text: The world’s ugliest color has been described as “death,” “dirty” and “tar,” but this odious hue is serving an important purpose: discouraging smoking. 
   
   Pantone 448 C, a “drab, dark brown” also called “opaque couché,” was specifically selected after three months and multiple studies by research agency GfK. The agency was hired by the Australian government to find a color that was so repugnant that if it was on tobacco products, it would dissuade people from smoking. 
   
   A man smokes a cigarette on September 25, 2014 in Paris, holding a sample of a "plain cigarette packaging" cigarette box (THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/Getty Images) THOMAS SAMSON—AFP/Getty Images 
   
   The new color was adopted for all tobacco packaging along with graphic health warnings. Now, other governments are following suit. The United Kingdom, Ireland and France have all passed “plain packaging” laws as well, using mockups using the same murky color. Ugly never looked so good. 
   
   Gifts: The 100 Most Influential Images of All Time ||||| Key facts and figures on tobacco sales, consumption and prevalence 
   
   Tobacco sales and excise 
   
   $5.135 billion in September 1959; 
   
   $3.720 billion in December 2012; and 
   
   $3.260 billion in December 2015.3 
   
   Know your limits – changes to Australia’s duty free tobacco allowance 
   
   Smoking prevalence rates 
   
   ABS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2014-15 
   
   the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over who were daily smokers was 38.9% in 2014-15, down from 44.6% in 2008 and 48.6% in 2002; 
   
   in 2002, 51% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males aged 15 years and over were daily smokers, the daily rate declined to 46% in 2008 and to 41% in 2014-15; 
   
   in 2002, 47% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females aged 15 years and over were daily smokers, the daily rate declined to 43% in 2008 and to 36% in 2014-15; 
   
   fewer young people are starting to smoke with a significant decrease in daily smoking rates of those aged 15-24, down to 31% in 2014-15 from 39% in 2008; and 
   
   the data indicates that the majority of the change in daily smoking rates has occurred in non-remote areas (37% of people aged 15 years and over smoking daily in 2014-15, down from 48% in 2002), compared with remote areas (47% smoking daily in 2014-15, down from 50% in 2002). 
   
   ABS National Health Survey: First Results, 2014-15 
   
   14.7% (age-standardised) of adults aged 18 years and over smoked daily (approximately 2.6 million smokers), decreasing from 16.1% in 2011-2012; 
   
   16.9% of males and 12.1% of women smoked daily; 
   
   16.3% of 18-44 year olds smoked daily; 
   
   12.7% of adults aged 45 years and over smoked daily; 
   
   31.4% were ex-smokers; 
   
   52.6% had never smoked; 
   
   people living in Outer Regional and Remote areas of Australia had higher rates of daily smoking at 20.9% compared to people in Inner Regional areas at 16.7% and Major Cities at 13.0%; and 
   
   21.4% of people living in areas of most disadvantage smoked daily compared with 8.0% who live in areas of least disadvantage. 
   
   Table 1: Comparison of adult daily smoking rates, 18 years and older, from 2001 to 2014-156 
   
   2001* 2004-05* 2007-08* 2011-12* Males 27.2 26.2 23.0 18.3 Females 21.2 20.3 19.0 14.1 Total % 22.3 21.3 19.1 16.3 
   
   Australian Secondary School Students’ use of tobacco in 2014 
   
   smoking among 12 to 15 year olds is at its lowest level since 1984, when the survey began; 
   
   there was a significant decrease in the youth smoking rate (12-17 year olds). In 2014, 5% were current smokers which is significantly lower than the 7% found in both 2011 and 2008; and 
   
   more youth have no experience with smoking in their lifetime: 94% of 12 year olds and 61% of 17 year olds. 
   
