Color Details and Palettes for #C9A3B5

Details about the color Lily

Closest web-safe match: #CC99CC

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 #C9A3B5
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About Color Hex #c9a3b5

The color Lily, with hexadecimal code #c9a3b5, is part of the pink color family, a hue that spans from playful and youthful to elegant and gender-neutral. Pink evokes warmth, tenderness, and emotional connection across diverse cultural contexts. Additionally, it evokes emotions such as Softness, Delicacy, Calmness, Relaxation and Friendliness. Pink is often connected to love, compassion, and femininity in Western cultures, while in Japan, it can symbolize spring and cherry blossoms. It can also represent universal harmony and emotional balance. At just 26% saturation, this near-neutral shade carries only a subtle hint of its underlying hue, making it versatile for large surfaces and professional contexts. At 71% lightness, it strikes an approachable, open balance—bright enough to feel welcoming yet substantial enough to carry visual weight. This color is ideal for designs that aim to express Softness, Delicacy, Calmness, Relaxation, or Friendliness. It can be effectively used in web design, branding, and marketing materials to attract attention and convey specific messages.

The RGB values for Lily are (201, 163, 181), providing a combination of red: 201, green: 163, and blue: 181. In HSL format, it has a hue of 332.00°, saturation of 26.00%, and lightness of 71.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 332.00°, saturation of 19.00%, and value of 79.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 0.00%, magenta: 19.00%, yellow: 10.00%, and black: 21.00%.

The calculated luminance of #c9a3b5 is 0.419, offering a brightness level suitable for various design requirements.

This color is not part of the web-safe color palette. The closest web-safe color to this is the color HEX #CC99CC. Its contrast ratio is 9.39:1 against black and 2.24:1 against white. It works well on dark backgrounds but may be less readable on lighter ones.

In terms of color temperature, #c9a3b5 reads as warm. When it comes to accessibility, testing against standard guidelines suggests that using black text meets typical WCAG contrast standards. Additionally, the ideal foreground color for improved legibility on #c9a3b5 is black.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #c9a3b5 exhibits pastel qualities, giving it a gentle, soft appearance often associated with calmness and approachability.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #C9A3B5

Lily (#C9A3B5) belongs to the Pink color family.

With a dusty, low-saturation character, this color offers quiet complexity—neither bold nor faded. Dusty tones add vintage charm to retro-inspired designs and pair beautifully with metallic accents like copper or brass.

Historical Background

Pink was considered a variant of red—and thus a strong, masculine color—until the mid-20th century, when Western marketing shifted it toward femininity. In 18th-century Rococo France, Madame de Pompadour popularized a specific shade (Rose Pompadour) that became synonymous with refined luxury. In Japan, pink cherry blossoms (sakura) represent the fleeting beauty of life, celebrated annually during hanami festivals.

Design & Usage Tips

Pink ranges from playful and youthful to sophisticated and gender-neutral depending on saturation and context. Hot pink works for bold fashion and beauty brands, while dusty pink suits elegant interior design and wedding stationery. Pair pink with navy for a classic contrast, or with sage green for a modern, botanical palette.

Positioned on the warm side of the color wheel (hue 332°), it naturally draws the eye and creates a sense of closeness—making it effective for calls to action, food photography, and hospitality branding. At 26% saturation, the color has a muted, sophisticated quality that pairs well with bolder accents. It works as a background, a border, or a secondary element in layered compositions.

Psychological Impact

Pink universally evokes warmth, tenderness, and approachability. Research by Alexander Schauss found that a specific shade ('Baker-Miller Pink') could reduce aggression, leading to its experimental use in holding cells. In branding, pink signals compassion, playfulness, and emotional connection.

At 71% lightness, it reads clearly on dark backgrounds and provides a welcoming, open feel in light-themed designs—versatile across both contexts.

Creative Design Ideas

Use blush pink as a background for portrait photography to create a warm, flattering glow. Combine hot pink with black for a punk-inspired editorial aesthetic. In app design, pink accent colors (hearts, favorites, notifications) feel natural and engaging.

