--- title: "Pilot ILMILY Color two color: A Pen That Changes Color" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-ilmily-color-two-color-ballpoint/" description: "Pilot ILMILY Color two color ballpoint explained: 0.4 mm ink that turns dark to light when rubbed, 142 mm size, the 8 launch colors, 2024 additions, price." category: "Pens" type: "Gel pen" published: 2026-11-02 updated: 2026-11-02 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 3 products: - name: "Pilot ILMILY Color two color ballpoint pen 0.4 mm" brand: "Pilot" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Special water-based pigment gel ink (Pilot Japan)" released: "2022-10-18" price_band: "$ (under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Pilot Corporation (Japan)" url: "https://www.pilot.co.jp/press_release/2022/09/09/ilmily_color_two_color.html" --- # Pilot ILMILY Color two color: A Pen That Changes Color > The Pilot ILMILY Color two color is a 0.4 mm cap-style gel ballpoint whose ink changes from a dark color to a lighter one when you rub it with the rubber at the back, instead of erasing. Pilot launched it on October 18, 2022. It is 142 mm long and began with eight color pairs. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-ilmily-color-two-color-ballpoint/ - Category: Pens - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-11-02 - Updated: 2026-11-02 ![Pilot ILMILY Color two color ballpoint drawn to scale at 142 mm with six dark-to-light ink pairs](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/pilot-ilmily-color-two-color-ballpoint-illustration-16x9.png?v=6e5952ea) *The ILMILY Color two color pen at Pilot Japan's 142 mm (1 mm = 6 px) with six of its dark-to-light pairs; the tints are representative.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pilot ILMILY Color two color ballpoint pen 0.4 mm | Pilot (by Pilot Corporation (Japan)) | Japan | Not stated | Special water-based pigment gel ink (Pilot Japan) | 2022-10-18 | $: under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) | - Made in (Pilot ILMILY Color two color ballpoint pen 0.4 mm): Not stated. Pilot Japan's press releases give size, price and colors but no country of manufacture, and Yoseka's page doesn't state one either. Source: https://www.pilot.co.jp/press_release/2022/09/09/ilmily_color_two_color.html - Good for: Everyday carry. ### Pilot ILMILY Color two color ballpoint pen 0.4 mm colors - Ink colors (9 standard, 0 special edition): Black / Gray; Wine Red / Gray; Navy / Gray; Emerald / Mint; Cherry / Peach; Grape / Lavender; Night / Sakura; Olive / Mimosa; Sepia / Nemophila. - Per Pilot Japan press release (https://www.pilot.co.jp/press_release/2024/11/22/ilmily_color_two_color_1.html), checked 2026-11-02. Each name is the pair of colors before and after rubbing, as Pilot Japan lists them, with the first name (the darker ink) shown as the swatch. Yoseka's US listing carries the first six pairs. We have no color chips, so each swatch is a representative tint picked to match the name, not sampled from a photo. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - Pilot Japan lists the Color two color ballpoint at 142 mm (5.6 in) long and 11.4 mm across, with a 0.4 mm ball and a cap. - Rubbing with the rubber at the pen's back changes the ink from a dark color to a lighter one; Pilot gives about 65 °C as the full-change temperature. - It launched on October 18, 2022 with 8 color pairs, 6 regular and 2 limited, at ¥275 (about US$1.70) with tax. - On November 22, 2024 Pilot added 3 pairs: Night / Sakura as a regular color, plus new Olive / Mimosa and Sepia / Nemophila. - ILMILY is a Pilot stationery brand begun in 2021, named for the phrase "I Like Me, I Like You". ## What is the Pilot ILMILY Color two color? **It is a ballpoint whose writing changes color when you rub it.** Pilot's September 9, 2022 press release describes the pen as the third item in its ILMILY brand, with a heat-sensitive ink Pilot developed. Rub the line with the rubber at the pen's back, and friction heat turns the dark ink into a lighter one. Pilot suggests wish lists and to-do lists: write a task in the dark color, then rub it when it is done. Our [FriXion Clicker guide](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-frixion-clicker/) covers the other kind of rubbing ink, which erases. ## Pilot ILMILY Color two color specs | Spec | Value | |---|---| | Maker | Pilot Corporation, Japan | | Mechanism | Cap (Pilot Japan, 2024) | | Ball | 0.4 mm, Synergy Tip | | Ink | Special water-based pigment gel ink | | Full change at | About 65 °C (149 °F) | | Length | 142 mm (5.6 in) | | Largest diameter | 11.4 mm (0.45 in) | | Japanese list price | ¥275 (about US$1.70) with tax at launch | | Price band | $ (under $5); Yoseka's US listing is inside it | Pilot didn't list a weight in the releases we read. ## How does the color change work? **Rubbing heats the ink and Pilot says it shifts from a dark color to a lighter one.