintenance, we recommend alternating between a neutral cream and a pigmented shoe cream.
One exception: For black shoes, we advise using only black shoe cream and wax.
Tip!
Apply shoe cream and wax in thin layers to avoid uneven colouring. Allow it to absorb for 3–5 minutes, then polish with a soft brush.
Our most colourful products
Covering up scratches
To camouflage scratches or any deep cuts into the leather we recommend using a coloured Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier shoe cream and Saphir Médaille d'Or Pate de Luxe wax. Also, using a neutral or colourless polish for a long period of time can cause the colour of your shoes to fade a bit so alternating between a neutral and a coloured shoe polish is recommended. If you are doubting between two shades we recommend picking the one that is slightly darker than the colour of your shoes. A Pommadier cream that is slightly darker than your shoes does a better job at masking scratches and restoring faded colour.
Tip!
When camouflaging scratches, it’s best to apply the shoe cream with a cotton cloth or your fingertips. This way you massage the cream more effectively into the leather, allowing the pigment to bond more deeply and fill the damage more evenly and naturally. Work in small, circular motions for an even result.
Colour guide
01. Black
For black shoes we recommend using only black colour shoe polishes (Saphir Renovateur excluded)
Almost all Saphir products are available in this colour. Among some of the the most popular products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
• Mirror Gloss shoe wax
02. Neutral
Neutral shoe cream and shoe wax is suitable for all colour shoes except black shoes. A practical choice if you want to treat many different colour shoes.
Almost all Saphir products are available in this colour. Among some of the the most popular products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
• Mirror Gloss shoe wax
03. Light brown
This is one of the lightest shades of brown in the Saphir Médaille d'Or assortment. Suited for light brown shoes, but sometimes also works for more yellow-ish shades of tan.
Almost all Saphir products are available in this colour. Among some of the the most popular products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
• Mirror Gloss shoe wax
Colour matched with:
- Allen Edmonds Walnut | Light brown
- Crockett & Jones Tan Burnished Calf | Light brown
04. Brown
A basic colour to have in your shoe shine set. Just a shade darker than 37 medium brown, but less warm theref,ore suitable for a wide range of brown coloured shoes.
This colour is available for products:
05. Dark brown
This is the darkest shade of brown in the Saphir Médaille d'Or colour range. Some shoe brands tend to call this colour espresso. In most cases this is the colour you want to use to give or maintain the dark brown patina on your toe caps.
Almost all Saphir products are available in this colour. Among some of the the most popular products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
• Mirror Gloss shoe wax
06. Dark blue / Navy blue
A very dark blue which would almost make you think it is black when looking at it in the jar. Perfect to recolour your dark blue shoes with. The more creative among us sometimes use Pate de Luxe in this colour to create a dark blue glossy finish.
Almost all Saphir products are available in this colour. Among some of the the most popular products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
• Mirror Gloss shoe wax
07. Saphir blue
A bright and playful shade of blue and Saphir's brand colour.
This colour is available for products:
08. Burgundy
A warm burgundy colour for all your burgundy coloured shoes.
Almost all Saphir products are available in this colour. Among some of the the most popular products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
• Mirror Gloss shoe wax
Colour matched with:
- Loake strand | Burgundy
09. Mahogany
A shade of brown that leans more towards red than any brown shade. The go to colour for all your mahogany coloured shoes.
This colour is available for products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
Colour matched with:
- Loake Aldwych | Mahogany
- Crockett & Jones Chestnut Burnished Calf | Mahogany
10. Cognac
A rich, warm cognac shade that’s both elegant and eye-catching. This colour has a timeless appeal and pairs beautifully with many leathers. For cooler/paler cognac tones, shade 03 Light Brown may be a closer match.
This colour is available for products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
Colour matched with:
- Crockett & Jones Chestnut Antiqued Calf | Cognac
11. Red
This bright red colour by Saphir Médaille d'Or is similar to the shade of red Christian Laboutin uses for their leather soles. Suited for the more playfull shoes.
This colour is available for products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
12. Hermes red
A more distinguished, elegant shade of red available exclusively in the Pommadier shoe cream range. Its deep tone makes it perfectly suited for oxblood shoes, adding richness and refinement while enhancing the leather’s natural depth.
This colour is available for products:
14. Grey
A versatile shade of grey by Saphir Médaille d'Or. Perfect for all your light grey shoes.
This colour is available for products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
15. Dark grey
A versatile shade of grey by Saphir Médaille d'Or. Perfect for all your dark grey shoes.
This colour is available for products:
16. Beige
16. beige is suitable for all your beige and camel coloured leather shoes. Leathers in these lighter shades are suseptible to staining so be sure to do a little test on the shoes first. This colour makes it possible to recolour even these lighter coloured leathers.
This colour is available for products:
20. Dark green
A beautiful dark green shade also often refferred to as forest green or bottle green.
This colour is available for products:
21. White
With this white shoe cream you can colour yellowed white leather white(r). Please note that shoe cream isn't a paint or a dye and will only colour the leather slightly per application.
This colour is available for products:
34. Tobacco brown
Tobacco brown AKA havane by Saphir Médaille d'O is usually best suited for shoes labeled as dark brown. This shade of brown is less dark and a little warmer than 05. Dark brown.
This colour is available for products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
Colour matched with:
- Crockett & Jones Connaught 2 | Dark brown burnished calf
- Loake Cannon | Dark Brown
37. Medium brown
This shade of brown is available for almost all products. The colour probably makes you think of milk chocolate the most.
Almost all Saphir products are available in this colour. Among some of the the most popular products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
• Pate de Luxe shoe wax
• Mirror Gloss shoe wax
Colour matched with:
Loake Buckingham | Brown
38. Hazelnut
A beautiful shade of brown suited for hazelnut brown shoes. A colour often used to dye shoes with.
This colour is available for products:
39. Natural leather
The colour of untreated vegetable tanned leather. Lighter and slightly less yellow than 03 light brown.
This colour is available for products:
46. Petrol blue
A pretty shade of dark blue that reminds us of a dark blue pair of jeans.
This colour is available for products:
87. Plum
This colour is similar to 08 Burgundy, but has more purple mixed in than red.
This colour is available for products:
89. Cherry
A slightly more grown up version of 11 Red. Less bright and outspoken and therefore also has more usecases.
This colour is available for products:
910. Parisian brown
Slightly darker than 34 Tobacco brown, but slightly lighter than 05 dark brown this colour falls right in between. Parisian brown is slightly cooler in colour almost like it contains just a splash of grey.
This colour is available for products:
• Saphir Médaille d'Or Pommadier Cream
Colour matched with:
- Edward Green Chelsea | Dark oak antique
- Crockett & Jones Connaught | Dark brown burnished calf
917. Light hazelnut
A light hazelnut colour. Close to 10 cognac, but less warm in it's colour. (Less orange).
This colour is available for products: