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magenta / pink · neutral

#c9b0cc

a light, soft magenta / pink · neutral · closest name: Thistle

Token name suggestion: Morning Fuchsia

RGB
201, 176, 204
HSL
294°, 22%, 75%
CMYK
2, 14, 0, 20
Luminance
0.4783

#c9b0cc is a light soft magenta / pink, 294° on the wheel and 52/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (10.57:1). As text it scores 1.99:1 on white — use #946399 instead. Nearest name is Thistle, nearest Tailwind family is pink.

hsl(294 22% 75%)rgb(201 176 204)Base step 300AAA inkNeutral

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #c9b0cc is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#c9b0cc
Hue
294°
magenta / pink
Saturation
22%
soft
Lightness
75%
light
Brightness
80%
HSV value
Perceived
73%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.4783
WCAG relative
Temperature
Neutral
52/100 cool
Color family
Magenta / pink
Tone
Soft
Best ink
Black
10.57:1
Closest name
Thistle
ΔE2000 4
Chroma
17.7
LCH, 0–130ish
OKLCH L
0.787
perceptual lightness
Tailwind
pink
500 · ΔE 24.7
Web-safe
#CC99CC
nearest of 216
Where it sits
Hue294° of 360°
Saturation22%
Lightness75%
Saturation × lightness field

Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #c9b0cc.

Temperature
Warm ← → Cool52% cool

Reads neutral. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.

Luminance by channel
Red26%
Green65%
Blue9%

Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.

Every format

HEX#c9b0cc
HEX (8-digit)#c9b0ccff
RGBrgb(201, 176, 204)
RGBArgba(201, 176, 204, 1)
HSLhsl(294, 22%, 75%)
HSV / HSBhsv(294, 14%, 80%)
HWBhwb(294 69% 20%)
CMYKcmyk(2%, 14%, 0%, 20%)
LABlab(74.7 14.0 -10.8)
LCHlch(74.7 17.7 322.2)
OKLCHoklch(0.787 0.048 322.6)
XYZ (D65)xyz(50.51, 47.83, 63.69)
Decimal13217996
Display P3color(display-p3 0.788 0.690 0.800)
Web-safe#CC99CC

Copy-ready code

every platformclick to select
/* CSS */
color: #c9b0cc;
background-color: #c9b0cc;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #c9b0cc;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#c9b0cc] bg-[#c9b0cc]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #c9b0cc;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.788, green: 0.690, blue: 0.800)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.788, green: 0.690, blue: 0.800, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#C9B0CC</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFC9B0CC)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFC9B0CC)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(204, 176, 201)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(201, 176, 204)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(201, 176, 204)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 201, 176, 204)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.7882f, 0.6902f, 0.8000f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{201,176,204}
modern cssclick to select
/* mix without leaving CSS */
background: color-mix(in oklab, #c9b0cc 85%, white);
border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #c9b0cc 40%, transparent);
/* theme-aware in one line */
color: light-dark(#4B324D, #E6DAE7);
/* relative colour syntax */
--hover: hsl(from #c9b0cc h s calc(l - 7));

Design tokens

The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.

css custom propertiesclick to select
:root {
  --brand-50: #F8F6F9;
  --brand-100: #F2EDF2;
  --brand-200: #E3D8E4;
  --brand-300: #c9b0cc;
  --brand-400: #B999BD;
  --brand-500: #A277A7;
  --brand-600: #8F6095;
  --brand-700: #77507C;
  --brand-800: #5F4063;
  --brand-900: #473149;
  --brand-950: #2C1F2E;
  --brand: #c9b0cc;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
  --brand-surface: #F9F6F9;
  --brand-border: #DDCDDF;
  --brand-hover: #BA9ABE;
  --brand-pressed: #AB85B0;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --brand-surface: #211622;
    --brand-ink: #E6DAE7;
  }
}
tailwind.config.jsclick to select
theme: {
  extend: {
    colors: {
      brand: {
        50: '#F8F6F9',
        100: '#F2EDF2',
        200: '#E3D8E4',
        300: '#c9b0cc',
        400: '#B999BD',
        500: '#A277A7',
        600: '#8F6095',
        700: '#77507C',
        800: '#5F4063',
        900: '#473149',
        950: '#2C1F2E',
        DEFAULT: '#c9b0cc',
      },
    },
  },
}
scss mapclick to select
$brand: (
  '50': #F8F6F9,
  '100': #F2EDF2,
  '200': #E3D8E4,
  '300': #c9b0cc,
  '400': #B999BD,
  '500': #A277A7,
  '600': #8F6095,
  '700': #77507C,
  '800': #5F4063,
  '900': #473149,
  '950': #2C1F2E,
);
$brand-base: #c9b0cc;
$brand-ink: #000000;

