Health and environment concerns, as well as changing fashions, impacted demand, but it was something else that delivered the knockout blow to pastel loo rolls
Once a staple in bathrooms all around the country, pastel-hued toilet rolls in shades of peach, mint, and baby blue have become a retail relic. But what prompted the quiet disappearance of this once-popular product from our supermarket shelves?
The demise of the coloured loo roll wasn’t a singular event, but rather a slow fade driven by health scares, concern for the environment, and changing consumer tastes.
From the 1970s through to the early 2000s, matching your toilet paper to your bathroom suite was a sign of a carefully curated home. Manufacturers offered a palette of possibilities, allowing for a harmonious blend of function and Farrow & Ball-esque co-ordination. However, as the new millennium dawned, the vibrant rolls began to vanish, leaving a sea of white in their wake.
One of the main reasons behind this shift was a growing public consciousness around health and wellbeing, with concerns about the dyes used to create the signature pastel shades containing potentially irritant chemicals on sensitive areas of the body.
Reports linked the dyes to skin irritation, allergies, and urinary tract infections, leading many to opt for the perceived purity of plain white paper.
Hot on the heels of these concerns came environmental issues over the manufacturing processes of everyday goods, with the dyeing process requiring more water and energy than its plain counterpart, while the dyes themselves were often not biodegradable.
Another nail in the coffin was the changed in how British bathrooms look, with the trend for bold, coloured bathroom suites giving way to a more minimalist and neutral palette.
Crisp white porcelain, chrome fixtures, and natural materials became the aspirational look, rendering the matching toilet roll an outdated accessory. The once-fashionable peach roll now clashed with the chic, spa-like sanctuaries homeowners were striving to create.
However, what finally did for the coloured toilet roll was the Covid pandemic. Remember when toilet paper was treated like gold? The great toilet paper shortage of the early pandemic further solidified the dominance of the no-frills white roll, as manufacturers focused on producing as much of the basic necessity in the face of unprecedented demand as quickly as possible,.
While a niche market for coloured toilet paper still exists online, its mainstream moment has undoubtedly passed. The story of the coloured toilet roll’s disappearance is a testament to the shifting priorities of the British consumer, where health, environmental responsibility, and a minimalist aesthetic have triumphed over the once-fashionable allure of a perfectly colour-co-ordinated loo.
