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Mulberry Pearl Muted
Color detail

Mulberry Pearl Muted

Purple · Hue 280
Hex
#D9CFDE
RGB
rgb(217, 207, 222)
HSL
hsl(280, 18%, 84%)
CMYK
cmyk(2%, 7%, 0%, 13%)
Metrics
S 18% · L 84%
Contrast (WCAG)
on white
1.5:1Fail
on black
13.9:1AA
Save to journalSign in to saveStart palette from thisRecent trail

About this color

Mulberry Pearl Muted (#D9CFDE) belongs to the purple family — hue 280°, 18% saturation, 84% lightness. Copy the hex, RGB, or HSL value above, or paste the CSS custom property below into your stylesheet to reference this color directly.

CSS
:root {
  --colorarchive-mulberry-pearl-muted: #D9CFDE;
  --colorarchive-mulberry-pearl-muted-hsl: hsl(280, 18%, 84%);
  --colorarchive-mulberry-pearl-muted-rgb: rgb(217, 207, 222);
}

AI Color Names

Let AI suggest alternative poetic names for this color in English and Chinese.

Design Context

MysticalCreativeGentle
Common in

Skincare · Meditation · Indie Music

Pairs well with

Soft gold for elegance, mint for freshness, warm white for purity

Design tip

Use for creative and wellness brands. Light purple backgrounds create a dreamy, contemplative atmosphere.

Cultural context ▶

Lavender and lilac represent spirituality, creativity, and gentleness. Associated with aromatherapy and mindfulness.

Color Origins

Purple family

The color of empire, twilight, and tech-luxury.

Heritage

Tyrian purple, extracted from the murex snail in Phoenicia, took 12,000 snails to dye one toga and was the literal definition of expense — Roman law restricted who could wear it. Mauve, the world's first synthetic dye, was discovered by accident in 1856 by an 18-year-old chemistry student trying to make quinine — the discovery launched the chemical-dye industry that funded the modern pharmaceutical industry. Quinacridone violet is the modern fade-resistant standard.

Across cultures

In Catholic liturgy purple marks Lent and Advent — penance and preparation. In Japan murasaki (a deep violet) was the highest court color in the Heian period; The Tale of Genji's Lady Murasaki takes her name from it. In Thailand purple is the mourning color for widows. Across Western culture purple is associated with royalty (because of Tyrian's cost), creativity (because of its rarity), and from the 1960s onward with rock and psychedelia.

In the wild

Cadbury's purple has been trademarked since 2008 (and hard-fought in court). Yahoo, Twitch, Discord, and Linear all use saturated purples as primary brand colors — the choice signals creative-tech where blue would signal corporate-tech. Prince's purple was so associated with him that his estate has trademark issues with the broader color. Stripe's signature indigo (#635BFF) helped redefine fintech away from trust-blue. The Lakers, the Vikings, and most NBA teams' second jerseys use purple to claim a color lane that no other major team owns.

How it reads

Purple sits at the boundary of warm and cool — biologically, our eyes process it as a blend rather than a single hue, which is why it can feel slightly unstable or magical. It reads as premium, creative, slightly counterculture. Light purples (lavender, lilac) read as gentle and feminine in Western convention. Saturated purples read as luxurious, electronic, or theatrical. Deep purples read as nocturnal, regal, or somber. It is one of the colors most commonly avoided by traditional finance and most embraced by creative tools.

This particular tone

A pale, gentle tone — pastel territory, where the hue acts more like a tinted neutral than a stated color.

Lightness band: At this lightness the hue almost recedes into the surface around it — useful for backgrounds, hover states, and any surface where the color should suggest a mood without competing with content.

Saturation band: The low saturation pulls this color toward earthen, vintage, or editorial palettes. It reads as confident and grown-up rather than playful, and it tolerates being used in large blocks without becoming visually noisy.

Brands using a similar color

Within the public brand-guidelines reference catalog, these are the closest matches to #D9CFDE.

