A color that started a craze
In 1856, the 18-year-old chemist William Henry Perkin was trying to make quinine and produced a purple dye instead, later sold as mauveine. It was the first synthetic dye to be mass-produced, and by the end of that decade Paris and London were in the grip of "mauve mania". The name comes from the French word for the mallow flower.
Mauve, lilac and dusty rose
These neighbors are easy to confuse:
- Mauve is grayish pink-purple, with more pink than lilac.
- Lilac is lighter and more clearly purple.
- Dusty rose is pinker and warmer, closer to a faded red.
The named mauves at the top of the page show how wide the term is in practice: some lean purple, others brown.
Styling mauve
Mauve is muted, so it works as a soft neutral in interiors and clothing. It pairs well with sage green, charcoal, cream and deep plum. In seasonal color analysis it is a classic Soft Summer color.
On screen
Light mauves need dark text; deep mauves take white text. The palette ideas above show mauve with neutrals and with its complementary green. For related shades, browse shades of pink and light purple, or see how mauve sits in the Soft Summer palette.