Torrid Malbec
Torrid Malbec (#E94D86) is a true magenta with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (338°, 78%, 61%) 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 teal. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.
Etymology
Latin torridus, parched / scorching — sharing root with torrēre (to dry by heat). As a color modifier, torrid implies a saturated-and-tropical-hot quality, the bright color of equatorial-Saharan-and-Sonoran-desert mid-summer high-temperature surface-emission. Sits at the bright-and-warm end of the grid, parallel to scorching and fiery in usage.
A red-wine grape originally from Cahors in southwest France, now most associated with Argentine Mendoza wine regions. The color refers to a young Argentine Malbec: a deep, slightly cool dark red with the high tannin opacity of high-altitude grape wine. Deeper than Tempranillo, cooler than Rioja.
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 exploreHarmonies
Accessibility
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.
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.