   National Drug Strategy Household Survey detailed report 2013 
   
   daily smokers aged 14 years or older in Australia declined from 16.6% in 2007, to 15.1% in 2010 and 12.8% in 2013; and 
   
   daily smokers aged 18 years or older, declined from 17.5% in 2007, to 15.9% in 2010 to 13.3% in 2013. 
   
   young people are delaying commencing smoking – the average age at which 14 to 24 year olds smoked their first full cigarette increased from 15.4 years of age in 2010 to 15.9 years of age in 2013; 
   
   the proportion of 12-17 year olds who had never smoked in 2013 remained high at 95%; 
   
   the proportion of 18 to 24 year olds who have never smoked increased significantly between 2010 and 2013, from 72% to 77% respectively; 
   
   people aged 18 to 49 years of age were far less likely to smoke daily than they were 12 years ago; 
   
   the average number of cigarettes smoked per week has decreased from 111 cigarettes in 2010 to 96 cigarettes in 2013; and 
   
   16.5% of smokers (14 years or older) reported using unbranded tobacco in their lifetime with 3.6% using unbranded tobacco (half the time or more) in 2013, declining from 4.9% in 2010. 
   
   Table 2: Decrease in Australian Smoking prevalence 1991 to 20139, 10 
   
   1991 1993 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013 14+ yrs 24.3 25.0 23.8 21.8 19.4 17.5 16.6 15.1 12.8# 18+ yrs 25.0 26.1* 25.0 22.7 20.0 18.2 17.5 15.9 13.3# 
   
   Specific population groups6 
   
   Remoteness 
   
   People aged 14 years or older, living in remote and very remote areas, were twice as likely to have smoked daily in the previous 12 months as those in major cities: 22% compared with 11.0%. 
   
   The proportion of people aged 14 years or older smoking daily rose with increasing remoteness: 11.0% in major cities; 15.4% in inner regional; 19.4% in outer regional; and 22% in remote and very remote areas. 
   
   Socioeconomic and employment status 
   
   People (14 years or older) living in areas with the lowest socioeconomic status (SES) were 3 times more likely to smoke daily than people with the highest SES, 19.9% compared with 6.7%, but there were significant declines in daily smoking in both these groups between 2010 and 2013. 
   
   The declines in daily smoking seen nationally were also seen among employed people but there were no significant changes in the smoking behaviour of unemployed people who were unable to work between 2010 and 2013. 
   
   People aged 14 years or older, who were unemployed, were 1.7 times more likely to smoke daily and those who were unable to work were 2.4 times more likely to smoke daily. 
   
   Compared to 2010, employed people aged 14 years or older were less likely to smoke daily in 2013, down from 16.1% to 13.5% respectively. 
   
   Table 3: Comparison of 2010 and 2013 State and Territory tobacco smoking status, people aged 14 years or older, by sex and jurisdiction (age-standardised).11, 12 
   
   2010 NSW Vic QLD WA SA Tas ACT NT National Males 15.6 15.0 18.4 17.5 17.1 16.1 12.0 27.5 16.4 Females 12.9 14.7 15.0 13.6 13.1 15.8 10.1 16.8 13.9 Persons 14.2 14.9 16.7 15.6 15.0 15.9 11.0 22.3 15.1 
   
   2013 
   
   2013 NSW Vic QLD WA SA Tas ACT NT National Males 13.3 14.0 17.0 15.7 12.9 19.8 9.6 23.6 14.6 Females 10.3 10.6 13.3 8.9 13.0 13.1 9.7 17.6 11.2 Persons 11.8 12.3# 15.2 12.3# 13.0 16.5 9.7 20.8 12.9# 
   
   Figure 1: Smoking prevalence rates for 14 years or older and key tobacco control measures implemented in Australia since 19906 
   
   Tobacco control timeline 
   
   1973 – health warnings first mandated on all cigarette packs in Australia. 
   
   1976 – bans on all cigarette advertising on radio and television in Australia. 
   
   1986 to 2006 – phased in bans on smoking in workplaces and public places. 
   
   1990 – bans on advertising of tobacco products in newspapers and magazines published in Australia. 
   
   1992 – increase in the tobacco excise. 
   
   1993 – Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act 1992 prohibited broadcasting and publication of tobacco advertisements. 
   
   from 1994 to 2003 – bans on smoking in restaurants. 
   
   1995 – nationally consistent text-only health warnings required. 
   
   1998 to 2006 – bans on point-of-sale tobacco advertising across Australia. 
   
   2006 – graphic health warnings required on packaging of most tobacco products. 
   
   2010 – 25% increase in the tobacco excise. 
   
   2011 – first complete State or Territory ban on point-of-sale tobacco product displays. 
   
   2012 – offence for any person to publish tobacco advertising on the internet or other electronic media. 
   
