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Scarlet Velvet Pure
Color detail

Scarlet Velvet Pure

Red · Hue 5
Hex
#CE1909
RGB
rgb(206, 25, 9)
HSL
hsl(5, 92%, 42%)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 88%, 96%, 19%)
Metrics
S 92% · L 42%
Contrast (WCAG)
on white
5.6:1AA
on black
3.8:1AA Large
Save to journalSign in to saveStart palette from thisRecent trail

About this color

Scarlet Velvet Pure (#CE1909) belongs to the red family — hue 5°, 92% saturation, 42% 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-scarlet-velvet-pure: #CE1909;
  --colorarchive-scarlet-velvet-pure-hsl: hsl(5, 92%, 42%);
  --colorarchive-scarlet-velvet-pure-rgb: rgb(206, 25, 9);
}

AI Color Names

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

Design Context

PassionateEnergeticUrgent
Common in

Food & Beverage · Entertainment · Retail

Pairs well with

White for high contrast CTAs, dark navy for sophistication, or gold for luxury

Design tip

Best for call-to-action buttons and sale banners. Use sparingly — red as a primary color can feel aggressive; as an accent, it commands attention.

Cultural context ▶

Red is universally associated with energy and action. In China, it signifies luck and prosperity. In Western markets, it drives urgency in sales.

Color Origins

Red family

The first pigment, the loudest signal.

Heritage

Red is the oldest pigment in the human visual record. Ochre reds appear in burial sites from 75,000+ years ago; Roman red lead (minium) lit Pompeian walls; cinnabar drove a millennium of trade across Asia and the Mediterranean. Madder, kermes, and cochineal — the three classical reds — built fortunes and emptied empires before synthetic alizarin arrived in 1869 and collapsed the price overnight.

Across cultures

In China red signals fortune and weddings, painted on doors and lanterns and given in money envelopes. In much of South Asia red is the bridal color (saris, sindoor) for the same reason. Western traditions split red between love (Valentine's) and danger (stoplights, balance sheets). Across the Christian liturgy red marks martyrdom and Pentecost; across cinema it has long marked the femme fatale.

In the wild

Coca-Cola has used essentially the same red since 1886. Netflix and YouTube engineered their reds to pop maximally on dark UI. Christian Louboutin trademarked a single red — Pantone 18-1663 — on the soles of his shoes. Ferrari's racing red began as the Italian national racing color (Rosso Corsa). Nearly every emergency stop button on every machine ever made is red, and the convention is so universal it functions as international iconography.

How it reads

Red advances. On a page it draws the eye first; in a UI it implies destructive action or urgent state. Increasing saturation pushes it toward warning; reducing saturation moves it toward earthen, terra-cotta, comfort. Pairing red with white reads as energetic and consumer-facing; pairing it with black reads cinematic and luxurious; pairing it with cream reads as heritage or hospitality.

This particular tone

A vivid mid-tone — distinctive enough to anchor an identity, saturated enough to demand a quiet supporting palette.

Lightness band: At mid-lightness the hue carries its full character. This is the band where most identity colors live: bright enough to be distinctive at small sizes, deep enough to sit cleanly on a white canvas.

Saturation band: At this saturation the color is doing work. It reads as a brand statement, a sport accessory, or a UI signal. It should be used in small, deliberate doses against quieter neighbors; large fields at this saturation will exhaust the eye.

Brands using a similar color

Within the public brand-guidelines reference catalog, these are the closest matches to #CE1909.

  • Lululemonprimary
    Lululemon Red · #D1141A
    →
  • GitHubaccent
    Danger Red · #CF222E
    →
  • JD.com 京东primary
    JD Red · #E1251B
    →

Cultures using a similar color

From the cultural-palette catalog, these regions feature a color close to #CE1909.

  • England (London)Underground Red
    #DC241F · TfL roundel — Edward Johnston, 1908
    →
  • Korea (Obangsaek)Obangsaek Red (홍 / hong)
    #C8242C · South — fire element, ceremonial silk
    →
  • Turkey (Istanbul)Turkish Red
    #E30A17 · Crescent-and-star flag + carpet border
    →

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
Scarlet Core Pure
#EB1D0A · hsl(5, 92%, 48%)
Darker companion
Scarlet Dusk Pure
#A61407 · hsl(5, 92%, 34%)
Complementary counterpoint
Aqua Velvet Pure
#09CECE · hsl(180, 92%, 42%)
Analogous lead
Coral Velvet Pure
#CE6B09 · hsl(30, 92%, 42%)
Analogous echo
Garnet Velvet Pure
#CE094A · hsl(340, 92%, 42%)
Triadic +120°
Emerald Velvet Pure
#09CE09 · hsl(120, 92%, 42%)
Triadic +240°
Amethyst Velvet Pure
#1909CE · hsl(245, 92%, 42%)
Split-comp +150°
Jade Velvet Pure
#09CE6B · hsl(150, 92%, 42%)
Split-comp +210°
Sapphire Velvet Pure
#096BCE · hsl(210, 92%, 42%)
Export preview
Base: Scarlet Velvet Pure #CE1909
Lighter companion: Scarlet Core Pure #EB1D0A
Darker companion: Scarlet Dusk Pure #A61407
Complementary counterpoint: Aqua Velvet Pure #09CECE
Analogous lead: Coral Velvet Pure #CE6B09
Analogous echo: Garnet Velvet Pure #CE094A
Triadic +120°: Emerald Velvet Pure #09CE09
Triadic +240°: Amethyst Velvet Pure #1909CE
Split-comp +150°: Jade Velvet Pure #09CE6B
Split-comp +210°: Sapphire Velvet Pure #096BCE

Compare

See how Scarlet Velvet Pure compares side by side with related colors.

vsScarlet Core PurevsScarlet Dusk PurevsAqua Velvet PurevsCoral Velvet PurevsGarnet Velvet PurevsEmerald Velvet Pure

Nearest neighbors

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

Search by hex
Nearby match
Scarlet Velvet Bright
#C52011 · hsl(5, 84%, 42%)
Nearby match
Scarlet Core Pure
#EB1D0A · hsl(5, 92%, 48%)
Nearby match
Crimson Velvet Pure
#CE0909 · hsl(0, 92%, 42%)
Nearby match
Ruby Velvet Pure
#CE2909 · hsl(10, 92%, 42%)
Nearby match
Scarlet Dusk Pure
#A61407 · hsl(5, 92%, 34%)
Nearby match
Scarlet Core Bright
#E12514 · hsl(5, 84%, 48%)

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
AA5.3:1
Aqua Veil Faint
#F9FAFA
AA5.4:1
Aqua Veil Muted
#F9FBFB
AA5.4:1
Aqua Veil Dust
#F9FBFB
AA5.4:1
Aqua Veil Soft
#F8FCFC
AA5.4:1
Aqua Veil Clear
#F7FDFD
AA5.4:1
Aqua Veil Vivid
#F6FEFE

Color Vision Simulation

How this color appears with different color vision deficiencies.

Full simulator
Deuteranopia
#A8B00F
Protanopia
#A19F0E
Tritanopia
#C91112
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