Colors Encyclopedia

Named color

Lichen

Lichen is a muted and earth tone green color with HEX #9BC4A2. According to Colors Encyclopedia, it has RGB 155, 196, 162, HSL 130, 26%, 69%, cool temperature, and is useful for natural palettes, wellness branding, and sustainability design.

#9BC4A2 green cool mutedearth-tone
HEX #9BC4A2
RGB rgb(155, 196, 162)
HSL hsl(130 26% 69%)
CMYK cmyk(21, 0, 17, 23)
Luminance 0.4906
Contrast Black 10.81:1White 1.94:1

CSS Utilities

--color-lichen: #9BC4A2;
.bg-lichen { background-color: #9BC4A2; }
.text-lichen { color: #9BC4A2; }
Open CSS utility pageReusable variables, classes, examples, and implementation notes

Machine-readable data

Machine-Readable Color Data (JSON)

Perfect for CSS, design systems, automation, and AI ingestion.

AI-Ready Dataset v1.0.0
Luminance0.4906
Black text10.81:1AA Pass
White text1.94:1AA Fail
hexCanonical HEX value
rgbRed, green, blue channels
hslHue, saturation, lightness
cmykApproximate print conversion
wcagAA and AAA contrast options
harmoniesMathematical harmony sets
variantsGenerated tone variants
nearestColorsKnowledge graph neighbors
Download JSON Open API
Structured sections
Color systems
{
  "hex": "#9BC4A2",
  "rgb": [
    155,
    196,
    162
  ],
  "hsl": [
    130,
    26,
    69
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    21,
    0,
    17,
    23
  ],
  "luminance": 0.4906,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 10.81,
    "white": 1.94
  }
}
WCAG
{
  "AA": [
    "#000000",
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#36454F"
  ],
  "AAA": [
    "#000000",
    "#1A1A1A"
  ]
}
Harmonies
{
  "complementary": "#C59BBE",
  "analogous": [
    "#A9C59B",
    "#9BC5B7"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#A29BC5",
    "#C5A29B"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#9BA9C5",
    "#C59BBE",
    "#C5B79B"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#B79BC5",
    "#C59BA9"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#D5E6D8",
    "#9BC4A2",
    "#62A36C"
  ]
}
Variants
{
  "light": "#D5E6D8",
  "dark": "#62A36C",
  "saturated": "#8AD697",
  "desaturated": "#ADB3AE",
  "pastel": "#EEF1EF",
  "neon": "#8AFF9D"
}
Pairings
{
  "best": [
    "#000000",
    "#C59BBE",
    "#A9C59B",
    "#9BC5B7"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#ADB3AE",
    "#D5E6D8"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#000000"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#D5E6D8",
    "#ADB3AE"
  ]
}
Knowledge graph
{
  "nearestColors": [
    "laurel-green",
    "dark-sea-green",
    "willow-green",
    "opal",
    "galvanized-steel"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "lichen"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "dark-sea-green-vs-lichen",
    "laurel-green-vs-lichen"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/green",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/muted",
    "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/lichen",
    "/wcag/lichen",
    "/css/colors/lichen",
    "/hex/9bc4a2"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/green",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/muted",
      "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/lichen"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/laurel-green",
      "/colors/dark-sea-green",
      "/colors/willow-green",
      "/colors/opal",
      "/colors/galvanized-steel",
      "/compare/dark-sea-green-vs-lichen",
      "/compare/laurel-green-vs-lichen",
      "/harmonies/lichen",
      "/wcag/lichen",
      "/css/colors/lichen",
      "/hex/9bc4a2"
    ]
  }
}
Full JSON dataset 
{
  "slug": "lichen",
  "name": "Lichen",
  "hex": "#9BC4A2",
  "uses": [
    "natural palettes",
    "wellness branding",
    "sustainability design"
  ],
  "psychology": {
    "associations": [
      "nature",
      "growth",
      "balance"
    ],
    "contexts": [
      "wellness",
      "outdoor brands",
      "gardening",
      "organic products"
    ],
    "avoidIn": [
      "urgent error states"
    ]
  },
  "aliases": [],
  "sourceType": "curated",
  "confidence": "medium",
  "reviewStatus": "manual",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/assets/colors.json",
  "origin": {
    "type": "common",
    "notes": "Curated common color reference used in design and editorial color systems."
  },
  "family": "green",
  "temperature": "cool",
  "tone": [
    "muted",
    "earth-tone"
  ],
  "editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
  "tags": [
    "green",
    "cool",
    "muted",
    "earth-tone",
    "natural-palettes",
    "wellness-branding",
    "sustainability-design",
    "nature",
    "growth",
    "balance"
  ],
  "popularity": 84,
  "rgb": [
    155,
    196,
    162
  ],
  "hsl": [
    130,
    26,
    69
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    21,
    0,
    17,
    23
  ],
  "luminance": 0.4906,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 10.81,
    "white": 1.94
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#C59BBE",
    "analogous": [
      "#A9C59B",
      "#9BC5B7"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#A29BC5",
      "#C5A29B"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#9BA9C5",
      "#C59BBE",
      "#C5B79B"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#B79BC5",
      "#C59BA9"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#D5E6D8",
      "#9BC4A2",
      "#62A36C"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#D5E6D8",
    "dark": "#62A36C",
    "saturated": "#8AD697",
    "desaturated": "#ADB3AE",
    "pastel": "#EEF1EF",
    "neon": "#8AFF9D"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#000000",
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#36454F"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#000000",
      "#1A1A1A"
    ]
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-lichen: #9BC4A2;",
    "utility": ".bg-lichen { background-color: #9BC4A2; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-lichen { color: #9BC4A2; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "laurel-green",
    "dark-sea-green",
    "willow-green",
    "opal",
    "galvanized-steel"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "lichen"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "dark-sea-green-vs-lichen",
    "laurel-green-vs-lichen"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/green",
    "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
    "/colors/by-tone/muted",
    "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/lichen",
    "/wcag/lichen",
    "/css/colors/lichen",
    "/hex/9bc4a2"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/green",
      "/colors/by-temperature/cool",
      "/colors/by-tone/muted",
      "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/lichen"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/laurel-green",
      "/colors/dark-sea-green",
      "/colors/willow-green",
      "/colors/opal",
      "/colors/galvanized-steel",
      "/compare/dark-sea-green-vs-lichen",
      "/compare/laurel-green-vs-lichen",
      "/harmonies/lichen",
      "/wcag/lichen",
      "/css/colors/lichen",
      "/hex/9bc4a2"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#000000",
      "#C59BBE",
      "#A9C59B",
      "#9BC5B7"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#ADB3AE",
      "#D5E6D8"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#000000"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#D5E6D8",
      "#ADB3AE"
    ]
  }
}
Dataset manifest Version 1.0.0 Build hash published in manifest Canonical page

