Pink drinks are back at the centre of summer marketing in 2026, with Starbucks and Dunkin’ turning colourful beverages into major campaigns built around nostalgia, social-media appeal and playful collaborations. Starbucks is expanding the identity of its long-running Pink Drink through blended beverages and collectible merchandise, while Dunkin’ has filled its summer lineup with Barbie-themed Refreshers, pink cold foam and a Kylie Jenner collection.
The renewed focus is about more than colour. These drinks are easy to recognise in a photograph, can be customised in multiple ways and connect with customers who remember the online culture of the mid-2010s. For brands, that combination can turn an ordinary beverage purchase into a shareable summer experience.
Starbucks turns a viral drink into a summer identity
Starbucks’ Pink Drink began as a customer customisation of the Strawberry Açaà Refresher, made with coconut milk instead of water. It spread rapidly across social media in 2016 and joined the company’s permanent menu in 2017.
Nearly a decade later, Starbucks is treating the beverage as a recognisable brand of its own. Its summer activity includes the Blended Pink Energy Drink and a wider collection of pink cups, bottles and accessories. The limited-edition Pink Bearista Glass Cold Cup, complete with a strawberry-shaped straw topper, has become one of the campaign’s most noticeable collectibles.
The growing interest in the Starbucks Pink Drink merchandise and Bearista Cup launch shows how the company is extending a popular menu item into a broader lifestyle range rather than relying on the original drink alone.
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Dunkin’ combines Barbie with King Kylie nostalgia
Dunkin’ has taken a collaboration-led approach. Its Barbie campaign introduced the Pink Pineapple Refresher and several Pink Daydream Refreshers, with eligible beverages available with Barbie Pink Strawberry Cold Foam. The creamy strawberry topping gives drinks a bubblegum-pink finish designed to stand out both in stores and online.
The chain then extended its pink summer push through Kylie Jenner’s King Kylie Collection. According to Dunkin’s official July 2026 announcement, the limited-time collection includes three drinks inspired by Jenner’s mid-2010s King Kylie era.
The lineup features the Candy Pink Lemonade Refresher, a dragonfruit and lemonade blend, alongside the Vanilla Pink Cloud Latte and Pink Lemon Drop Suncloud Lemonade. Jenner’s return to bubblegum-pink hair for the campaign strengthens the connection to the visual style that made her online image widely recognisable around 2016.
Why 2016 nostalgia is selling again
Food and beverage marketing specialist Eric Davis of MorganMyers told Yahoo Life that nostalgia is helping drive the renewed interest. The original Starbucks Pink Drink and Jenner’s King Kylie image both reached major visibility around 2016, a period that is already becoming nostalgic for Gen Z and younger millennials.
For many younger customers, that era marked an early introduction to highly customised café drinks, beauty-led social media and products designed to be photographed. Bringing those references back allows brands to offer something familiar while updating it with new flavours, formats and collaborations.
Pink drinks have strong social-media currency
A pink drink can communicate its mood before anyone reads the ingredient list. Its bright appearance stands out in short videos and phone photographs more easily than a standard iced latte, while fruit pieces, foam and layered colours create additional visual interest.
The same advantage has helped matcha, bubble tea and brightly packaged probiotic sodas such as Olipop and Poppi attract online attention. Visual discovery may encourage an initial purchase, but word of mouth can be even more valuable. Seeing a friend or relative carrying a distinctive drink may feel more trustworthy than seeing the same product in a paid influencer post.
The appeal fits the “whimsy maxxing” mood
Food and beverage consultant Janet Helm connects the appeal to “whimsy maxxing,” an online idea centred on appreciating playful things that create small moments of joy. During a period of repeated crises and stressful news, a colourful drink can provide an inexpensive, lighthearted experience.
That helps explain why brands are presenting pink as cheerful, youthful and instantly understandable. Customers do not need a complicated description to recognise the intended mood, making the drinks particularly effective for fast-moving summer campaigns.
What customers should check before ordering
While pink drinks may look similar, their ingredients can vary widely. Some are coconut milk-based Refreshers, while others are made with lemonade, coffee or flavoured cold foam. Customers concerned about sugar, caffeine or allergens should check the nutritional information for the individual drink before ordering.
With Starbucks expanding its Pink Drink collection and Dunkin’ continuing to introduce new pink-themed beverages, the competition is likely to continue through the remainder of the summer. Consumer demand will determine whether newer products become permanent menu favourites or remain limited seasonal promotions.
Social media can introduce a drink to millions of people, while nostalgia may encourage customers to give it another try. Recommendations from friends and family can turn curiosity into repeat visits, but long-term success will depend on more than a colourful appearance. Ultimately, flavour, value, consistency and the customer experience will determine whether pink drinks remain popular after the summer 2026 campaigns end.
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