   2012 – introduction of tobacco plain packaging, and updated and expanded graphic health warnings. 
   
   2013 – changes to the bi-annual indexation of tobacco excise and the introduction of the first 12.5% tobacco excise increase on 1 December. 
   
   2014 –12.5% excise increase on 1 September. 
   
   2015 –12.5% excise increase on 1 September. 
   
   2016 – release of the Post Implementation Review of Tobacco Plain Packaging. 
   
   2016 –12.5% excise increase will be implemented on 1 September. 
   
   Tobacco plain packaging 
   
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   Each year, smoking kills an estimated 15,000 Australiansand costs Australia $31.5 billionin social (including health) and economic costs.The Australian Government and state and territory governments, through the Council of Australian Governments, have committed by 2018, to reduce the national adult daily smoking rate to 10% and halve the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult daily smoking rate (from 47% in 2008).Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show the total consumption of tobacco and cigarettes in the December quarters from 2012 to 2015, as measured by estimated expenditure on tobacco products:Tobacco clearances data (including excise and customs duty) are an indicator of tobacco volumes in the Australian market, and provide a useful approximation of tobacco consumption over time. Treasury has advised that tobacco clearances fell by 3.4% in the 2013 calendar year relative to the 2012 calendar year and fell a further 7.9% in the 2014 calendar year. As at the end of 2014, tobacco clearances had fallen a total of 11.0% since 2012.These tobacco clearance rates do not take into account refunds of excise equivalent customs duty made under Customs’ plain packaging related Tobacco Refund Scheme between December 2012 and May 2013. These refunds cannot be related to annual net clearances on a comparable basis to other data used to derive tobacco clearance rates.The tobacco excise rate was indexed to average weekly ordinary time earnings (AWOTE) from 1 March 2014 and there have been three of four 12.5% increases in the tobacco excise rate (1 December 2013, 1 September 2014, 1 September 2015) implemented. The next 12.5% increase will occur on 1 September 2016.As part of Health initiatives announced in the 2016 Budget, the Australian Government is reducing the allowable amount of duty free tobacco for travellers arriving in Australia.From 1 July 2017, travellers aged 18 years and over can only bring 25 grams of duty free tobacco, plus one open packet, into Australia. The tobacco can be in any form (cigarette, loose leaf and so on) and is equivalent to approximately 25 cigarettes.If you have more than this amount, you will be required to pay duty on all tobacco in your possession, unless you agree to dispose of the excess.Please ensure you are familiar with duty free limits when travelling to Australia.For more information on duty free limits, as well as what you can and cannot bring to Australia visit the Duty free concession page on the Department of Immigration and Boarder Protection website.There are a number of sources the Government relies on to monitor smoking rates, including data from national surveys conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), and drug and alcohol information collected nationally from secondary school students by the Cancer Council Victoria.On 28 April 2016, the ABS released the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2014-15.The survey was conducted from September 2014 to June 2015 with a sample of 11,178 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in private dwellings across Australia. The report shows that in 2014-15:On 8 December 2015, the ABS released the National Health Survey: First Results 2014-15.The survey was conducted in all states and territories and across urban, rural and remote areas of Australia (other than very remote areas) from July 2014 to June 2015, and included around 19,000 people in nearly 15,000 private dwellings. The report shows that in 2014-15:On 24 November 2015, the Cancer Council Victoria released the 2014 Australian secondary school students’ use of tobacco report.The survey included over 23,000 secondary aged students aged between 12 and 17 years of age during months of June to December of the 2014 academic school year. The report shows that in 2014:On 25 November 2014, the AIHW released the 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey detailed report (2013 NDSHS).The survey collected data from 23,855 people across Australia aged 12 years and over living in private dwellings. The report shows that in 2013:Other 2013 NDSHS findings included:The 2013 NDSHS results do not reflect any impact from the Australian Government’s 1 March 2014 change to bi-annual indexation of tobacco excise or the first of four 12.5% excise increases on tobacco products which took effect on 1 December 2013.Australia’s low smoking rate is the result of sustained, concerted and comprehensive public policy efforts from all levels of government and action from public health organisations.Further information on the impact of tobacco plain packaging in Australia is available on the Evaluation of Tobacco Plain Packaging in Australia page ||||| Tweet with a location 
   
   You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Find another color PANTONE 448 C 
   
   *Before using, understand that the colors shown on this site are computer simulations of the PANTONE Colors and may not match PANTONE-identified color standards. Always consult PANTONE Publications to visually evaluate any result before utilization. ||||| (CNN) Can the sight of a greenish-brown color really be enough to deter smokers from reaching for their next pack of cigarettes? 
   