@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }
w3c design tokens (json)click to select
{
  "color": {
    "brand": {
      "50": { "$value": "#F8F6F9", "$type": "color" },
      "100": { "$value": "#F2EDF2", "$type": "color" },
      "200": { "$value": "#E3D8E4", "$type": "color" },
      "300": { "$value": "#c9b0cc", "$type": "color" },
      "400": { "$value": "#B999BD", "$type": "color" },
      "500": { "$value": "#A277A7", "$type": "color" },
      "600": { "$value": "#8F6095", "$type": "color" },
      "700": { "$value": "#77507C", "$type": "color" },
      "800": { "$value": "#5F4063", "$type": "color" },
      "900": { "$value": "#473149", "$type": "color" },
      "950": { "$value": "#2C1F2E", "$type": "color" }
    },
    "brandInk": { "$value": "#000000", "$type": "color" }
  }
}

Best text color

Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.

Readable at a glance#000000 on #c9b0cc · 10.57:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
12px
Aa
16px
Aa
24px
Aa
White text · 1.99:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 10.57:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #c9b0cc as text scores 1.99:1 on white and 10.57:1 on black.
Best tinted ink on it, if plain black or white feels flat: #4B324D at 5.67:1.

Make it accessible

A contrast checker tells you that you failed. This tells you what to ship instead — same hue, same saturation, lightness moved only as far as WCAG demands.

The quick fox
#946399 · 4.66:1
AA on white−25% L
#946399
The quick fox
#704B74 · 7.12:1
AAA on white−37% L
#704B74
The quick fox
#c9b0cc · 10.57:1
AA on blackalready passes
#c9b0cc
The quick fox
#c9b0cc · 10.57:1
AAA on blackalready passes
#c9b0cc

Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #AD88B2 is enough for headings on white. Non-text elements such as icons, chart strokes and focus rings also sit at 3:1 under WCAG 2.2 (1.4.11).

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#c9b0cc on white: 1.99:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#c9b0cc on black: 10.57:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
Against the neutral ladder

Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #c9b0cc as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #c9b0cc.

NeutralRatioBoth directions
White1.99:1AaAa
Slate 501.90:1AaAa
Slate 1001.81:1AaAa
Slate 2001.61:1AaAa
Slate 3001.34:1AaAa
Slate 4001.29:1AaAa
Slate 5002.39:1AaAa
Slate 6003.81:1AaAa
Slate 7005.21:1AaAa
Slate 8007.36:1AaAa
Slate 9008.98:1AaAa
Black10.57:1AaAa
Colour vision deficiency
true color
protanopia · #AEB6CD
deuteranopia · #B3B9CB
tritanopia · #CAB2B9

Roughly one man in twelve has some form of colour vision deficiency. If any of the three panels above is hard to tell apart from a neighbouring colour in your palette, add a shape, an icon or a label so the meaning does not rest on hue alone.

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #c9b0cc is pinned to step 300; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.

#F8F6F9
#F2EDF2
#E3D8E4
#c9b0cc
#B999BD
#A277A7
#8F6095
#77507C
#5F4063
#473149
#2C1F2E
Base = 300Lightest = 50 · #F8F6F9Darkest = 950 · #2C1F2EText step on white = 600
Perceptual ramp — OKLCH

The same eleven steps expressed in OKLCH, where equal lightness numbers actually look equally spaced. HSL ramps go muddy in the yellows and washed out in the blues; this one does not. Modern browsers render it natively — the hex ramp above is the fallback.

50100200300400500600700800900950
oklch tokensclick to select
:root {
  --brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.012 322.6);
  --brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.019 322.6);
  --brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.029 322.6);
  --brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.037 322.6);
  --brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.044 322.6);
  --brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.048 322.6);
  --brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.048 322.6);
  --brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.045 322.6);
  --brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.040 322.6);
  --brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.033 322.6);
  --brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.026 322.6);
}

Colors that work with #c9b0cc

Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.

