Have you ever wondered why life-saving medications come in different colours? Would you notice it if it wasn’t red and white?

In pharma, colours are used for identifying drugs and for branding. They can be used to make a brand more memorable and instill trust. Based on our experience, we believe pharma colours are the best as they have proven to work actually.

Here we look at reasons why coloured pharmaceutical packaging is so important and how it can give you your best chance of surviving in a highly competitive industry.

Colour, Colour, why colour?

Colour psychology has been studied extensively over the years along with its influence on the mindset of a consumer. To quote a few statistics, here are the ways colours affect our decision-making processes:

• Studies indicate that up to 62 to 90% of a product’s assessment comes through its colour, taking place in the initial 90 seconds.
• Research also suggests that colour can influence and improve brand recognition by up to 80%.
• Furthermore, creative agencies suggest that up to 39% of people care more about colour than any other visual cues when creating company websites.

Why is colour so important in the pharma industry?

Pharmaceuticals encompass a broader demographic than is often considered. Therefore, the psychological effects of colours – an organoleptic feature – used for medicines also have significant implications for the consumer and the business.

1. Primarily, colours are used as excipients in pharmaceutical industries to prevent drug counterfeiting through the colour, shape, and size of the dosage form. This is often provided by the FDA and can be a cause for license suspension when manufacturers fail to adhere to the guidelines.
2. The addition of a distinctive colour to medicine also helps improve identification amongst buyers, which makes it easier for end users. This can also improve the identification between prescription and non-prescription drugs.
3. Colours often have therapeutic value, providing comfort to many patients, especially pediatric patients. Combining colours with flavours is also used to improve the appeal of the medicine.

Some common examples of the impact of colour on pharmaceutical products can be seen in the form of:

• Red colouration of iron supplement tablets/syrups to corroborate the colour of blood
• Avoidance of brown colour for gastrointestinal medicines or lime green for acid reflux medicines to prevent shock value to patients
• Better perception of soft blue gel capsules as blue colour is often linked to better sleep

Conclusion:

It’s no secret that drug companies continue to be a huge part of the economy. In fact, within the healthcare sector in the U.S. alone, the industry has an annual worth of $2.6 trillion. That’s a lot of money! As the industry continues to grow, so does the need for more products. This means that there is a constant demand for new drugs, which in turn creates a need for specific colours.

However, ensuring your pharma colours are of high quality, USFDA-approved, high purity, and genuine is just as important. If you are looking to fulfil these criteria, Neelikon should be your first choice! We employ colour psychology as well as extensive research to provide the best products for our manufacturers. Additionally, our customized blends can help protect you from counterfeiting and also benefit the end user.