Döhler highlights colour of the year, Cloud Dancer, ahead of ISM appearance

German-based ingredients business Döhler will be among key exhibitors at this year’s ISM event, as it highlights a key trend for natural light colours within food and beverage markets, writes Neill Barston.

The company will be taking its place at the key confectionery event between 1-4 February, as it calls on Koelnmess, Cologne, Germany, as part of new ingredients element of the trade fair.

As the firm noted, consumers are seeking products that convey authenticity, transparency and trust. Soft, understated shades are gaining prominence, reflecting a desire for visual calm and balance in contrast to an overstimulating everyday environment.

Within this context, white and off-white tones are emerging as powerful design elements that signal purity, quality and modern premium positioning.

Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026, Cloud Dancer, encapsulates this broader movement. Rather than standing alone as a trend, this soft white tone reflects a wider shift towards natural colour aesthetics that feel reassuring, timeless and effortlessly elegant.

As the company noted, Cloud Cloud Dancer (Pantone 11-4201) is a refined, gentle white that aligns closely with the growing preference for natural, minimal colour palettes. White has long been associated with simplicity and authenticity – drawing on visual references such as snow, clouds, marble and mist. In today’s market, these associations resonate strongly with consumers who value clean label concepts, reduced visual complexity and credible product cues.

For food and beverage manufacturers, this signals an opportunity to rethink how natural colours are used to communicate product value. Soft whites provide a neutral yet sophisticated foundation that harmonises easily with other colours, flavours and functional messages, without overwhelming the consumer.

Relevance of soft white tones across food and beverage applications
The appeal of natural white shades extends across categories, from confectionery and bakery to beverages. In product design, these tones support positioning around quality, restraint and modernity, while allowing brands to highlight sensory or functional benefits in a clear and confident way. Rather than being decorative, natural white colours become part of the product story – reinforcing expectations around ingredient integrity, processing transparency and premium appeal.

Natural white solutions that translate colour trends into product reality
Turning colour trends into successful products requires application-ready solutions that meet both technical and regulatory demands. Döhler’s portfolio of natural white solutions supports manufacturers in translating soft white aesthetics such as Cloud Dancer into scalable, market-ready concepts.

White Diamond is a bright, natural alternative to titanium dioxide for food applications. It delivers effective whitening for a wide range of confectionery products, including hard-boiled candies and pan coatings, while also providing bioavailable calcium. This enables manufacturers to achieve a clean, premium white appearance while aligning with evolving regulatory requirements and consumer expectations around ingredients.

Furthermore, Döhler supports food and beverage manufacturers in translating colour movements such as soft whites and Cloud Dancer into commercially viable products.

From clean-label white alternatives for confectionery to stable cloud solutions for beverages, the focus is on delivering premium appearances that resonate with today’s consumers while meeting technical, regulatory and sensory expectations.

By embedding colour trends into practical, future-ready solutions, manufacturers can create products that feel relevant today and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market.