Smouldering Red
#ca3434
Darker ember-red with smoky warmth for depth
About Smouldering Red
Smouldering Red looks like the moment a flame settles after a flare: still red-leaning orange, but with smoke in the mix. On screen it reads deeper and more muted than Hot Lips, and less midpoint-heavy than Bento Box. It feels warmer than a clean alarm red without tipping into wine-dark weight or that flatter "true red" pull you can get from Persian Red.
I use it when I want urgency that doesn't feel frantic, especially in restaurant ordering and quick-serve ordering flows where a state needs to feel active but human. It also works well in dashboards and finance apps for "needs attention" chips, retry nudges, and step labels where you want a confident accent without the lipstick-fresh edge of Hot Lips. Think logistics status dots, promo callouts, and critical form prompts in ecommerce.
Quirk: because it's slightly smoky and heavier, it can lose punch next to very bright oranges. Pair it with creams or warm grays so the smouldering quality stays readable instead of muddy.
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Contrast checker
WCAG 2.1 contrast ratios. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large. AAA requires 7:1 / 4.5:1.
On White #ffffff
On Gray 100 #f5f5f5
On Gray 900 #18181b
On Black #000000
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