#bbafe0
a light, soft blue · cool · closest name: Thistle
Token name suggestion: Morning Sapphire
#bbafe0 is a light soft blue, 255° on the wheel and 75/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (10.32:1). As text it scores 2.03:1 on white — use #7C65C3 instead. Nearest name is Thistle, nearest Tailwind family is purple.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #bbafe0 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #bbafe0.
Reads cool. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.
Every format
| HEX | #bbafe0 |
| HEX (8-digit) | #bbafe0ff |
| RGB | rgb(187, 175, 224) |
| RGBA | rgba(187, 175, 224, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(255, 44%, 78%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(255, 22%, 88%) |
| HWB | hwb(255 69% 12%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(17%, 22%, 0%, 12%) |
| LAB | lab(73.9 14.0 -23.1) |
| LCH | lch(73.9 27.0 301.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.781 0.070 296.0) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(49.28, 46.61, 76.91) |
| Decimal | 12300256 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.733 0.686 0.878) |
| Web-safe | #CC99CC |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #bbafe0;
background-color: #bbafe0;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #bbafe0;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#bbafe0] bg-[#bbafe0]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #bbafe0;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.733, green: 0.686, blue: 0.878)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.733, green: 0.686, blue: 0.878, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#BBAFE0</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFBBAFE0)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFBBAFE0)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(224, 175, 187)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(187, 175, 224)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(187, 175, 224)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 187, 175, 224)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.7333f, 0.6863f, 0.8784f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{187,175,224}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #bbafe0 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #bbafe0 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#31245C, #DAD3EE); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #bbafe0 h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #F6F5FA;
--brand-100: #EDEAF5;
--brand-200: #D7D1EB;
--brand-300: #bbafe0;
--brand-400: #9886D0;
--brand-500: #765DC0;
--brand-600: #5F44B0;
--brand-700: #4F3993;
--brand-800: #3F2E76;
--brand-900: #312456;
--brand-950: #1E1736;
--brand: #bbafe0;
--brand-ink: #000000;
--brand-surface: #F6F4FA;
--brand-border: #CDC4E8;
--brand-hover: #A595D6;
--brand-pressed: #8F7BCC;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #181424;
--brand-ink: #DAD3EE;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#F6F5FA',
100: '#EDEAF5',
200: '#D7D1EB',
300: '#bbafe0',
400: '#9886D0',
500: '#765DC0',
600: '#5F44B0',
700: '#4F3993',
800: '#3F2E76',
900: '#312456',
950: '#1E1736',
DEFAULT: '#bbafe0',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #F6F5FA,
'100': #EDEAF5,
'200': #D7D1EB,
'300': #bbafe0,
'400': #9886D0,
'500': #765DC0,
'600': #5F44B0,
'700': #4F3993,
'800': #3F2E76,
'900': #312456,
'950': #1E1736,
);
$brand-base: #bbafe0;
$brand-ink: #000000;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#F6F5FA", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#EDEAF5", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#D7D1EB", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#bbafe0", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#9886D0", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#765DC0", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#5F44B0", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#4F3993", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#3F2E76", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#312456", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#1E1736", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$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.
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.
Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #9C8AD2 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
Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #bbafe0 as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #bbafe0.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 2.03:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 1.94:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 1.86:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 1.65:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 1.37:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 1.26:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 2.34:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 3.72:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 5.09:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 7.19:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 8.77:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 10.32:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
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. #bbafe0 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.
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.
:root {
--brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.018 296.0);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.028 296.0);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.042 296.0);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.055 296.0);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.064 296.0);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.070 296.0);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.070 296.0);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.066 296.0);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.059 296.0);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.049 296.0);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.039 296.0);
}Colors that work with #bbafe0
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
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.
Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.
The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.
How to use #bbafe0
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Charts, tags and secondary surfaces
- ✓Card and section backgrounds
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠White text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Meaning and mood
What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.
The default of institutions for a reason: blue is read as stable and safe across nearly every culture that has been surveyed.
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.
It is also the most crowded hue on the web. Distinctiveness has to come from your other choices.
