Do Color-Changing Products Really Work?

How Color-Changing Promo Products Work

Color-changing promo products are decorated using clever chemicals called leuco dyes, which change from colored to clear (or vice versa) based on temperature or the presence of UV light. You can find out more detail on this blog post.

Color-changing promo products fall into one of three categories. Let’s start with the ones that change in sunlight, since they’re the odd one out. These use photochromic dyes, which change from clear to colored in UV light, and back when the UV light source is removed.

An illustration showing sunglasses that change color in UV light. One half is white, under clouds, and the other side is yellow, under sunlight.

Illustrations showing a cup changing from clear to green when ice is added, and a pencil changing color from orange to yellow as the temperature rises.

The other two categories both use thermochromic dyes – dyes activated by changes in temperature. Products that appear to change color in the cold use cold-activated thermochromic dyes. Products that appear to change color in the heat are called touch-activated thermochromic dyes. (I’m going to call these heat-activated, because they’re activated by the heat of your skin.)

The fundamental chemistry in both types of thermochromic dye is the same: They are clear at higher temperatures and colored at lower temperatures. It’s the temperature at which the change happens that’s different. Cold-activated products are clear at room temperature (about 70F) and color when you cool them down, below about 60F. Heat-activated products are colored at room temperature and turn clear as you heat them up (around 85F).

Not all color-changing promo products have to be either clear or colored. For example, our mood pencils, which are heat-activated, are orange at room temperature and turn yellow when you hold them. That’s because the pencil is painted first with a yellow paint, which is layered over with a leuco dye that’s tinted red. At room temperature, when the leuco dye is in its colored state, the yellow and red combine to make orange. As the pencil is warmed up, the red-tinted leuco dye turns clear, and you can see straight through to the yellow paint below.

An illustration of an orange pencil with a pink eraser on the end, and YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white along the body.

An illustration of a yellow pencil with a pink eraser on the end, and YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white along the body.

Methods

We tested promo products in each of these three categories, which means we have three different methods:

Cold-Activated Products

A collage showing spoons, cups, and a bowl that change color in cold environments. The spoons are printed with logos, and the cups and bowl are printed with YOUR DESIGN HERE.

We filled the product with water from a cold tap and added 3 handfuls of ice.*
We recorded how long it took to fully change color. We also recorded the temperature of the water to get an idea of the temperatures these products need to reach to change color.
Once it had changed, we poured out the ice and water and timed how long it took to change back to its original state.

*For the spoon, we suspended it in a plastic bottle and filled that with water and three handfuls of ice. Which is not how one would traditionally use a spoon, but we thought it would better show what it could do.

Heat-Activated Products

A collage showing a stress ball, a koozie, bracelets, and pencils that are changing color in warm environments.

I held a handwarmer for 20 seconds.
I then held each object for 30 seconds, checking quickly after 15 seconds to make sure it was changing color.
After 30 seconds, I put the product down and recorded how long it took to change back to its original state.

Why the handwarmer? My hands have been compared to “the icy grip of Death” by people who actually like me. So in the interests of consistently mimicking the body temperature of a normal human person who experiences blood circulation in their hands, I used the hand warmer first.

UV-Activated Products

A collage showing sunglasses and frisbees changing color under UV light.

We shone a UV light on each product for 30 seconds.
We waited to see how long it took to turn back to its original state.

Video

Key Takeaways

Changing to a New Color is Quick

Since we have attention spans brought to you by social media, we want our color-changing promos transforming fast. Most of our products delivered those quick changes. Nine out of the 13 cold-activated promos fully changed in 2 minutes 30 seconds or less, all the heat-activated products were already changing within 15 seconds, and the UV products changed instantly. If speed is your priority, choose UV-activated.

A photo showing sunglasses changing from white to blue under UV light.

A collage showing rulers and a stress ball changing color when activated by heat.

Changing Back Takes Longer

Ten of our 26 color-changing promo products took longer than 5 minutes to change back to their original colors – and six of those were heat activated. The two stress balls, koozie, and ruler initially looked like they’d only take a couple of minutes to change back, but they quickly stalled. You could still see faint outlines of my fingers on these products an hour later.

However, that also means that most of our products – 16 of the 26 – changed back within 5 minutes. That’s long enough to enjoy the new color, and quick enough to enjoy the fun color-changing effect.

Thicker Plastics Struggled in the Cold

The spoon was thicker plastic than the cups, and it was the slowest to change color. In person, we could hardly even tell that it had changed, although it shows up much better on camera. The stainless steel tumbler took the second-longest to change and also had a different construction, with the leuco dye on the outside of the thick plastic cover. So if you want a cold-activated product that’s relatively speedy, choose a thinner option. Or choose UV: the UV products are also made of thicker plastic but still changed instantly under our UV light.

A collage showing a water bottle and spoons changing color when activated by cold.

Buying Guide

In the mood for change? Here are the color-changing products we recommend:

A photo showing a cup changing from white to blue when activated by the cold.

