#3E4E3E
#8E7A5A
#C8B088
#2E2418
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text

Apothecary Color Palette

#3E4E3E · #8E7A5A · #C8B088 · #2E2418

Fail
WCAG Grade
1.7:1
Contrast Ratio
971
Saves
3,398
AI Copies
AI Prompt

Use #3E4E3E as the background. Use #8E7A5A as the primary accent. Use #C8B088 as secondary. Use #2E2418 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Apothecary — vintage, earthy, moody, forest.

Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values

Technical breakdown for the Apothecary color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).

Swatch Design Role HEX RGB CMYK HSL
Background
Luminance: 6.8%
62, 78, 62 21%, 0%, 21%, 69% 120°, 11%, 27%
Primary Accent
Luminance: 20.4%
142, 122, 90 0%, 14%, 37%, 44% 37°, 22%, 45%
Secondary
Luminance: 45.1%
200, 176, 136 0%, 12%, 32%, 22% 38°, 37%, 66%
Body Text
Luminance: 1.9%
46, 36, 24 0%, 22%, 48%, 82% 33°, 31%, 14%

Apothecary Tints & Shades

Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Apothecary palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.

#3E4E3E muted green
#8E7A5A muted orange
#C8B088 gently saturated orange
#2E2418 gently saturated orange

Apothecary Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)

Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.

Text on Background Preview Ratio Grade Safe For
#2E2418 on #C8B088
Aa Sample Text
7.25:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#C8B088 on #2E2418
Aa Sample Text
7.25:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#C8B088 on #3E4E3E
Aa Sample Text
4.24:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#3E4E3E on #C8B088
Aa Sample Text
4.24:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#2E2418 on #8E7A5A
Aa Sample Text
3.68:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#8E7A5A on #2E2418
Aa Sample Text
3.68:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#8E7A5A on #3E4E3E
Aa Sample Text
2.15:1 Fail Decorative use only
#3E4E3E on #8E7A5A
Aa Sample Text
2.15:1 Fail Decorative use only
#C8B088 on #8E7A5A
Aa Sample Text
1.97:1 Fail Decorative use only
#8E7A5A on #C8B088
Aa Sample Text
1.97:1 Fail Decorative use only
#2E2418 on #3E4E3E
Aa Sample Text
1.71:1 Fail Decorative use only
#3E4E3E on #2E2418
Aa Sample Text
1.71:1 Fail Decorative use only

Apothecary Color Psychology & Meaning

An apothecary's shop lines its walls with wooden drawers and glass bottles labelled in green and cream, a palette unchanged for two centuries, and this palette is apothecary green with label tan. It feels careful and old, the color of a drawer of powders weighed by hand.

Color Harmony: Custom Scheme

The Apothecary palette is built using a custom relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.

Hue Wheel

A custom palette is often preferred by professional designers because it balances visual interest with cohesion.

History & Design Context

Apothecary shops mixed and dispensed medicines individually, and the rows of labelled drawers and bottles were both storage and reference; green glass was widely used because it protected light-sensitive compounds.

Best Design Use Cases

Use the apothecary green for wide surfaces, drawer wood for buttons and links, label tan for secondary details, and shelf dark for text.

Industries This Palette Suits

Publishing, bookshops, stationery, artisan bakeries.

Colors That Pair Well With Apothecary

Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.

blue

directly opposite #8E7A5A on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy

yellow

30° beside #8E7A5A — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension

tinted neutral

a paper-white carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers

Using Apothecary Without Breaking Accessibility

  • Avoid #8E7A5A for small UI elements on #3E4E3E — at 2.1:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
  • Don't set body copy in #2E2418 on #3E4E3E — 1.7:1 fails WCAG AA; keep it for large decorative headings only.
  • Don't use #C8B088 behind body text — this light tone works better for surfaces, badges and dividers than for reading areas.

How to Implement the Apothecary Color Scheme

To use this Apothecary color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.

Option 1: CSS Variables

:root { 
  /* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'}  --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'}  --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'}  --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'}  --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}

Web Design Tip

Use #3E4E3E for the main background and #8E7A5A for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.

Accessibility Note

The contrast ratio between #2E2418 and #3E4E3E is 1.71:1 (Fail). Ensure your body text remains legible.

Apothecary Palette — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hex codes in the Apothecary color palette?

The Apothecary palette contains #3E4E3E, #8E7A5A, #C8B088, #2E2418. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.

Is the Apothecary color palette accessible (WCAG)?

Yes for its strongest pairings: #2E2418 on #C8B088 reaches 7.3:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.

What colors go well with the Apothecary palette?

Beyond its own four colors, #5A6D8C, #7D8165, #ECEEEC extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.

What mood does the Apothecary palette create?

Apothecary reads as vintage, earthy, moody. Muted orange drives the personality, grounded by muted green — a combination that works best when the mid-tone base gets most of the canvas.

Can I use the Apothecary color palette commercially?

Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Apothecary palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.

How do I add the Apothecary palette to Tailwind or CSS?

Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Apothecary's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.

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