   Lawmakers in the UK hope the "world's ugliest color" will be helpful in lowering smoking rates in their country. In May, previously passed legislation will go into effect requiring all packs of cigarettes to be standardized. Tobaccos products will be stripped of brightly colored branding and replaced with a sludge-like color. 
   
   But does the stripped-down, "ugly" packaging really reduce smoking? 
   
   Researchers from the UK and Canada summarized several studies that look at the impact of tobacco packaging on consumer attitudes and behavior. Their findings were published today in a Cochrane Review 
   
   Jamie Hartmann-Boyce of the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group, co-author of the review, noted that "the evidence we have so far suggests that standardized packaging may reduce smoking prevalence and increase quit attempts." 
   
   The UK law, passed last year, is similar to a cigarette standardization plan Australia enacted in 2012, which also features graphic health warnings and standardized fonts. 
   
   The muddy color -- Pantone 448C -- was chosen after marketing research company GfK Bluemoon was commissioned to develop ideas for unappealing cigarette packing. The agency asked Australian smokers about colors they found unappealing and overwhelming. Pantone 448 C was later named "the world's ugliest color." 
   
   Respondents reportedly associated the color with the words "dirty," "tar" and "death." 
   
   I used to feature so much in all your 70s couches, curtains and wallpapers. What did I do to deserve this? — Pantone 448 C (@Pantone448C) August 17, 2012 
   
   Deterring bathroom breaks 
   
   Cigarette and tobacco packaging is not the first time the murky shade has been used in an attempt to turn people away from certain behaviors. According to Angela Wright, a color consultant and author of "The Beginner's Guide to Colour Psychology," the technique has been around for decades. 
   
   She cites American color consultant Faber Birren, who in the 1960s devised a way to stop department store employees from taking lengthy bathroom breaks. 
   
   "The company asked him, 'Can you improve the working area so they don't have to leave all the time and use the restrooms?' " Wright said. 
   
   "Birren actually took a different view and painted the restrooms in a color similar to Pantone 448C. And nobody wanted to spend time in the restrooms after that." 
   
   This is just one of the many examples that the "world's ugliest color" has been used to minimize appeal to control human behavior. 
   
   Is Pantone 448C really that bad? 
   
   What makes Pantone 448C so off-putting? Wright said she believes it's the association with human waste. 
   
   "It makes perfect sense that smoking packets would use a vile green that looks like bodily fluids and makes people feel slightly nauseated," she said. 
   
   But not everyone agrees. 
   
   France will also introduce plain cigarette packaging. 
   
   "I actually quite like the color," said psychologist Dr. Carolyn Mair of the London College of Fashion, UAL. "It's an earthy, muted, rich color, very much of nature. But then I also don't smoke." 
   
   Color in advertising 
   
   The use of color can play a key role in brand perception among the public. 
   
   "Blue is often used in services such as banking and law because of its association with loyalty, honesty and reliability," Mair said. Red meanwhile "raises the pulse rate ... and communicates strength and high energy," Wright said. 
   
   Color associations Red: Strength, energy, passion Blue: Focus, loyalty, calmness Yellow: Ego, optimism, openness Green: Balance, youth, eco-friendly Purple: Luxury, femininity, glamour Sources: Angela Wright, Carolyn Mair 
   
   "Football teams who have red uniforms are giving themselves more physical energy but also communicating to the opposite team that they are powerful and strong." 
   
   And purple has connotations with luxury, Mair said. 
   
   "Think of Cadbury chocolate (which has a purple logo). At least when it started out, it had the association with a glamorous, smooth, feminine brand," she added. 
   
   Color combinations can also have powerful connotations. 
   
   In the UK, the Esso petrol logo features red, white and blue -- much like many national flags, including those of the United States, Great Britain and France. 
   
