Airbnb Color Accessibility — WCAG Contrast Audit

Airbnb’s primary brand colors audited against WCAG contrast — 1 of 3 pairs pass AA for normal text.

At a glance

Pairs audited
3
Passing AA (normal text)
1 of 3
AA threshold
4.5:1
AAA threshold
7:1

Airbnb’s coral primary (Rausch) was named for the German word "rauschen" — but its accessibility profile against white is famously borderline. This page audits Airbnb’s primary brand-color combinations against the WCAG 2.1 AA threshold (4.5:1 for normal-size body text). Results are computed live from the published brand colors and the WCAG luminance formula.

Brand pair audit

Airbnb Rausch on White

Body sample text for accessibility check.

#FF5A5F on #FFFFFF
3.05:1AA-large

White on Airbnb Rausch

Body sample text for accessibility check.

#FFFFFF on #FF5A5F
3.05:1AA-large

Airbnb Foggy on White

Body sample text for accessibility check.

#767676 on #FFFFFF
4.54:1AA

Audit results

Airbnb Rausch on White — #FF5A5F on #FFFFFF → 3.05:1 ⚠ AA-large only White on Airbnb Rausch — #FFFFFF on #FF5A5F → 3.05:1 ⚠ AA-large only Airbnb Foggy on White — #767676 on #FFFFFF → 4.54:1 ✓ AA

What this means in practice

Rausch fails AA on white — it’s a brand display color used primarily as a button fill or accent. The Foggy gray used for secondary text sits exactly at the AA threshold; some Airbnb pages have been flagged for using it for primary metadata.

Frequently asked questions

Does Airbnb comply with WCAG?
Brand color tokens are one input to compliance — actual page conformance depends on which pairs are used where. Airbnb has 1 of 3 primary pairs passing AA at body size. Some pairs are intended for large text or background usage only.
Where can I check the latest brand guidelines?
Brand guidelines change without notice. Always cross-check against Airbnb’s current published brand site or design-system documentation before shipping. The hex values used here reflect publicly documented brand color tokens at the time of writing.
How do I fix failing brand pairs in my own design system?
When a brand color fails AA on white, the standard fix is to introduce a darker variant (often suffixed -700 or -600 in design-system terminology) for use as text on light surfaces, while reserving the lighter brand color for large headings or background usage. The contrast checker above suggests the nearest passing color in either direction.

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