Kids & Color: Controversial or Creative?

Like a kid, I’ve always loved color, especially the colors of the rainbow, which guided the rainbow of colors used throughout our brand design.? I felt it was important for kids to experience the joy of color but wanted to achieve that without the potentially negative and non-essential need to sit in a bath filled with colors and dyes.? While we don’t use any FDA regulated colors or dyes in the Dabble & Dollop product line, we certainly have embraced the use color throughout our packaging. As you likely know, some FD&C colors and dyes have been associated with adverse health effects including skin irritation and allergic reactions, particularly in kids with sensitivities.

When I launched Dabble & Dollop in 2019, virtually every baby brand was either in a clear package or clinical-looking white package.? Exceptions to that could be found in Mr. Bubble, any of the cartoon character brands, or Suave Kids basic blue bottles.? I loved the idea of the use of color in our packaging, but didn’t like the pantone colors that these mass brands used as I felt the colors were unpleasant and stuck in the 1980’s.? Thus, Dabble & Dollop’s modern, muted color palette used throughout our bottles and branding was born. As a parent myself, my instincts led me to believe other parents would be more attracted to our color palette and that kids would love it too.? Regardless of my instincts, I knew it was a controversial choice.

In my twenty years supplying ingredients to the cosmetic & personal care industry, I learned that packaging can be more important than the ingredients used inside.? That may sound alarming and kind of sad, but it is generally true when it comes to purchasing behaviors. Packaging is the first impression of the brand, and if you have an excellent formula, the packaging should mirror that quality.? I saw far too many fabulous formulas housed in terrible packaging, leading to their ultimate demise.? I also saw plenty of garbage formulas housed in gorgeous packaging, leading to their initial rise.? Repeat purchases and brand loyalty is found when what’s inside and what’s outside are truly exceptional.? First impressions and subsequent brand loyalty are critical for direct-to-consumer brands and the same is true for traditional retail.

Color is actually a science – called chromatics – and it delves into the electromagnetic spectrum, where wavelengths create the hues we perceive.? Colors result from the interaction of light, objects, and our eyes.? And there’s psychological impact when we experience color.? It has a profound impact on our emotion and behavior.? Color psychology suggests that strategically incorporating colors can enhance mood, productivity, and influence decision-making.?

I must admit, I didn’t think about color as a science when creating the rainbow of colors found on our bottles.? When I found out how much it would cost to produce our 100% PCR bottles in various colors (gasp!), I almost changed direction.? My husband stopped me and said “Steph, these colors will make your product stand out.? It’s worth the extra investment.” ?As you can see now, I can’t take the full credit for bringing Dabble & Dollop’s brand of colors to life and often thank him for helping me take that leap of faith.? It’s proven to be a winning strategy with our growing customer base.

We regularly survey our customers online post-purchase and ask what features guided their decision-making and to ask them to rate the importance of the following features:? 1. Ingredient quality 2. Branding/color palette 3. Creativity/mixing concept 4. Founder Story and 5. Price.? As you might suspect, Ingredients are consistently the highest rated feature. Our “less is more” ingredient approach is easy to understand and a great differentiator as we use fewer than ten high quality, all-natural ingredients in all of our formulations. The other three features – Branding/color palette, Creativity/mixing concept and Founder Story are all consistently close seconds.

We thought it would be enlightening to run an experiment and see what feature would be rated highest if we completely removed the answer of ingredients from the survey. And guess what feature was selected most when we did just that?? You got it – it was our branding/color palette! The creative use of color throughout our branding and packaging is undoubtedly a key reason parents purchase from us online.

While it may be controversial to formulate with FD&C colors and dyes in children’s personal care products, we’ve learned it isn’t controversial to utilize color in packaging.? In fact, it is a safer and a far more pleasant way to incorporate the joy of color into bath routines. The white/clear look ruled baby aisles back in 2019 (and still, to this day) so the decision to launch colorful bottles meant going against the grain. This decision helped the brand stand out. Ultimately, the result is that the quality and appeal of our packaging, “the outside”, matches the exceptional quality of our formulas, “the inside”.? ?After all, it’s what’s inside that counts….right?