- FormalityMedium
- EnergyMedium
- Weight22/100
- TemperatureCool
- ApproachabilityReserved
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 | #D4E0AF | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #AFBBE0 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #D3AFE0 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #E0D3AF | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #BBE0AF | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #E0BBAF | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #AFE0BB | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #E0AFBB | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#bbafe0 sits at 255°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 51%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#bbafe0 text on a black background
contrast 10.32:1
#bbafe0 text on a white background
contrast 2.03:1
#bbafe0 on grey
1.86:1
#bbafe0 on its own surface
1.86:1
#bbafe0 on its dark surface
8.86:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #bbafe0;
background-color: #bbafe0;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #bbafe0;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(187, 175, 224, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(187, 175, 224, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #bbafe0; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bbafe0, #DCAFE0);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #bbafe0, #E0AFD8); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #bbafe0; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #bbafe0; caret-color: #bbafe0;
border-left: 4px solid #bbafe0;
background: #EFEDF8; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #bbafe0;
background: conic-gradient(#bbafe0 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #bbafe0 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.
rgba(187, 175, 224, 0.5) rgb(187 175 224 / 50%) #bbafe080 hsl(255 44% 78% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #bbafe0 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #bbafe01a | #F8F7FC |
| 20% | #bbafe033 | #F1EFF9 |
| 40% | #bbafe066 | #E4DFF3 |
| 60% | #bbafe099 | #D6CFEC |
| 80% | #bbafe0cc | #C9BFE6 |
Gradients from #bbafe0
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #E0DBF1, #bbafe0 45%, #31245C);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #bbafe0, #D799D7);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #bbafe0, #D4E0AF);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #F3F1FA 0%, #bbafe0 45%, #31245C 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #F6F4FA, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #D4DDEE 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #E2C5E8 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #31245C 0%, transparent 65%), #bbafe0;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #bbafe0
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.
Closest color with a full write-up: Periwinkle (#ccccff) — ΔE2000 7.7 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#bbafe0 in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
Holds up across typical panel gamma. Still worth checking on an uncalibrated laptop, where mid-tones shift most.
Usable as-is on a dark surface at 10.32:1.
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.
#bbafe0, answered
What color is #bbafe0?
#bbafe0 is a light soft blue, closest to Thistle (ΔE2000 9.8). It sits at 255° on the hue wheel with 44% saturation and 78% lightness, which reads as cool.
What is the RGB value of #bbafe0?
rgb(187, 175, 224) — 187 red, 175 green and 224 blue out of 255, or 73.3% / 68.6% / 87.8% by channel.
What is #bbafe0 in HSL and HSV?
hsl(255, 44%, 78%) and hsv(255, 22%, 88%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #bbafe0 a light or a dark color?
It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.4661 and perceived brightness is 72%, so black text on it reaches 10.32:1.
Should I use black or white text on #bbafe0?
Black. It scores 10.32:1 against #bbafe0, versus 2.03:1 for white — AAA at any size.
Is #bbafe0 accessible on a white background?
#bbafe0 on white scores 2.03:1, which fails WCAG AA at every size. Darken it to #7C65C3 to reach 4.5:1, or #5F45B1 for 7:1.
What is the complementary color of #bbafe0?
#D4E0AF sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #E0D3AF and #BBE0AF, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #bbafe0?
For interface work: #F6F4FA as the surface, #CDC4E8 for borders, #5E4B9B for secondary text, #979735 as an accent and #31245C for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #AFBBE0 and #D3AFE0 stays calm, while #D4E0AF is the loudest partner.
What is #bbafe0 in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(17%, 22%, 0%, 12%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #bbafe0 warm or cool?
Cool — it scores 75 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #CDAFE0; nudged cooler, #AEB4E1.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #bbafe0?
The purple family — its 500 step is #a855f7, ΔE2000 24.5 away. That is a visible difference, so define #bbafe0 as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #bbafe0 in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#bbafe0] or text-[#bbafe0], 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 #bbafe0 with 50% opacity?
rgba(187, 175, 224, 0.5), or #bbafe080 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #DDD7F0; over black, #5E5870.
Is #bbafe0 a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #CC99CC, ΔE2000 10.2 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #bbafe0 mean?
As a blue, it reads trusted, calm, competent. The default of institutions for a reason: blue is read as stable and safe across nearly every culture that has been surveyed. At this moderate chroma the association is present but not shouted.
What gradient works with #bbafe0?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #E0DBF1, #bbafe0 45%, #31245C). For more colour, a short hue run to #D799D7 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #bbafe0 in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #bbafe0 at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.