Please, Not Another Pink Cookie Brand

Sweet, viral, and everywhere, pink bakery branding has reached peak saturation.

Since opening a pastry shop, there’s one thing I do more than ever: check every new bakery, cake shop, and dessert brand that opens in my neighborhood, across Australia, and beyond. I track what launches, how it’s received, and how fast it goes viral. (I spy on them, basically.)

That’s how I came across Brooki, a cookie brand created by Brooke Bellamy, a pastry chef and content creator with over one million followers on TikTok and Instagram. Her cookies ship globally. Her fans are obsessed. Her shop is wrapped in a line most weekends.

And yes, I had to try.
Even though I’m not a cookie girl (never have been).
Strictly professional curiosity.

The cookie? Fine. Sweet. Soft. Nothing mind-blowing.
But Brooki does stick, and not because of the product.

Maybe it’s the name, which, let’s be honest, is genius. If my name was Brooke and I owned a cookie brand? Same. Done deal.

But what really sticks is the pink.

The Pink Takeover

Everything about Brooki is pink. The packaging, her book, her apron, her car, the walls, the oven mitts. All pink. It’s a full visual world, and she owns it.

But she’s not the only one.

I’ve lost count of how many bakeries and cookie brands are now wrapped in pink. It’s become the dominant aesthetic for desserts: pink foil stickers, pink bold sans fonts, pink boxes with soft-baked cookies tucked inside.
Sweet, indulgent, Instagram-ready.

So what’s going on?
Why is pink the default for cookies, cupcakes, donuts, and every soft treat in between?

Let’s break it down.

TikTok Core + Y2K Softness

Pink isn’t just trendin, it’s engineered for the algorithm.
It pops on screen. It flatters hands, food, and faces. It cuts through a crowded feed and makes people stop scrolling.

But the appeal goes deeper.

It taps into aspirational nostalgia, that jelly sandal, glossy diary, Paris Hilton, strawberry Lip Smackers kind of girlhood. It’s bubblegum-coded dopamine, and pink is the shortcut. It signals fun, sweetness, a little escape.

In this context, pink does more than decorate a cookie.
It tells the story before the bite.

And in a content-first world, packaging isn’t just packaging, it’s set design. It’s the prop, the post, the visual punchline.

The Feminine Power Flip

Pink used to be avoided in branding. Too girly. Too soft. Too unserious. Now it’s the power move. Brooki Bakehouse doesn’t just use pink, it is pink. Walls, brand, merch, energy. Not as an accent, but as a headline. It doesn’t apologize for being feminine; it wins with it.

That’s the shift.
From softening the product to leading with it.

When used with intention, pink doesn’t feel delicate it feels direct.
Bold. Unmissable.

This isn’t pink as in “please the girls.”
It’s pink as in own the room.

Stakes, High Crave

Bakery treats aren’t essential, they’re emotional. No one needs a cookie, cupcake, or croissant. You want one. You crave one. And when the purchase is emotional, the branding has to be too. That’s where pink comes in , not always alone, but often leading.

Pink doesn’t just sell flavor. It sells mood.

It signals comfort, indulgence, playfulness. And in a world of impulse treats, mood is the whole game. That’s why so many bakery brands reach for pink. But the smart ones twist it.

Look at Butter Boy. Their palette blends pink with violet and red. It’s cheeky, not cutesy. Feminine, but with a wink. Sweet, but just strange enough to stick.

Or Alon Shalom ,a Tel Aviv bakery whose packaging explores four distinct shades of pink, each tied to a different baked item. It’s thoughtful, expressive, and strategic.

The pink isn’t random. It’s coded. It means something.That’s the power of pink when it’s done well. It’s not just a color, it’s an attitude.

The Saturation Point

But here’s the thing, it’s starting to blur. Once everyone goes pink, no one owns pink. The differentiation dissolves. You remember the cookie… but which one? Brooki? Mooki? The one with the pink sticker and the script font? What once felt like a bold choice now feels expected. And in branding, expected is the kiss of death.

Some developers say the pink wave might be peaking. That we’ve moved from strategy to saturation. So the real question becomes: Would Brookie still have a line out the door without Instagram? Would people still buy if the packaging didn’t pop?Are they coming for the cookie, or for the moment?

Pink can drive virality.
It can sell the first bite.
But can it carry the fifth, the return visit, the lifelong fan?

If the product doesn’t deliver, the pink box becomes just that a box.

And even the smartest branding can’t save a forgettable bite.

So What’s Next?

I’m not anti-pink. I’m anti-predictable.

Pink still has power, when it’s done with intention. When it’s earned. When it means something.

But we’ve hit the point where pink alone is no longer enough.

So if you’re building a bakery brand, ask yourself:

• What mood are you trying to create?

• What emotion does your packaging carry before the first bite?

• What color feels like your product, not just what looks good on camera?

Brooki owns her pink. That’s branding.
The rest? Time to find another flavor.

Bon Appétit, À bientôt!
Mary