Colored Toilet Paper: Why It Disappeared and How to Find It

Colored toilet paper is still made, but it is now a specialty purchase rather than a standard item on US supermarket shelves. Pastel rolls once coordinated with colorful bathroom fixtures; changing tastes, added production costs, and concerns about dyes helped move them out of the mainstream. If you want that look today, the important checks are whether you’re buying actual bathroom tissue, what the manufacturer discloses about its dyes, and whether it suits your household and plumbing.

Why Colored Toilet Paper Became Uncommon

During the 1950s and 1960s, colored toilet paper was part of coordinated bathroom colors. Matching the paper to the bathroom made a disposable household product into another decorating choice.

Its decline had several contributing causes:

• Bathroom styles changed. As colorful bathroom schemes became less fashionable, matching toilet paper lost some of its appeal. White tissue worked with any color scheme.
• Color added production costs. The extra expense of producing colored tissue made it harder to compete with ordinary white rolls.
• Dyes attracted scrutiny. Skin-sensitivity and environmental concerns gave buyers additional reasons to choose paper without added color.

Those changes contributed to the shift toward white tissue, according to Reel Paper’s history of colored toilet paper. There is no need to assume that a single event explains why every manufacturer stopped offering a particular shade.

Today’s specialty colored rolls also aren’t necessarily equivalent to the pastel tissue you remember. Color, fragrance, thickness, and composition are separate product characteristics.

How to Find and Choose Colored Toilet Paper

Start by distinguishing colored tissue from products that merely look colorful in search results.

Product Shown	Where the Color Is	What You’re Buying
Solid-colored toilet paper	In the tissue itself	The closest match to traditional colored rolls
White toilet paper in decorative packaging	On the outer wrapper	Ordinary white tissue with colorful presentation
Brown or tan unbleached toilet paper	In the natural appearance of the fibers	Not necessarily paper with added dye

Step 1: Search for Actual Bathroom Tissue

1. Search for “colored toilet paper” or “colored bathroom tissue,” adding the shade you want.
2. Look beyond the supermarket aisle to specialty bathroom retailers, online sellers, and manufacturers’ stores.
3. Confirm that the product is intended for toilet use. Craft tissue, party decorations, and paper towels serve different purposes.

Use current product listings rather than image-search results alone. A photograph may show an old product, collectible packaging, or an item that is no longer sold.

Step 2: Read the Manufacturer’s Product Description

1. Check photographs of the unwrapped roll and individual sheets.
2. Look for a clear statement about fragrance. “Colored” does not tell you whether the paper is scented or unscented.
3. Look for information about the dyes, intended use, and any claimed testing. A seller’s description such as “luxury” or “premium” does not answer those questions.

If the listing does not identify the manufacturer or explain what the product is, choose a better-documented option. Attractive photographs are not a substitute for usable product information.

Step 3: Compare the Real Cost and Buy a Small Pack

1. Compare the delivered price against the amount of tissue supplied. Price per sheet or per unit of paper area is more useful than price per roll when roll sizes differ.
2. Include shipping in the comparison. A specialty product may be reasonably priced until delivery charges are added.
3. Start with a small pack rather than a bulk order.
4. When it arrives, confirm that the tissue matches the listing. Return a misrepresented product rather than improvising a use for it.

Expect colored paper to be less widely available and potentially more expensive than standard white tissue. If you only want a coordinated bathroom, a colored holder or storage basket may achieve the look without creating a recurring specialty purchase.

Colored Toilet Paper and Sensitive Skin

Dyes can cause irritation or allergic reactions in susceptible people. A previous reaction to dyes is a practical reason to avoid dyed toilet paper.

For a household member with known dye sensitivity, choose plain, dye-free tissue. Unscented paper also avoids introducing fragrance as another possible irritant. White paper is not automatically fragrance-free, so check that separately.

If a new tissue causes itching, burning, or a rash, stop using it. Seek medical advice if symptoms persist, recur, or are severe rather than repeatedly testing different colored products.

For a guest bathroom, keeping an ordinary unscented, dye-free roll available is a simple alternative to making specialty tissue the only choice.

The Environmental Questions Behind the Color

Biodegradable paper does not necessarily mean biodegradable dye.

The fibers and the colorants are different parts of the product. A claim about the paper breaking down does not, by itself, establish what happens to its dyes.

Producing colored toilet paper can require additional water and energy compared with producing white tissue, and dyes can pollute waterways. Some synthetic dyes resist biodegradation rather than readily breaking down in the environment.

Before choosing a colored product, look for manufacturer information that answers these questions:

• What colorants are used?
• Do environmental claims cover the dyes as well as the paper fibers?
• Is there supporting information beyond broad terms such as “green” or “eco-friendly”?

These concerns do not establish that every colored roll has a greater total environmental footprint than every white roll. Fiber sourcing, recycled content, manufacturing, and packaging also matter.

Check Compatibility With Your Toilet and Septic System

A roll’s color does not tell you how readily its paper will break apart in water.

For plumbing, the relevant questions concern the tissue’s construction and ability to disperse, not simply whether it is blue, pink, black, or white. Softness does not prove that a product will work well in a particular toilet or septic system.

Before making a specialty roll your regular tissue:

• Check the holder fit. The roll should turn freely without being compressed against the wall or dispenser.
• Check any septic claim. If your home uses a septic system, look for an explicit suitability statement from the manufacturer. Treat that as a product claim, not a guarantee against every possible blockage.
• Keep packaging out of the toilet. Decorative wrappers belong in the appropriate waste or recycling stream, not in the bowl.
• Pay attention to flushing. A flush that clears the bowl does not prove how the tissue will behave farther along the drain or in a septic system.

If flushing becomes sluggish after changing paper, stop using the new product while you investigate. Repeated backups, overflows, or problems affecting multiple fixtures need a plumber; do not assume that changing tissue will resolve a sewer or drain problem.

For your next purchase, choose a small pack with clear product documentation. When basic product details are unavailable, keep the color in the bathroom accessories instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Toilet Paper Use to Be Dyed and Have Prints?

Yes. Toilet paper has been sold as solid-colored tissue and with printed patterns or decorative designs. Toilet paper has been sold both as solid-colored tissue and with printed patterns or decorative designs. A printed design is different from coloring the whole sheet, so search for “printed toilet paper” if you remember a pattern rather than a uniform shade.

How Can I Find Northern or Charmin Colored Toilet Paper?

Look for a current manufacturer product listing that explicitly describes the tissue itself as colored. Search results alone do not establish current availability. If you cannot find a current colored product from the brand, shopping by shade is more useful than relying on an old product name.

Can Orange Toilet Paper From the 1990s Be Identified by Color Alone?

No, an orange color alone is not enough to identify the manufacturer or date the product. A wrapper, brand name, or dated advertisement would provide much stronger evidence. Peach, salmon, and orange can also look similar in older photographs, making an exact match unreliable without packaging.

What colors did colored toilet paper used to come in?

Pink and black are documented examples of colors used for toilet paper. They were chosen to complement bathrooms with matching pink or black surfaces.