Text on it#000000
Black wins here
Surface#F9F6F9
Tinted page background
Border#DDCDDF
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#865A8B
Captions on the surface
Accent#5E814B
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#4B324D
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#F4F0F5
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#211622
Dark-mode background
Hover#BA9ABE
One step down in lightness
Pressed#AB85B0
Two steps down
Disabled#F7F3F7
Chroma pulled out
Focus ring#D6B7D9
Offset from the fill so it reads
Light mode
Everything in its place

Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.

Primary actionSecondaryBadge
Dark mode
Same hue, inverted

Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.

Primary actionSecondaryAccent

In real components

The same eight roles, wired into the interface patterns you will actually build with them. Every state below is a computed value, not a mock-up.

Buttons and states
Save changesHoverPressedDisabled
OutlineSubtleLinkFocused
Form field
you@company.com

Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.

Send me product updates
Notice
Your export is ready

The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.

NewBetaDraft
Data
Storage used68%
Acme LtdActive
NorthwindTrial
GlobexActive

How to use #c9b0cc

Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.

Works well for
  • Text and icons on dark surfaces
  • Charts, tags and secondary surfaces
  • Card and section backgrounds
  • Brand accents, badges and data highlights
Use with care
  • Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
  • White text placed on it
  • Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Minimum size as text on white
Not as text
Safe as a fill behind white type
No — use #4B324D
Safe as a 1px border on white
No — use #AD88B2

Meaning and mood

What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.

expressiveyouthfulwarmconfident

Pink is the fastest way to signal that a product is not another enterprise dashboard. It carries beauty, fashion and culture brands.

The muted chroma softens the association — it reads considered rather than loud, which suits long-form and data-heavy screens. The lightness keeps it airy and approachable.

Worth knowing

Strong gendered associations in some markets — test it with the audience you actually have.

Reads as
  • FormalityMedium
  • EnergyMedium
  • Weight26/100
  • TemperatureNeutral
  • ApproachabilityBalanced

Colour associations are cultural and vary by market. Treat these as a starting point for a conversation with your audience, not a finding about them.

Similar colors

One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.

Color relationships

The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.

Complementary#B3CCB0
Analogous left#BBB0CC
Analogous right#CCB0C1
Split-complement 1#C1CCB0
Split-complement 2#B0CCBB
Triadic 1#CCC9B0
Triadic 2#B0CCC9
Tetradic#CCBBB0
On the wheel
Base+30°−30°+120°+240°+180°294°

#c9b0cc sits at 294°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.

RGB percentages

Red78.8%
Green69.0%
Blue80.0%
R · 0–255
201
0xc9
G · 0–255
176
0xb0
B · 0–255
204
0xcc

CMYK percentages

Cyan1.5%
Magenta13.7%
Yellow0.0%
Key (black)20.0%

Total ink coverage is 35%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.

Color previews

#c9b0cc text on a black background

contrast 10.57:1

Card sample

#c9b0cc text on a white background

contrast 1.99:1

Card sample

#c9b0cc on grey

1.81:1

#c9b0cc on its own surface

1.85:1

#c9b0cc on its dark surface

8.79:1

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #c9b0cc;
Background color
Panel with #c9b0cc background
background-color: #c9b0cc;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #c9b0cc;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(201, 176, 204, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(201, 176, 204, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #c9b0cc;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #c9b0cc, #CCB0BC);
Gradient text

Gradient headline

background: linear-gradient(90deg, #c9b0cc, #CCB0B5);
-webkit-background-clip: text;
color: transparent;
Focus ring
Focused control
outline: 2px solid #c9b0cc;
outline-offset: 3px;
Underline & caret

Marked up text

text-decoration-color: #c9b0cc;
caret-color: #c9b0cc;
Left rule
Pull quote or callout
border-left: 4px solid #c9b0cc;
Ring + tint
Selected chip
background: #F4F0F5;
box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #c9b0cc;
Conic badge
68%
background: conic-gradient(#c9b0cc 68%, #e2e8f0 0);

Transparency

What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #c9b0cc over white; the bottom row is the same alpha over a checkerboard, so you can see what survives on a photo or a video.

Bottom row of hexes is the flattened result over white — use those when a design tool refuses transparency, or when you need a solid fallback.

alpha in every syntaxclick to select
rgba(201, 176, 204, 0.5)
rgb(201 176 204 / 50%)
#c9b0cc80
hsl(294 22% 75% / 50%)
color-mix(in srgb, #c9b0cc 50%, transparent)
Alpha8-digit hexFlat on white
10%#c9b0cc1a#FAF7FA
20%#c9b0cc33#F4EFF5
40%#c9b0cc66#E9DFEB
60%#c9b0cc99#DFD0E0
80%#c9b0cccc#D4C0D6

Gradients from #c9b0cc

Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.

