Mauve #E0B0FF

Mauve color codes

What color is mauve?

Mauve is a pale purple that leans slightly toward pink — lighter and warmer than lavender, brighter than lilac. As a web color, mauve is #E0B0FF, or rgb(224, 176, 255): lots of red and blue light with less green, which is what gives it that soft, rosy violet look. The name comes from the French word for the mallow flower, whose petals have the same color.

In everyday use "mauve" covers a range. The hex code above is the bright, airy mauve used in design references. In fashion and interiors, mauve often means a dusty mauve — the same pinkish purple with gray mixed in, closer to dusty rose. Both are mauve; the shades below show the whole family.

Shades of mauve

From light to dark, these are the mauve shades you are most likely to meet. Click any swatch to copy its hex code.

Opera mauve and mauve taupe are the grayed, "dusty mauve" tones popular for bridesmaid dresses, cushions and bedroom walls; old mauve is a deep, wine-like version, and Mauvelous is a pinker crayon shade. To generate your own light-to-dark ramp, open mauve in the palette generator, or blend it toward white or gray in the color mixer for a dustier mauve.

Mauve color meaning

Mauve has an unusual history: it was the first color ever made by synthetic chemistry. In 1856 the 18-year-old chemist William Henry Perkin was trying to make the malaria drug quinine and instead produced a purple dye he called mauveine. Before then, purple dyes were rare and expensive, and mauve became a fashion sensation — worn by Queen Victoria and Empress Eugénie — so popular that the 1890s are still called the "Mauve Decade".

Today mauve is associated with calm, romance, nostalgia and creativity. It shares purple's sense of imagination and individuality, softened by pink's warmth, so it feels gentle and sophisticated rather than bold. That makes it a favorite for wellness and beauty brands, wedding palettes and relaxing bedrooms. Curious whether purple tones suit your personality? Take the color personality test or read about the purple personality.

What colors go with mauve?

Mauve is easy to pair because it is light and slightly muted. These combinations work well — click any swatch to copy it:

For more combinations, the color matcher builds eight matching schemes from mauve and previews them on a sample web page, and the color wheel shows the complementary, analogous and triadic colors for mauve listed further down this page.

Using mauve in design

On the web, mauve works as a background, card or highlight color, not as text on white: mauve on white has a contrast ratio of only 1.78:1, far below the 4.5:1 that WCAG requires. Put dark text on mauve instead — deep purple #3C096C on mauve reaches 8.17:1. Check any pairing in the contrast checker.

:root { --mauve: #E0B0FF; --mauve-ink: #3C096C; }
.badge { background: var(--mauve); color: var(--mauve-ink); }
.card  { background: color-mix(in oklab, var(--mauve) 30%, white); }

At home, a dusty mauve wall pairs well with white trim, light wood and brass; brighter mauve suits accents such as cushions and throws. In fashion, mauve flatters most skin tones and sits comfortably next to gray, navy and cream. For exact codes in every format, use the HTML color picker or the color converter; to fill your whole screen with mauve, open the mauve screen; and to find other named colors, search the HTML color codes or browse all purple colors.

Contrast

Contrast ratio of Mauve against white and black text (WCAG 2.1 needs 4.5:1 for body text).

Shades, tints & tones

Color harmonies

Colors similar to Mauve

Mauve color FAQ