The Netherlands

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, simply the Netherlands, is known worldwide for its innovation, trade, and strong cultural identity. The Netherlands is one of the most dynamic countries of Europe, sharing its land border with Germany to the east and Belgium to the south. The country also shares sea borders with the United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium in the North Sea. With a strong economy and high living standard, the Netherlands’ GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ranks among the top countries of the European Union.

The Netherlands is the home of many small, medium, and large businesses that set up their manufacturing units their including food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and pet food products. In these manufacturing industries, various components play a crucial role, some in the product manufacturing and other improves the visual appeal. Synthetic food colours and cosmetic pigments are some of them that make the final product appealing, which attracts the attention of customers and boosts the product sales and brand recognition in the market.

In the Netherlands, colour manufacturers prepare colours but they are not enough to fulfill all the colour-related demand of the country. To fulfill this gap and get more profit, many big colour distributors, merchants, and traders import colours from other countries, including India, China, and the United Kingdom. Some of them sell the colours under the same brand name from they bought the colours while others create their own branding and sell them under their branding. By selling colour they make a profit on each sale.

In the Netherlands, manufacturers use synthetic food colours in their products to enhance the visual appeal of their products, which attracts the attention of customers and boosts product sales. Some of the key industries include:

In the food and beverages manufacturing industry, colours play a crucial role. Colour makes the food products appealing, which attracts the attention of customers and boosts sales. However, Dutch manufacturers often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. They want high-quality food colours that do not fade or change on products over time and maintain the visual appeal. Dutch manufacturers can overcome their challenges by using high-quality synthetic food colours in their products. These colours help in maintaining the visual appeal of the product and do not fade or change over time. Most of the food and beverage manufacturing industries of the Netherlands are located near its big cities like Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Groningen, and Eindhoven. According to Statista, the revenue of the food market of the Netherlands amounts to US$59.25 billion in 2025, and it is expected to grow annually by 3.80% (CAGR 2025-2030).

Colour is an important component of cosmetics and personal care products. They make cosmetic products such as lipsticks, eyelashes, blushers, concealer, powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter, eyeshadow, lip liner, moisturizer, sunscreen, serum, masks, shampoo, and conditioner visually appealing and attract the attention of customers. However, Dutch manufacturers often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their cosmetic products. They want premium quality lake pigments and dyes that maintain the consistency of colour in their products. Manufacturers can overcome their problems by using synthetic lake pigments and dyes in their products. These high-quality cosmetic pigments maintain the quality and stability of products during manufacturing and storage. Most of the cosmetic manufacturing industries of the Netherlands are located near Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Den Bosch, Almere, and Gorinchem. According to Statista, in the Netherlands, the revenue of the Beauty & Personal Care market is expected to reach US$4.27 billion in 2025, and it is expected to grow with an annual growth rate of 1.82% (CAGR 2025-2030).

Colour plays an important role in the field of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Colour makes medicines such as tablets, capsules, syrups, injectables, and health supplements appealing. These appealing coloured medicines help in the differentiation, which reduces the chances of taking the wrong medicines. Colours also prevent the medicines from spoiling and maintain their appearance. However, in the Netherlands, manufacturers often face challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. They want food-grade colour for medicines that are of high quality, and do not spoil or change in the medicines. Manufacturers can overcome their problem by using high-quality synthetic food-grade colour in their products. These colours are safe for human consumption and do not spoil or change during manufacturing and storage. In the Netherlands, most of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industries are located in Amsterdam, Leiden, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Groningen. According to Statista, the revenue of the pharmaceutical market of the Netherlands will amount to US$6.28 billion in 2025, and it is anticipated to display an annual growth rate (CAGR 2025-2030) of 4.61% which will result in a market volume of US$7.87 billion by 2030.