** Pilot's release says the dedicated rubber is on the back of the pen, and it also sold separate rubbers. The ink is not erased, so the writing stays readable in its second color. Yoseka adds that some lighter colors, such as Cherry, Emerald and Grape, become a desaturated version of the original. Like FriXion ink, it reacts to heat, so Yoseka warns against leaving it in direct sun or above 140 °F (60 °C). ![A to-do list with one line rubbed to a light lavender color and two lines still in dark grape](https://stationerytimes.com/images/pilot-ilmily-color-two-color-ballpoint-color-change.svg?v=4f22cd4b) *A to-do list as Pilot suggests: finished lines change to the light color. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.* ## What colors does it come in? **Nine pairs at last count: six regular launch pairs and three added in November 2024.** At launch in October 2022 Pilot listed eight: Black / Gray, Wine Red / Gray, Navy / Gray, Emerald / Mint, Cherry / Peach and Grape / Lavender, plus limited Blue Soda and Night / Sakura. On November 22, 2024 it made Night / Sakura a regular color and added Olive / Mimosa and Sepia / Nemophila. Yoseka's US listing shows the first six. We don't know if Blue Soda is still sold. ## Who is the ILMILY Color two color for? **Planner and list users who like to mark tasks as done with a color change.** The fit is documented, not tested by us. - **Everyday carry:** Pilot Japan lists 142 mm, under the 150 mm line. Skip it if you want ink that vanishes or never changes. For erasable writing, see the [FriXion Synergy Clicker](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-frixion-synergy-clicker/), which also uses a Synergy Tip. ## Is there a refill? **We couldn't confirm a refill code.** Pilot's refill site lists an Acro ink refill that fits other ILMILY pens, but we didn't find a refill for this color-changing gel pen on the pages we read. Check the pen's pack, or ask Pilot, before buying one. ## Where is the ILMILY Color two color made, and what does it cost? **Pilot doesn't say where it is made.** Its releases give no country and Yoseka doesn't either, so we list it as not stated. Pilot's launch price was ¥275 (about US$1.70) with tax, ¥250 (about US$1.60) before tax. Its November 2024 notice lists the same. Yoseka's US listing, read on November 2, 2026, was US$4. We haven't compared shipping or fees. For Pilot's seven shades of black gel ink in the same line, see the [Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-ilmily-nuance-black-gel-pen/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Does the ILMILY Color two color pen erase? No. Pilot says rubbing changes the ink color from a dark shade to a lighter one. It doesn't make it disappear the way FriXion ink does. ### How do you change the color? Rub the writing with the dedicated rubber at the back of the pen. Pilot says friction heat changes the ink, and gives about 65 °C as the temperature of full change. ### What are the ILMILY Color two color colors? Pilot lists Black / Gray, Wine Red / Gray, Navy / Gray, Emerald / Mint, Cherry / Peach and Grape / Lavender, plus Night / Sakura, Olive / Mimosa and Sepia / Nemophila, each as ink before and after rubbing. ### How thick is the line? The ball is 0.4 mm. Pilot says the Synergy Tip writes fine yet smooth, which suits lists and planner notes; we haven't measured the line. ### Is it a FriXion pen? No. Pilot sells it under its ILMILY brand with its own heat-sensitive Color to Color ink. Yoseka's listing warns against heat above 140 °F (60 °C). ### How long is the pen? Pilot Japan lists 142 mm and 11.4 mm across. Yoseka lists 13.9 cm, so the sources differ by a few millimeters. ### Does it come with a marker? Pilot also sells a Color two color marker, 162 mm long, in matching colors. ## Sources - [Pilot Japan press release, September 9, 2022: ILMILY Color two color (launch October 18, 2022; ballpoint ¥275, marker ¥150 before tax; 0.4 mm; 142 mm; 11.4 mm; eight colors; read November 2, 2026)](https://www.pilot.co.jp/press_release/2022/09/09/ilmily_color_two_color.html) - [Pilot Japan notice, November 22, 2024: three new colors for ILMILY Color two color (cap type; 0.4 mm; 142 mm; 11.4 mm; marker 162 mm; read November 2, 2026)](https://www.pilot.co.jp/press_release/2024/11/22/ilmily_color_two_color_1.html) - [Yoseka Stationery: Pilot ILMILY Color Two Color Gel Pen 0.4 mm (six color pairs, rub with the back, 13.9 cm, 140 °F warning, listed June 13, 2023; read November 2, 2026)](https://yosekastationery.com/products/pilot-ilmily-color-two-color-gel-pen-0-4mm)