Pastel Colors — Hex Codes
Browse 76 pastel colors with hex codes and RGB values, organized by color family. Click any swatch to copy the hex code. From baby pink to mint green, lavender to butter yellow — every soft shade you need.
Showing 76 of 76 pastel colors
What Are Pastel Colors?
Pastel colors are soft, desaturated shades created by mixing a pure hue with white. In HSL terms, pastels have high lightness (typically L > 70%) and low-to-moderate saturation (S < 60%). The result is a gentle, washed-out quality that feels calm and approachable rather than bold or intense.
The word "pastel" comes from the drawing medium: sticks of pigment mixed with chalk and a binder, which naturally produce those same muted tones. In color theory, pastels sit in the upper-right quadrant of the HSL cylinder: high lightness, moderate saturation.
Where Pastels Work Well
- Beauty and wellness brands — the soft palette communicates gentleness and care without clinical coldness.
- Baby and children's products — pastel pink, blue, and yellow are culturally universal signals for softness and safety.
- Spring and Easter themes — pastels are the dominant seasonal palette for spring marketing campaigns.
- Aesthetic and lifestyle content — popular on social media for cottagecore, kawaii, coquette, and soft-girl aesthetics.
- App and web UI backgrounds — pastel background tints create a warmer alternative to pure white without competing with text.
Contrast and Accessibility
Because pastel colors are light, they often fail WCAG contrast requirements when paired with white text. For accessible design, use dark text (near-black) on pastel backgrounds, and check your contrast ratio with our Contrast Checker. Aim for at least 4.5:1 for body text (WCAG AA level).
Pairing Pastels in a Palette
Pastels pair naturally with each other. Baby pink, lavender, and mint green together feel deliberate rather than busy, because all three sit at a similar lightness level. For contrast within a pastel palette, vary the lightness rather than the hue. You can also anchor a pastel palette with one slightly darker accent (like a dusty rose against blush pink) to create visual hierarchy without breaking the soft feel.