Golden Artist Colors is meticulous in their continuous testing of art materials for lightfastness and quality. The company has a very clear goal of making the best artist paints possible.

In a time when so many companies see how far they can reduce quality before a consumer notices, GOLDEN continues to resist this trend and make improvements wherever possible regardless of cost.

https://www.justpaint.org/hansa-update/

Benzimidazolone Yellow Light (PY175) and Benzimidazolone Yellow Medium (PY154) are replacing their Hansa Yellow counterparts throughout the lines. The new colors were announced, with the associated downgrade of the lightfastness rating of Hansa Yellow counterparts to ‘Fair’, in early 2018.

While the company continued to manufacture Hansa Yellows up to this point, on November 17, 2020, the announcement was released to discontinue these colors across all colors lines.

The Benz Yellows fall in the same color space, but have a superior lightfast rating, They’ve been well received by artists for the past two years. Benzimidazolone is a lightfast alternative to Hansa Yellow and is durable, clean mixing, moderate tinting and excellent for glazing. Available in Heavy Body, Fluid, High Flow and OPEN.

Retailers are likely to have remaining inventory of the Hansa Yellows for a brief period of time. But I know you will find the Benz Yellows a lovely addition to your palette. And Benz is much easier to say than Benzimidazolone – so I’m sticking with that shorthand.

Here are some resources to get your Benz!

Benz colors in Watercolor

Benz colors in High Flow Acrylic paint:

Benz colors in Fluid Acrylic paint:

Benz colors in OPEN Acrylics paint

Benz colors in Heavy Body Acrylic paint

I grew up in Kansas, so there is usually an Oz reference somewhere. As Glinda the Good says, “It’s always best to start at the beginning – and all you do is follow the [Benzimidazolone] Yellow Brick Road.” It’s excellent here.