In the Dutch chocolate manufacturing industry, colours play a crucial role. Colours make the chocolate products appealing which attracts the attention of customers, especially women and children who are the prime audience of chocolates. These vibrant coloured chocolate products improve the brand recognition in the market which improves the sales. However, chocolate manufacturers in the Netherlands often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. They want premium quality colours that do not fade or change on the product over time and are safe for human consumption. Chocolate manufacturers can overcome their problem by using premium synthetic food colours in their products. These colours are approved by various governmental bodies around the world, including the FDA, EFSA, and FSSAI, which ensures the safety of these colours. Most of the chocolate manufacturing industries of the Netherlands are located near Utrecht, Rotterdam, Zaandam, The Hague (Den Haag), and Leiden. According to Statista, the revenue of the confectionery market of the Netherlands will amount to US$4.13 billion in 2025, and it is expected to grow annually by 3.43% (CAGR 2025-2030).

Colours also play a crucial role in the field of the pet food manufacturing industry. They make the feed appealing for animals that attracts their attention and encourages them to eat properly. These vibrant coloured pet food products improve the brand recognition in the market which increases the sales of pet foods. However, many pet food manufacturers in the Netherlands often face challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. They want high-quality pet food colours that do not fade or change and maintain the visual appeal of pet food. Manufacturers can overcome their problem by using high-quality synthetic pet food colours in their products. These colours maintain the quality and consistency of pet food products during manufacturing and storage. With direct contact with sunlight or UV rays, synthetic food colours maintain the consistency and stability of colours on products. In the Netherlands, most of the pet food manufacturing industry is located near Ede, Rotterdam, Gorinchem, Breda, and Veenendaal. According to Statista, the revenue of the pet food market of the Netherlands amounts to US$1.46 billion in 2025, and it is expected to grow annually by 3.72% (CAGR 2025-2030).

In the Netherlands, colours are very important in the sale of products. Colour has a great influence on the buying decision of Dutch people. The preference lies toward shades that are clean and natural tones like blue, green, and white which signify trust, freshness, and purity while bright shades among which orange reflects national pride since orange is both a national and festive colour. In food products, bright colours such as yellow and red and green and blue are preferred by Dutch people since these colours show freshness and strength. For cosmetic products soft and natural shades are mostly preferred for daily usage while bold colours are always shining out in festive or fashion-driven collections. For chocolate, rich browns with gold or orange tones convey indulgence joined together with tradition-a message that connects next to Dutch buyers. In pharmaceuticals, white, blue, and green-which are clean were viewed as reliable-are considered safe so that consumers can feel secure in their decision. Dutch manufacturers are able to improve their relationship with the consumers, enhance brand loyalty, and, in the end, sales by strategically using cultural colour preferences in the design and packaging of the products.

In the Netherlands, there are some governmental bodies that check the quality and safety of colours in products that humans consume or use externally. The NVWA (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit), the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, regulates the use of colours in food products. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport) regulates the use of colours in cosmetic products, and the IGJ (Inspectie Gezondheidszorg en Jeugd), also known as the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate, checks the safety of colours in pharmaceutical products. These governmental bodies of the Netherlands often check the quality and safety of colours in products by conducting inspections, sampling, testing, and enforcement actions from time to time.

Starting a new business in the Netherlands is not an easy task. Startups have to compete with the brands that are already in the market and sell their products. First, startups have to differentiate their products from their competitors, which improves the brand recognition of their product in the market which ultimately boosts sales. Startups in the Netherlands can overcome their many challenges by using only high-quality synthetic food colour in their products. Synthetic food colours do not fade or change on products over time, making them as new for a long time which attracts the attention of customers and boosts sales.

If you are a manufacturer of startup business of the Nethelands that are looking for high-quality colours for your products that improves the visual appeal of your products so you can go with Ajanta Food Colours, a leading synthetic food colours manufacturing company in India, offers a wide range of synthetic food colours, food-grade colours, and lake colours. The company exports its colours to various European countries, including the Netherlands. For the quality and safety of its colourants, Ajanta received various awards and certificates from India and from other countries where Ajanta exports its high-quality colours.

Some of the awards and certificates received by Ajanta Food Colours includes the Arch of Europe Award, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Award, certifications from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), as well as Halal, Alcumus ISOQAR, Star-K Kosher, Food Safety System 22000 (FSSC 22000), and ISOQAR certifications, among others.

To know more about Ajanta Food Colours and its high-quality colours or for any other information, please contact us today!