#FFEEA5Sour Lemon (#FFEEA5) is a near-white, soft yellow with an OKLCH hue of 97°, lightness 0.95 and chroma 0.093. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.
| HEX | #FFEEA5 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(255, 238, 165) |
| HSL | hsl(49, 100%, 82%) |
| HSV | hsv(49, 35%, 100%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 7%, 35%, 0%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(93.9 -4.5 37.5) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.946 0.093 97) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Sour Lemon shifts subtly: leans toward orange; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.7), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#ffe898 — ΔE 1.7, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#ffefa1 — ΔE 0.6, is virtually unchanged#ffeea5 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#ffefa8 — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedTest Sour Lemon in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 1.17:1 and against black 18.03:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#ffeea5 · #d9ca87 · #b1a367 · #897d47 · #64592a · #41380c
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#ffeea5 · #f8d495 · #edbb8b · #dea486 · #cc8f82 · #b67c7e
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#ffeea5 · #99b59d · #9c8e54 · #477f51 · #60541d · #26412a
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#ffeea5 · #cecab5 · #b0a782 · #8d8565 · #505892 · #2f2a17
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#ffeea5 · #cdcfd9 · #949285 · #56575d · #272417 · #010103
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#eff1fc · #c6c8d5 · #989baa · #1f2233 · #020310 · #ffeea5
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#ffeea5 · #c2e0c3 · #7aab75 · #6133f0 · #28365e · #19051d
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#ffeea5 · #b2e3e0 · #b98cd7 · #596a7f · #343957 · #0b1203
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffeea5 · #bcd5dc · #589daf · #78426b · #3a1132 · #000407
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#ffeea5 · #bcd6d3 · #57a099 · #4a528b · #410e1d · #01000a
#FEEFB0 · #FDF1BA · #FCF2C4 · #FCF3CE · #FBF4D8
#D1C280 · #A4975D · #7A6E3B · #52481A · #2E2500
#FBEEB6 · #F7EEC5 · #F3EED4
Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.