Elevation
Same hue, three lightnesses — safe anywhere
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #E2D5E4, #c9b0cc 45%, #4B324D);
Duotone
A short hue run reads richer than a flat fill
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #c9b0cc, #C09DAA);
Complement sweep
Loud — keep it behind large type only
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #c9b0cc, #B3CCB0);
Spotlight
Hero panels and app headers
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #EFE8F0 0%, #c9b0cc 45%, #4B324D 100%);
Soft wash
Section backgrounds that stay readable
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #F9F6F9, #ffffff);
Mesh
Ambient background, no image weight
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #D4CFE0 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #D8C3CE 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #4B324D 0%, transparent 65%), #c9b0cc;

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #c9b0cc

Shades — darker

Tints — lighter

Tones — desaturated

Color harmonies

Nearest named colors

Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.

#c9b0cc in the real world

Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.

Industries
BeautyFashionLifestyleYouth brands
Common UI roles
SurfacesBadgesHighlightsEmpty states
Print note

Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.

On screens

Holds up across typical panel gamma. Still worth checking on an uncalibrated laptop, where mid-tones shift most.

In dark mode

Usable as-is on a dark surface at 10.57:1.

Explore nearby colors

Small, deliberate steps away from this hex — useful when you are hunting for the version of a colour that finally feels right.

#c9b0cc, answered

What color is #c9b0cc?

#c9b0cc is a light soft magenta / pink, closest to Thistle (ΔE2000 4). It sits at 294° on the hue wheel with 22% saturation and 75% lightness, which reads as neutral.

What is the RGB value of #c9b0cc?

rgb(201, 176, 204) — 201 red, 176 green and 204 blue out of 255, or 78.8% / 69% / 80% by channel.

What is #c9b0cc in HSL and HSV?

hsl(294, 22%, 75%) and hsv(294, 14%, 80%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.

Is #c9b0cc a light or a dark color?

It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.4783 and perceived brightness is 73%, so black text on it reaches 10.57:1.

Should I use black or white text on #c9b0cc?

Black. It scores 10.57:1 against #c9b0cc, versus 1.99:1 for white — AAA at any size.

Is #c9b0cc accessible on a white background?

#c9b0cc on white scores 1.99:1, which fails WCAG AA at every size. Darken it to #946399 to reach 4.5:1, or #704B74 for 7:1.

What is the complementary color of #c9b0cc?

#B3CCB0 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #C1CCB0 and #B0CCBB, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #c9b0cc?

For interface work: #F9F6F9 as the surface, #DDCDDF for borders, #865A8B for secondary text, #5E814B as an accent and #4B324D for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #BBB0CC and #CCB0C1 stays calm, while #B3CCB0 is the loudest partner.

What is #c9b0cc in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(2%, 14%, 0%, 20%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #c9b0cc warm or cool?

Neutral — it scores 52 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #CCB0C5; nudged cooler, #BFAFCD.

Which Tailwind color is closest to #c9b0cc?

The pink family — its 500 step is #ec4899, ΔE2000 24.7 away. That is a visible difference, so define #c9b0cc as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.

How do I use #c9b0cc in Tailwind CSS?

Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#c9b0cc] or text-[#c9b0cc], or register the whole ramp under theme.extend.colors.brand so you get bg-brand-500 and friends. The generated 50–950 scale on this page is ready to paste into your config.

What is #c9b0cc with 50% opacity?

rgba(201, 176, 204, 0.5), or #c9b0cc80 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #E4D8E6; over black, #655866.

Is #c9b0cc a web-safe color?

No. The nearest web-safe colour is #CC99CC, ΔE2000 8.7 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.

What does the color #c9b0cc mean?

As a magenta / pink, it reads expressive, youthful, warm. Pink is the fastest way to signal that a product is not another enterprise dashboard. It carries beauty, fashion and culture brands. At this moderate chroma the association is present but not shouted.

What gradient works with #c9b0cc?

The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #E2D5E4, #c9b0cc 45%, #4B324D). For more colour, a short hue run to #C09DAA keeps it rich without turning muddy.

Work with #c9b0cc in the Color Lab

Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.

Every value on this page is computed from #c9b0cc at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.