Celeste
A luminous, airy cyan with high-chroma energy
Celeste is a luminous, high-chroma cyan that feels airy and artificial. Because of its extreme lightness and intensity, it works best as a vibrant accent rather than a full page background, where it can easily wash out content. Pair it with deep charcoal or navy to ground its energy. The hex code for this cool tone is #b2ffff.
About Celeste
Glacier melt pooled in a porcelain bowl
What does celeste mean?
Celeste is often linked with clear skies, shallow water, and airy, open spaces. Its near-white lightness and faint saturation give it a weightless, evaporating quality that barely holds its hue.
Where you see celeste
- shaved ice
- cotton candy
- porcelain tile
- frosted glass
- swimming pool shallow end
- baby blankets
What it works for
Use it as a soft background where a hint of cool color matters more than saturation.
What colors go with celeste?
Coral #ff7f50The warm pink-orange offset sits firmly against all that cool, faded cyan.Charcoal #36454fA deep neutral anchors the pale tint without competing for attention.Peach #ffe5b4Both are light and low in saturation, so the warmth carries the contrast.Midnight Blue #020035The dark, saturated blue makes this tint read even lighter and clearer.Mustard #ffdb58An earthy yellow gives the cold tint a grounded, retro warmth.Dusty Rose #b56f76Two muted pastels stay quiet together while their temperatures oppose.
Questions about Celeste
What is the hex code for Celeste?
Celeste is #b2ffff. In RGB that is rgb(178, 255, 255), in HSL hsl(180, 100%, 85%) and in CMYK 30%, 0%, 0%, 0%.
Is #b2ffff suitable for text backgrounds?
Using #b2ffff as a large background is generally risky because its extreme lightness makes dark text difficult to read. It functions much better as an intentional, high-energy accent element rather than a base for body content.
Is Celeste readable on white or black?
Celeste has a 1.12:1 contrast ratio on white and 18.64:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it is too faint for text and on black it works for body text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.