colors
Back to gallery

Pulsing Bora-Bora

#4af0c9
Notes

Pulsing Bora-Bora (#4AF0C9) is a true teal with a neon character. It sits at the high-saturation edge of its family. Use it sparingly, as signage, accent, or highlight against darker surfaces. Its HSL profile (166°, 85%, 62%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary red. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#4af0c9
RGB
rgb(74, 240, 201)
HSL
hsl(166, 85%, 62%)
HWB
hwb(166 29% 6%)
OKLCH
oklch(86.1% 0.146 173.5)
HSV
hsv(166, 69%, 94%)
LAB
lab(86.00% -51.35 6.58)
LCH
lch(86.00% 51.77 172.70)
CMYK
cmyk(69%, 0%, 16%, 6%)

Etymology

Pulsing
adjective

The progressive participle of pulse, to throb. Used as a color modifier for hues that read as if they were alternating between two states of luminance — the vibration of a high-saturation color against a contrasting background. Sits in the bright-bucket center alongside electric, with the implication of optical motion rather than static luminance.

Bora-Bora
noun

The volcanic atoll in French Polynesia — and the saturated turquoise of its central lagoon ringed by motu coral islets. Bora-Bora color refers to the lagoon at sunset: a saturated, slightly cool deep blue-green with the optical complexity of light filtering through volcanic-ringed water.

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

Click any swatch to explore

Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#4af0c9
Original
#e8e1c7
Protanopia
#d2d0cc
Deuteranopia
#00f2e5
Tritanopia
#cacaca
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon White
1.44:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon Black
14.60:1

Related Colors

Canvas