What color is Puce?
Puce is a muted pinkish-mauve with a dusty, slightly warm tone, hex #E491A6, close to the color of a faded rose petal. It has a soft, powdery quality without reading as a bright or saturated pink.
What is the meaning of the color Puce?
French dictionaries recorded puce as a color term by the late 18th century, derived from the French word for flea, describing the brownish-pink hue of a flea’s belly. The color gained fashionable standing at the French court of Louis XVI, where it was adopted into silk and textile production as a named fabric shade. By the 19th century, puce appeared in English dressmaking trade catalogues as a recognized category in muted pink and mauve ranges. The Oxford English Dictionary traces its first recorded use in English to 1787.
What colors go with Puce?
Colors that pair well with Puce include:
Ivory: soft, warm harmony
Slate Blue: cool, calming contrast
Sage Green: muted, earthy balance
Charcoal: grounding, strong depth
Blush Pink: tonal, gentle layering
Similar Colors
Conversions & Codes
| Format | Value | CSS |
|---|---|---|
| HEX | #E491A6 |
color: #E491A6;
|
| RGB | 228, 145, 166 |
color: rgb(228, 145, 166);
|
| RGB Percentage | 89%, 57%, 65% |
color: rgb(89%, 57%, 65%);
|
| CMYK | 0%, 36%, 27%, 11% | Not supported in CSS |
| HSL | 345°, 61%, 73% |
color: hsl(345, 61%, 73%);
|
| HSV | 345°, 36%, 89% | Not supported in CSS |
| CIE-LAB | 58, 17, -7 |
color: lab(58% 17 -7);
|
| Decimal | 14979494 | Not supported in CSS |
Color Variations
Shades
Tints
Tones
Hues
Color Harmonies
Analogous
Complementary
Split Complementary
Triadic
Tetradic
Square
CSS & Dev Snippets
.puce {
color: #E491A6;
}
$puce: #E491A6;
rgb(228, 145, 166)