Soapy pedicures were the biggest beauty trend at the Met Gala 2026

If you're looking for inspiration for your spring-summer pedicures now that the weather is warmer, you might want to take a closer look at the Met Gala 2026 red carpet.

While the clothes are the main attraction at the Met Gala, with everyone debating whether their faves nailed the dress code, beauty doesn't take a back seat. This year, soapy pedicures rose to become one of the biggest beauty trends of the night and we are definitely taking notes for the months ahead.

The soap nail trend has been rising in popularity since late last year, earning the cosigns of Zendaya, Jenna Ortega, and more. The trend has mainly lived in manicure form up until now, but the Met Gala is changing things up. While long trains and cascading dresses are a Met Gala staple, which often cover the feet, some attendees this year opted to show off their red-carpet-ready pedicures with open-toe sandals, and two main variants of the soapy pedicure trend stole the spotlight: milky whites and pinky nudes.

Soapy pedicures: milky whites edition

Milky-white soap pedicures reigned supreme on the Met Gala red carpet, with multiple iterations of the trend sported by various celebrities. Bridgerton and Devil Wears Prada 2 star Simone Ashley had one of the boldest takes, complementing her Stella McCartney chain dress with a matching soapy mani-pedi moment that further accented her diamond jewelry.

Joey King went the full pastel route, contrasting her white soap pedicure to her pinkish Miu Miu dress. Ayo Edebiri opted for a similar pastel approach, but instead chose a white shade to perfectly match her custom Chanel by Matthieu Blazy. Lisa of BLACKPINK, one of the night's host committee members, also embraced the white pedicure, though leaning towards a more optical-bright, soapy shade that stood out against the sheer fabric of her custom Robert Wun gown.

Perhaps the most soapy take on it all goes to Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who opted for a glossy nude-white pedicure (and matching manicure) to perfectly complement her bubble mini dress by Iris van Herpen, made up of 15,000 individual glass orbs. (You can see all the looks scrolling horizontally in the gallery below)

Soapy pedicures: pinky nudes edition

The second variant of the soapy pedi trend on the Met Gala favored pinky nudes for a similar soft look. 17-year-old Sunday Rose, the daughter of co-chair Nicole Kidman, was among the first to rock the trend on the carpet, donning a baby pink shade on her toes to match her Dior gown by Jonathan Anderson, which was adorned with raffia flowers.

WNBA star Angel Reese also opted for the matchy-matchy approach, rocking a nude-ish pink that perfectly complemented her skin tone and the powdery dusty pink of her voluminous taffeta dress by Altuzarra and Stuart Weitzman shoes.

While Lisa might have opted for a bold white pedi, the rest of the BLACKPINK members also cosigned the nude soap pedi. Though Jisoo's stunning floral column dress by Dior covered her feet most of the time, we got a glimpse of her pinky pedicure peeking out from her silver Aquazzura Aimée pumps during her Met debut. In keeping with the understated classic glamour of Saint Laurent, Rosé also went for a slightly pink, high gloss pedi that had plenty of time to shine thanks to her thigh-high slit. Jennie, on the other hand, completed her mermaid-inspired Chanel look, contrasting her iridescent mani with a subdued nude-pink soapy pedicure.

Soapy shades, particularly the whites and pinks we saw at the Met Gala, are among the biggest pedicure trends for spring and summer this year, according to celebrity nail artists and experts. “Pale pastels are reimagined in illuminator-style polishes [this season]," London-based nail artist Ami Streets previously told Teen Vogue.

Celebrity nail artist Krystal Oh, who has worked with Jennie, also told us that “a clean white pedicure makes everything feel intentional and styled, especially with strappy heels,” which tracks with what we have seen tonight; while Rebecca Isa, creative director of Zoya, already predicted that we will be “seeing a big return to clean, glossy nudes that give that effortless your-nails-but- better look.” Isa also shared that another way to get this soapy look, especially if you want a more subtle take, is to use “perfectors to tone-correct and enhance your natural nail.”

What can we say? Soapy pedicures are here to stay, and we are not mad at all!

Shop products to create your perfect soapy pedicure at home below: