Lilac purple is a light purple shade that falls somewhere between a vivid purple and a pale lavender. The question of whether lilac purple qualifies as a pastel color is an interesting one. Pastels are known for being pale, soft, and muted. They have a lower saturation and higher tint than their pure hue counterparts. While lilac purple is certainly soft and muted compared to a bold purple, it may not be quite as pale as some other pastel shades like mint green or peach. Determining if lilac purple fits into the pastel color family requires a close look at its specific hue, tint, and saturation levels.
Defining Pastel Colors
Pastels are created when a pure, vivid hue is mixed with a large amount of white. This reduces the saturation and increases the tint, creating a much softer, paler version of the original color. Some key characteristics of pastel colors include:
- High tint – Pastels have a high amount of white added to the original hue. This lightens the color substantially.
- Low saturation – The vividness of the original hue is toned down in pastels, making the color muted rather than bright.
- Soft – Pastels have a gentle, delicate appearance compared to bold colors.
- Subtle – They do not dominate but rather sit quietly in a composition.
These qualities differentiate pastels from both the pure, intense hues and the darker, duller shades. Pastels straddle the middle ground between tints and shades. They retain enough of the original hue to be recognizable but have enough white added to subdue the color substantially.
The Color Lilac Purple
So where does lilac purple fall within this pastel spectrum? Lilac purple sits between the colors purple and lavender on the color wheel. It is lighter and brighter than lavender but not as vivid as pure purple. Here are some key characteristics of lilac purple:
- Hue – Lilac purple takes its hue from the purple or violet family. It sits midway between the red-purple hues and blue-purple hues on the color wheel.
- Tint – More white is added to lilac purple than vivid purple, giving it a lighter, softer look.
- Saturation – Lilac purple is moderately saturated rather than being fully muted or fully vivid.
- Tone – It has a medium tone, neither extremely dark nor extremely light.
Compared to the pure hue purple, lilac purple is lighter, brighter, and less saturated. But it retains enough saturation to remain easily identifiable as a purple, unlike the much paler lavender.
How Light and Muted is Lilac Purple?
To better analyze the lightness and mutedness of lilac purple, it is helpful to look at some numerical data. The RGB and HEX values that create the lilac purple hue can provide useful information.
| Color | RGB Values | HEX Code |
|---|---|---|
| Vivid Purple | 128, 0, 128 | #800080 |
| Lilac Purple | 200, 162, 200 | #C8A2C8 |
| Lavender | 230, 230, 250 | #E6E6FA |
Looking at these RGB values shows how lilac purple compares to vivid purple and lavender in terms of lightness:
- Vivid purple is very dark, with low RGB values close to 0.
- Lilac purple has higher RGB values around 200, making it much lighter.
- Lavender is lighter still with RGB values around 230-250.
The saturation of these colors can also be compared by looking at how close together or far apart the R, G, and B values are:
- Vivid purple has a very low G value compared to R and B, creating high saturation.
- Lilac purple has closer R, G, and B values, indicating lower saturation.
- Lavender has similar R, G, and B values that are all quite high, creating very low saturation.
Based on this data, lilac purple appears to meet the criteria for a pastel color. It is significantly lighter and more muted than vivid purple. However, it retains enough saturation to remain distinctly purple, unlike the extremely muted lavender.
How Artists Define Pastel Lilac Purple
In addition to looking at technical specifications, it is helpful to see how color experts define different shades. Pastel artists, who work extensively with soft, muted colors, consider lilac purple to be a mid-tone pastel within the purple family:
- Darker, more saturated purples like mulberry and eggplant are not considered pastels.
- Paler tones like mauve and lavender qualify as lighter pastel purples.
- Lilac purple fits within the mid-range, referred to by artists as a pastel lilac or pastel lilac purple.
Within a complete palette of pastel purples, an artist might arrange the shades from darkest to lightest in this order:
- Mulberry
- Lilac purple
- Mauve
- Lavender
So within the range of purples, lilac occupies the lighter, softer, pastel area of the spectrum.
Comparing Lilac Purple to Other Pastel Colors
Looking beyond just the purple family, lilac purple has very similar lightness and saturation to accepted pastel colors from other hue families. For example:
| Pastel Color | HEX Code |
|---|---|
| Lilac purple | #C8A2C8 |
| Robin’s egg blue | #98EFF9 |
| Mint green | #B6D7A8 |
| Peach | #FFE5B4 |
While not identical, these colors have comparable levels of lightness and saturation. They all meet the technical criteria for classification as pastels. This provides additional support for categorizing lilac purple within the pastel color family rather than as a vivid or muted purple.
Is Lilac Purple Considered a Pastel?
Based on an analysis of its visual characteristics, RGB values, use among artists, and comparison to other pastel shades, lilac purple does appear to qualify as a pastel color. Here are some key reasons why:
- It has significantly higher tint and lower saturation than vivid purple.
- It retains enough saturation to remain recognizably purple, unlike the more muted lavender tone.
- Pastel artists consistently refer to lilac purple as a mid-toned pastel within the purple family.
- Its lightness and saturation levels are comparable to pastels from other color families.
While not as extremely light or muted as some pastel colors, lilac purple fits within the broad spectrum of soft, delicate pastel shades between vivid colors and pale tints. So for both technical and artistic reasons, lilac purple can definitively be classified as a pastel color.
Conclusion
Pastels encompass a wide range of soft, muted shades between the most vivid and pale versions of a color. Lilac purple occupies the pastel range within the purple family, providing a lighter, brighter alternative to bold purple while retaining more saturation than ethereal lavender. With its lower saturation and higher tint than vivid purple, combined with its distinctive purple hue, lilac purple clearly qualifies as a pastel shade. When used in art, design, or fashion, lilac purple provides a soft, delicate touch of color associated with the pastel palette.