#C9A3B5 Color Conversions

Every way to write Lily — copy Lily as RGB, HSL, HSV, HWB, CMYK, OKLCH, OKLab, CIELAB, LCH, XYZ or a decimal integer. One-tap copy on every format; tap on any card to learn what it is and when to use it.

12 formats
HEX Web
#C9A3B5

Hexadecimal is the web’s universal color notation — two digits each for red, green and blue. Drop it straight into HTML, CSS or any design tool.

RGB Screen
rgb(201, 163, 181)

RGB is the additive Red-Green-Blue model every screen uses to emit light. The default choice for websites, apps and on-screen UI.

HSL Web
hsl(332, 26%, 71%)

HSL breaks a color into Hue, Saturation and Lightness — the most intuitive way to lighten, darken or mute a color in CSS.

HSV HSB Design
hsv(332, 19%, 79%)

HSV (also called HSB) maps Hue, Saturation and Value/Brightness. It is the model behind the color pickers in Photoshop, Figma and most design apps.

HWB CSS 4
hwb(332 64% 21%)

HWB blends a pure hue with Whiteness and Blackness — a painter-friendly model added in CSS Color 4 for quick tints and shades.

CMYK Print
cmyk(0%, 19%, 10%, 21%)

CMYK is the subtractive Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black ink model. Use these values when preparing artwork for a printer or commercial press.

OKLCH Modern
oklch(75.51% 0.051 348.25)

OKLCH is a modern, perceptually-uniform space (Lightness, Chroma, Hue). It powers smooth gradients and accessible palettes in today’s CSS.

OKLab Modern
oklab(75.51% 0.050 -0.010)

OKLab is the Cartesian form of OKLCH — ideal for blending and interpolating colors without the muddy midpoints older spaces produce.

CIELAB L*a*b* Perceptual
L: 70.84, a: 16.92, b: -3.98

CIELAB is a device-independent, perceptually-uniform space. It is the standard for measuring color difference (ΔE) and matching across devices.

LCH Perceptual
L: 70.84, C: 17.38, H: 346.77

LCH is CIELAB in cylindrical form — Lightness, Chroma and Hue — letting you adjust vividness and hue while staying perceptually even.

XYZ CIE Science
X: 45.53, Y: 41.95, Z: 49.41

CIE XYZ is the 1931 master space that underpins every other model here — the scientific bridge used to convert between color systems.

Decimal int Code
13214645

The 24-bit integer value of the color — handy for databases, APIs, game engines and low-level graphics code.

RGB Color Percentages for #c9a3b5

RGB Color Percentages for Lily (HEX Code: #c9a3b5) display the relative contribution of Red, Green, and Blue in forming the color. Understanding these percentages provides insight into the color's visual balance and primary components.

This color is primarily dominated by Red, making up 36.88% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
36.88%
Green:
29.91%
Blue:
33.21%

This analysis highlights the influence of each primary color, offering a deeper understanding of the visual characteristics of Lily.

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #c9a3b5

CMYK Ink Levels for Lily (HEX Code: #c9a3b5) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Lily prominently features Key, reflecting its dominant color characteristic. This information is invaluable for optimizing ink usage and achieving precise color results in printed materials.

The exact CMYK values are: Cyan: 0%, Magenta: 18.91%, Yellow: 9.95%, and Black: 21.18%.

Luminance & Contrast for #C9A3B5

Relative luminance gauges how bright Lily is, while the WCAG contrast ratios show how legible black or white text is on it — and which accessibility levels (AA / AAA) it passes.

Relative luminance 0.419
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 9.39:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 2.24:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #C9A3B5

Copy-and-paste CSS for Lily — backgrounds, text, borders and a custom property. Each line is ready to drop into your stylesheet.

Background background-color: #C9A3B5;
Text color: #C9A3B5;
Border border: 2px solid #C9A3B5;
RGB background-color: rgb(201, 163, 181);
HSL background-color: hsl(332, 26%, 71%);
Variable --color: #C9A3B5;

#c9a3b5 Monochrome Palette

The Monochrome Palette consists of shades created by adjusting the brightness. These include lighter, original, and darker shades of the color. This layout helps to visualize the color's range and its potential use in design.

