Baby Pink #F4C2C2

Baby pink is all about softness and care. In the US and parts of Europe it is the pink of birth announcements and baby showers, where it has come to signal a baby girl. That convention is cultural and fairly recent, and many parents now skip it.

Outside the nursery, baby pink reads as innocent, tender and calm. It appears on bakery boxes, skincare packaging and lingerie, where it suggests something delicate and comforting. Because it is so light, it carries very little of red's intensity and almost none of its urgency.

It has also become a fashion color for adults, especially in tailoring and knitwear. Paired with stronger colors like navy or camel, it looks soft and polished instead of childish.

Baby pink is a background color more than a feature color. Use it for page sections, cards, packaging and social posts, and put dark text on top: charcoal, navy or deep burgundy all work. White text on baby pink is unreadable.

On its own it can look washed out on screens, so give it a stronger accent, such as a deep green or navy button. In interiors it suits nurseries, bedrooms and cafes, and it looks more grown up next to gray, brass and natural wood.