Best Ice Product

Color Changing Mood Stadium Cup 16 Oz. (Q70982)

The cold-activated product that changed color the quickest was the 17oz Mood Stadium Cup (Q2136). However, that one took over five minutes to fully change back, and we just don’t have the attention sp- SQUIRREL! So we’re voting for the Color Changing Mood Stadium Cup 16 Oz (Q70982), which took two minutes 32 seconds to change fully (respectable) and only 3 minutes 55 seconds to change back.

A photo showing plastic bracelets changing from colored to white when activated by heat.

Best Heat Product

Mood Bracelet (Q52054)

The Mood Bracelet (Q52054) was the only heat-activated product that changed all the way back to its original color in under 3 minutes, and it didn’t have any residual color. Plus you can wear it, unlike a pencil, which means you get to enjoy the novelty wherever you go.

A collage showing frisbees changing color under UV light.

Best UV Product

Sun Fun Color Changing Value Flyer (Q48024)

The UV category was close, but the Sun Fun Color Changing Value Flyer (Q43024) just clinched the top spot. The whole product changed within 5 seconds, and it took 3 minutes 30 seconds to change back. That means it could be clear when you throw it and be at least partly colored by the time the person catches it!

A photo showing a white water bottle changing to blue when activated by cold.

Most Fun to Watch

Mood Stainless Steel Bottle (Q71704)

We’ve given you the sciencey explanations, now let’s get into the super subjective answer. The one that looked the most dramatic in person (and on camera, if you’re into that) was the stainless steel tumbler. The transformation from white to red stood out, and you could see the color changing as the liquid inside swirled and the ice cubes bumped into the sides. We’d like this on our desks and as a screensaver, please.

The Bottom Line

Our color-changing products turned out to be as fun as we’d hoped. A lot of times, we test our products by trying to smash them to pieces, so watching them change color was a nice change of pace. They’re classic promo products with a surprise and delight factor that can make them just that much more appealing than the boring old pen the guy at the table next door is trying to give away. (Although we also love boring old pens.)

Q#	Name	Time to Fully Change	Time to Fully Change Back	View Product
Q2136	Mood Stadium Cup	1 minute 10 seconds	5 minutes	View Product
Q47605	Cool Color Changing Cup	2 minutes 30 seconds	5 minutes	View Product
Q50793	Mood Stadium Cup	2 minutes 14 seconds	5 minutes	View Product
Q53374	Color Changing Stadium Cup	1 minutes 43 seconds	4 minutes 35 seconds	View Product
Q53448	Mood Spoon	4 minutes 29 seconds	3 minutes	View Product
Q60132	Mood Bowl	2 minutes 30 seconds	5 minutes 20 seconds	View Product
Q63586	Color Changing Stadium Cup	2 minutes 42 seconds	4 minutes 23 seconds	View Product
Q70982	Color Changing Mood Stadium Cup	2 minutes 32 seconds	3 minutes 55 seconds	View Product
Q71704	Mood Stainless Steel Bottle	3 minutes 15 seconds	2 minutes 32 seconds	View Product
Q88260	Smooth Mood Stadium Cup	1 minutes 15 seconds	5 minutes 10 seconds	View Product
Q88696	Color Changing Smooth Plastic Stadium Cup	2 minutes 25 seconds	4 minutes 30 seconds	View Product
Q88815	Color Changing Smooth Squat Stadium Cup	2 minutes 25 seconds	4 minutes 37 seconds	View Product
Q89898	Smooth Color Changing Stadium Cup	1 minutes 34 seconds	5 minutes 8 seconds	View Product
Q1988	Mood Color Changing Pencil	Within 15 seconds	3 minutes 30 seconds	View Product
Q81910	Monk Color Changing Pencil	Within 15 seconds	6 minutes	View Product
Q54609	Jo Bee Mood Pencil with Eraser	Within 15 seconds	3 minutes	View Product
Q53813	Color Changing Mood Stress Reliever	Within 15 seconds	Over 1 hour	View Product
Q39245	Mood Smiley Face Stress Ball	Within 15 seconds	Over 1 hour	View Product
Q52054	Mood Bracelet	Within 15 seconds	2 minutes 35 seconds	View Product
Q48003	Mood Wood Ruler	Within 15 seconds	Over 1 hour	View Product
Q65291	KOOZIE(R) Color Changing Can and Bottle Cooler	Within 15 seconds	Over 1 hour	View Product
Q48024	Sun Fun Color Changing Value Flyer	Within 5 seconds	3 minutes 30 seconds	View Product
Q54538	Mood Shades Sunglasses	Within 10 seconds	4 minutes 20 seconds	View Product
Q55553	Sun Fun Sunglasses	Within 20 seconds	3 minutes 45 seconds	View Product
Q57412	Color Changing Malibu Sunglasses	Within 20 seconds	5 minutes 10 seconds	View Product
Q72168	Color Changing Sunglasses	Within 20 seconds	3 minutes 30 seconds	View Product