History Main / BlueLiquidAbsorbent

In commercials featuring absorbency tests, particularly menstrual products and diapers, the liquid being absorbed will be bright blue. This is a deliberate attempt to avoid unsavory resemblance to any kind of bodily fluids, even though that is the product's intended use. Think about it -- red/pink, yellow/orange, or brown? Pretty obvious. Green, purple, or black would most likely put you in mind of the same kinds of fluids, except with something ''[[BodyHorror gone horribly wrong]]''. Clear [[RuleOfPerception wouldn't easily show up on comparison shots]], or might squick out viewers for other reasons. Meanwhile, the only fluid you're going to associate with blue is good old pure, healthy [[WaterIsBlue water]].

* Ads for Colgate Toothpaste used to use the blue liquid to demonstrate how fluoride gets into teeth, comparing it to the blue soaking into a stick of chalk(with the obligatory disclaimer “not this fast”).
* Pampers diapers. During a literal SideBySideDemonstration they poured a puddle on [[BrandX The Leading Brand]] and then moved over to the Pampers while still dripping the liquid so it was just a line of liquid. No wonder the other one was wetter.

* {{Averted|Trope}} in a 1990s [[https://vimeo.com/72800845 ad for Libra pads.]] The ad involved a murder in a gallery (or somewhere), then when the detectives and curator (who did the murder) arrived at the scene, the curator sees blood (or water) on the floor and uses the pad being advertised to soak it up before the detectives could see it. The ad was quickly pulled.

* This trope has inspired no shortage of snark, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpy75q2DDow even from the companies themselves.]]

* This trope is also used by toilet capsules that prevent the bowl from staining (ie, the things that turn the water blue). Colorless capsules exist, but they don't tell you when it's time for a new one, and any other color besides blue would ''not'' be what you'd want to see when you open the lid.

In commercials featuring absorbency tests, particularly menstrual products and diapers, the liquid being absorbed will be bright blue. This is a deliberate attempt to avoid unsavory resemblance to any kind of bodily fluids, even though that is the product's intended use. Think about it -- red/pink, yellow/orange, or brown? Pretty obvious. Green, purple, or black would most likely put you in mind of the same kinds of fluids, except with something ''[[BodyHorror gone horribly wrong]]''. Clear [[RuleOfPerception wouldn't easily show up on comparison shots]], or might squick out viewers for [[ADateWithRosiePalms other reasons]]. Meanwhile, the only fluid you're going to associate with blue is good old pure, healthy [[WaterIsBlue water]].

In commercials featuring absorbency tests, particularly menstrual products and diapers, the liquid being absorbed will be bright blue. This is a deliberate attempt to avoid unsavory resemblance to any kind of bodily fluids, even though that is the product's intended use. Think about it -- red/pink/purple, yellow/orange, or brown? Pretty obvious. Green or black would most likely put you in mind of the same kinds of fluids, except with something ''[[BodyHorror gone horribly wrong]]''. Clear [[RuleOfPerception wouldn't easily show up on comparison shots]], or might squick out viewers for [[ADateWithRosiePalms other reasons]]. Meanwhile, the only fluid you're going to associate with blue is good old pure, healthy [[WaterIsBlue water]].

See also WaterIsBlue. Nothing to do with BlueBlood; either the metaphorical aristocratic kind, [[Series/BlueBloods the TV show named after a slightly-different metaphorical kind]], or AlienBlood that's literally blue.

See also WaterIsBlue. Nothing to do with BlueBlood; either the metaphorical aristocratic kind, or AlienBlood that's literally blue.