diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2c0d8c06de4..8de88db5801 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@
     "3d-view": "^2.0.0",
     "alpha-shape": "^1.0.0",
     "arraytools": "^1.0.0",
+    "color-rgba": "^1.0.4",
     "convex-hull": "^1.0.3",
     "country-regex": "^1.1.0",
     "d3": "^3.5.12",
diff --git a/src/lib/gl_format_color.js b/src/lib/gl_format_color.js
index ac3f08aeb3e..83052c63360 100644
--- a/src/lib/gl_format_color.js
+++ b/src/lib/gl_format_color.js
@@ -9,24 +9,27 @@
 
 'use strict';
 
-var tinycolor = require('tinycolor2');
 var isNumeric = require('fast-isnumeric');
+var rgba = require('color-rgba');
 
 var Colorscale = require('../components/colorscale');
 var colorDflt = require('../components/color/attributes').defaultLine;
 
-var str2RgbaArray = require('./str2rgbarray');
-
+var colorDfltRgba = rgba(colorDflt);
 var opacityDflt = 1;
 
 function calculateColor(colorIn, opacityIn) {
-    var colorOut = str2RgbaArray(colorIn);
+    var colorOut = colorIn;
     colorOut[3] *= opacityIn;
     return colorOut;
 }
 
 function validateColor(colorIn) {
-    return tinycolor(colorIn).isValid() ? colorIn : colorDflt;
+    if(isNumeric(colorIn)) return colorDfltRgba;
+
+    var colorOut = rgba(colorIn);
+
+    return colorOut.length ? colorOut : colorDfltRgba;
 }
 
 function validateOpacity(opacityIn) {
@@ -50,11 +53,13 @@ function formatColor(containerIn, opacityIn, len) {
             )
         );
     }
-    else sclFunc = validateColor;
+    else {
+        sclFunc = validateColor;
+    }
 
     if(isArrayColorIn) {
         getColor = function(c, i) {
-            return c[i] === undefined ? colorDflt : sclFunc(c[i]);
+            return c[i] === undefined ? colorDfltRgba : rgba(sclFunc(c[i]));
         };
     }
     else getColor = validateColor;
@@ -73,7 +78,7 @@ function formatColor(containerIn, opacityIn, len) {
             colorOut[i] = calculateColor(colori, opacityi);
         }
     }
-    else colorOut = calculateColor(colorIn, opacityIn);
+    else colorOut = calculateColor(rgba(colorIn), opacityIn);
 
     return colorOut;
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/str2rgbarray.js b/src/lib/str2rgbarray.js
index 0dd3c027fce..750bdea7ab8 100644
--- a/src/lib/str2rgbarray.js
+++ b/src/lib/str2rgbarray.js
@@ -9,12 +9,11 @@
 
 'use strict';
 
-var tinycolor = require('tinycolor2');
-var arrtools = require('arraytools');
+var rgba = require('color-rgba');
 
 function str2RgbaArray(color) {
-    color = tinycolor(color);
-    return arrtools.str2RgbaArray(color.toRgbString());
+    var colorOut = rgba(color);
+    return colorOut.length ? colorOut : [0, 0, 0, 1];
 }
 
 module.exports = str2RgbaArray;