Color meaning and use

About Lichen Color

Lichen sits in the green family with cool temperature and muted and earth tone visual character. Lichen is a commonly used color name in design references, palettes, and editorial color systems.

Its common associations include nature, growth, and balance, which makes it relevant for wellness and outdoor brands. In design work, Lichen is most useful for natural palettes, wellness branding, and sustainability design, especially when paired with black text for stronger contrast.

Related Color Guides

Green color familyBrowse named green colors and compare nearby swatches.Cool colorsExplore colors with cool temperature behavior.Muted colorsFind colors with muted visual character.Earth Tone colorsFind colors with earth tone visual character.Lichen accessibilityCheck contrast and WCAG text options for #9BC4A2.Lichen CSS utilitiesUse Lichen in CSS variables and utility classes.#9BC4A2 HEX atlasOpen the permanent HEX atlas record for conversions and variants.Lichen paletteOpen the generated palette based on Lichen.Lichen harmoniesExplore complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic harmonies.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Lichen against black and white text.

Black text10.81:1AA Pass
White text1.94:1AA Fail
AA text options#000000, #1A1A1A, #36454F
AAA text options#000000, #1A1A1A
Open WCAG pageDetailed contrast notes, warnings, alternatives, and UI examples

Similar Colors

Laurel Green#A9BA9D
Dark Sea Green#8FBC8F
Willow Green#A8B88F
Opal#A8C3BC
Galvanized Steel#A9B0B4

Color Harmonies

#C59BBE#C59BBE
#A9C59B#A9C59B
#9BC5B7#9BC5B7
#A29BC5#A29BC5
#C5A29B#C5A29B
Open full Lichen harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#D5E6D8#D5E6D8
#62A36C#62A36C
#8AD697#8AD697
#ADB3AE#ADB3AE
#EEF1EF#EEF1EF
#8AFF9D#8AFF9D

Pairings

Black#000000
#C59BBE#C59BBE
#A9C59B#A9C59B
#9BC5B7#9BC5B7
Matte Black#1A1A1A
White Smoke#F5F5F5