Pastel (color)

Pastels or pastel colors belong to a pale family of colors, which, when described in the HSV color space, have high value and low or medium saturation. They are named after the artistic medium made from pigment and solid binding agents, similar to crayons. Pastel sticks historically had lower saturation than paints of the same pigment, hence the name of this color family.

The colors of this family are usually described as soothing, calming, and nostalgic. They tend to lean towards ideas of simplicity and help to contrast against the bolder and brighter colors that trend in our world. They are integrated into interior design in many places, such as healthcare to help soothe anxiety, or in classrooms to help the mind focus. Pastel colors work to oppose the brighter, bolder colors that tend to be common in many other places.

Pink, mauve, and baby blue are commonly used pastel colors, as are mint green, peach, periwinkle, lilac, and lavender.There are no official listing of colors' hex codes, but there are still websites with given color names and hex codes that can be used to find pastel colors. There are also color charts that can be used to physically identify pastel colors.