  • Glossierprimary
    Glossier Pink · #F8D6CD
    →
  • Starbucksneutral
    Warm Neutral · #D4E9E2
    →
  • Aesopneutral
    Cream Paper · #EFE4D2
    →

Cultures using a similar color

From the cultural-palette catalog, these regions feature a color close to #D9CFDE.

  • France (Paris)Lutetian Limestone
    #E5DDC8 · Paris facade stone (Haussmannian-era buildings)
    →
  • IcelandLopapeysa Cream
    #E8DFCC · Undyed Icelandic sheep wool
    →
  • Korea (Obangsaek)Hanji Cream
    #EAE0CB · Mulberry-fiber Korean paper
    →

Tonal strip

All lightness levels at this hue and saturation. Click any to navigate.

Palette moves

Instead of stopping at one swatch, use nearby, opposite, and tonal neighbors to branch into a broader palette.

Lighter companion
Mulberry Mist Muted
#E7E1EA · hsl(280, 18%, 90%)
Darker companion
Mulberry Bloom Muted
#C5B7CD · hsl(280, 18%, 76%)
Complementary counterpoint
Moss Pearl Muted
#D4DECF · hsl(100, 18%, 84%)
Analogous lead
Mauve Pearl Muted
#DECFDC · hsl(305, 18%, 84%)
Analogous echo
Orchid Pearl Muted
#D4CFDE · hsl(260, 18%, 84%)
Triadic +120°
Apricot Pearl Muted
#DED9CF · hsl(40, 18%, 84%)
Triadic +240°
Teal Pearl Muted
#CFDED9 · hsl(160, 18%, 84%)
Split-comp +150°
Honey Pearl Muted
#DBDECF · hsl(70, 18%, 84%)
Split-comp +210°
Mint Pearl Muted
#CFDED1 · hsl(130, 18%, 84%)
Export preview
Base: Mulberry Pearl Muted #D9CFDE
Lighter companion: Mulberry Mist Muted #E7E1EA
Darker companion: Mulberry Bloom Muted #C5B7CD
Complementary counterpoint: Moss Pearl Muted #D4DECF
Analogous lead: Mauve Pearl Muted #DECFDC
Analogous echo: Orchid Pearl Muted #D4CFDE
Triadic +120°: Apricot Pearl Muted #DED9CF
Triadic +240°: Teal Pearl Muted #CFDED9
Split-comp +150°: Honey Pearl Muted #DBDECF
Split-comp +210°: Mint Pearl Muted #CFDED1

Compare

See how Mulberry Pearl Muted compares side by side with related colors.

vsMulberry Mist MutedvsMulberry Bloom MutedvsMoss Pearl MutedvsMauve Pearl MutedvsOrchid Pearl MutedvsApricot Pearl Muted

Nearest neighbors

The closest archive matches by hue, saturation, and lightness.

Search by hex
Nearby match
Mulberry Pearl Faint
#D8D2DA · hsl(280, 10%, 84%)
Nearby match
Mulberry Pearl Dust
#DACCE1 · hsl(280, 26%, 84%)
Nearby match
Mulberry Mist Muted
#E7E1EA · hsl(280, 18%, 90%)
Nearby match
Mulberry Bloom Muted
#C5B7CD · hsl(280, 18%, 76%)
Nearby match
Mulberry Pearl Soft
#DBC8E4 · hsl(280, 34%, 84%)
Nearby match
Mulberry Whisper Muted
#F1EDF2 · hsl(280, 18%, 94%)

Accessible pairings

Archive colors that meet WCAG contrast standards when paired with this color. Use as text-on-background or background-on-text.

Contrast checker
AAA8:1
Moss Nocturne Faint
#31382E
AAA7.7:1
Moss Nocturne Muted
#303C2A
AAA7.4:1
Moss Nocturne Dust
#2F4026
AAA7.1:1
Moss Nocturne Soft
#2D4422
AAA10.1:1
Moss Ink Faint
#232720
AAA9.8:1
Moss Ink Muted
#222A1D

Color Vision Simulation

How this color appears with different color vision deficiencies.

Full simulator
Deuteranopia
#D5D6DA
Protanopia
#D5D5DA
Tritanopia
#D9D8D7
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