   "So this combination can result in an instinctive loyalty," Wright said. 
   
   The eye of the beholder 
   
   That said, perception also plays a huge role -- as seen in Wright's and Mair's different responses to Pantone 448C. 
   
   "Red could be seen as aggressive and demanding -- or as exhilarating and exciting," Wright said. "Similarly, blue could be perceived as calming and well-thought-through -- or excessively bureaucratic and emotionless." 
   
   Wright sees the overwhelming color of our times as a bleak gray. 
   
   "Gray is the color of austerity," Wright said. "And we're going to keep wearing gray until we feel better financially." 
   
   That is, unless you feel compelled to lighten things with a splash of Pantone 448C. ||||| It’s none of these. They’re too pretty (Picture: Getty) 
   
   A team of experts spent three months trying to determine the world’s ugliest colour. 
   
   And, after detailed research into which colours generated the most negative reactions among the general public, the dubious honour goes to Pantone 448C, also known as opaque couché – a sludgy brown colour that was alternately described by respondents as ‘tar’, ‘dirty’ and even ‘death’. 
   
   Charming. 
   
   But why, you might well ask, are a team of experts throwing so much shade at a colour that was already pretty dreary to begin with? 
   
   The world’s most off-putting colour (Picture: Getty) 
   
   Well, because researchers believe it may be the key to cutting cigarette sales. 
   
   Back in 2012, researchers at Gfk Bluemoon were commissioned by the Australian government to design new packaging aimed at discouraging people from buying cigarettes. 
   
   So, they set out to find the most offensive and unappealing shade in the colour spectrum to put on the packets. 
   
   Over 1,000 smokers took part in seven studies over a period of three months to identify the ugliest colour, with opaque couché coming out on top (or bottom, depending on how you look at it). 
   
   World's ugliest colour, Pantone 448C (opaque couché), helps reduce smoking rates down under: https://t.co/jvTGv8wfiu pic.twitter.com/ImE6ZKASpi — SPHR@Cam (@SPHRcam) June 1, 2016 
   
   Other colours that turned smokers off included lime green, beige, white, mustard and dark gray. Medium olive was also considered a front-runner until it was rejected in the final stages for being ‘too classy’. 
   
   But, after three months, Pantone 448C was judged the ultimate turn-off and used to cover cigarette boxes across Australia. 
   
   And now, after the use of the new and very unexciting packaging has shown early success in curbing cigarette sales Down Under, the UK, Ireland and France have all developed plainer cigarette packaging, featuring, you’ve guessed it, Pantone 448C. 
   
   The new packaging, featuring the world’s ugliest colour (Picture: Getty) 
   
   The new packets launched on May 20. 
   
   Proving, once again, that beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder. 
   
   MORE: Finally, the world’s favourite colour has been revealed
target: – In 2012, a marketing research company determined Pantone 448 C (aka "opaque couché") was the world's ugliest color—and it's been used to try to save lives ever since. Per the Guardian, GfK surveyed 1,000 smokers back then to find out which hue turned them off the most, and this Pantone pick—a greenish-brown blend that survey participants said reminded them of "death" and "tar"—emerged the winner. Time notes the agency had been commissioned by the Australian government to find a color so repellent it could be used on cigarette packaging to discourage people from lighting up. The new color was found to have the most ability to "minimize appeal" and "maximize perceived harm" and was implemented on plain cigarette packs with health warnings across Australia, the Brisbane Times reported at the time. Early results are now in, and it appears the color that CNN describes as "sludge-like" may have made an impact: Cigarette sales have fallen, and now other countries such as the UK, France, and Ireland are following suit, per Metro. So what is it about the color that makes it such an effective sales deterrent? A color consultant tells CNN it may be the strong resemblance to, well, poop. But not everyone's on board with trashing opaque couché. Pantone sniffs to the Guardian, "At the Pantone Color Institute, we consider all colors equally," noting that the color's "deep, rich earth tones" make it a oft-chosen pick for sofas. But perhaps the saddest entity of all? The long-silent Pantone 448 C Twitter account, which back in 2012 reacted to the news of its denigrated status by tweeting, "I used to feature so much in all your 70s couches, curtains, and wallpapers. What did I do to deserve this?" (Speaking of ugly, this dating site rejects ugly people.)