Sweet Basil vs Forest Shade
Sweet Basil (Benjamin Moore) and Forest Shade (Dulux) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the green-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 14 vs 13 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Where Sweet Basil leans green, Forest Shade reads neutral — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 3.0 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Sweet Basil vs Forest Shade in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Sweet Basil and Forest Shade are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Sweet Basil vs Forest Shade Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sweet Basil on one side and Forest Shade on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Sweet Basil comparisons
See how Sweet Basil stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 14, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (14 vs 6) makes Sweet Basil the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 14, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 14, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 14, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.
Sweet Basil reads slightly lighter (LRV 14 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 14, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 13), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 44 vs 14, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 14), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 14, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 14, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 14, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 14, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.
Treron reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 14), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 14, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.
Sweet Basil reads slightly lighter (LRV 14 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 14), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 14), opening up a space where Sweet Basil encloses it.