#faf6f8
#f2e8ed
#e9dae1
#e1ccd6
#d9bfcb
#d1b1c0
#c9a3b5 Original
#ab8b9a
#8d727f
#6f5a64
#504148
#32292d
#141012

#c9a3b5 Complementary Palette

The Complementary Palette is made up of two colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. These colors create high contrast and vibrant designs, making them perfect for attention-grabbing elements and dynamic visuals.

#c9a3b5 Original
#a2c8b6

#c9a3b5 Analogic Palette

The Analogic Palette consists of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. These colors typically create harmonious and subtle designs, often used to evoke calmness and unity in your visual projects.

#c9a3b5 Original
#c8a3a2
#c8a2c7
#c8b6a2
#b6a2c8
#c7c8a2
#a3a2c8

#c9a3b5 Triadic Palette

The Triadic Palette is made up of three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination provides a vibrant and balanced color scheme, often used for dynamic and energetic designs while maintaining harmony.

#c9a3b5 Original
#b4c8a2
#a2b4c8

#c9a3b5 Quad Palette

The Quad Palette, also known as tetradic, consists of four colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination offers a diverse and bold color scheme, ideal for creating rich, complex designs with multiple accents while still maintaining balance.

#c9a3b5 Original
#c7c8a2
#a2c8b6
#a3a2c8

Color Blindness Simulation for #c9a3b5

Colors are perceived differently by individuals with various forms of color blindness. Use the dropdown below to see how this color may look through the eyes of someone with color vision deficiency. Explore how Lily (#c9a3b5) might appear to people with different visual experiences, and gain deeper insights into color accessibility for your designs!

Each color box displays a "Friendly" or "Not Friendly" tag in the bottom-right corner. A "Friendly" tag indicates that the color difference is distinguishable to individuals with the specific type of color blindness. Conversely, a "Not Friendly" tag means that the color difference might not be distinguishable, potentially causing accessibility issues in your design.

Normal Vision

Deuteranopia (Green Weakness)

Friendly

Protanopia (Red Weakness)

Friendly

Tritanopia (Blue-Yellow Weakness)

Friendly

Achromatopsia (Total Color Blindness)

Friendly

Color Harmonies for #c9a3b5

Color harmonies refer to the visually pleasing combinations of colors that are derived from specific relationships on the color wheel. These harmonious schemes, such as complementary, triadic, and analogous colors, create a balanced and engaging visual experience in design.

Complementary

Analogous

Triadic

Tetradic (Quad)

#C9A3B5 Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #C9A3B5 — each one nudges the brightness, richness, or shade a little while still feeling like the same color. Use the buttons on any swatch to copy its hex or open its full color page.

#ddbbcc Creamy Berry
#bb99aa Classy Mauve
#eeccdd LA Vibes
#aa8899 Voila!
#dd99bb Sweet Perfume
#bbaaaa Grey Sheep
#ccaaaa Parfait
#ccaabb Mauvelous

Colors Similar to #c9a3b5

These colors are close neighbours of #C9A3B5 in the RGB color space. Each subtle variation can produce a noticeably different mood in your design while remaining harmonious with the original Pink tone.

#caa3b5 Lily
#c9a4b5 Lily
#c9a3b6 Lily
#c8a3b5 Lily
#c9a2b5 Lily
#c9a3b4 Lily
#daa3b5 Little Princess
#c9b4b5 Cold Turkey
#c9a3c6 Novel Lilac
#b8a3b5 Pastel Purple
#c992b5 Mauve Magic
#c9a3a4 La Vie en Rose

Looking for more Pink shades? Browse Pink colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Lily (#c9a3b5)

Discover a vibrant gallery of images that not only showcase the captivating hue of Lily, but also embody its unique mood and personality. Each carefully curated photo is selected to highlight the richness and diversity of this color, offering inspiration for design, art, and creative projects.