diff --git a/ui_framework/src/components/color_picker/color_picker.js b/ui_framework/src/components/color_picker/color_picker.js
index 6c7ada1a9683..41965cb48a41 100644
--- a/ui_framework/src/components/color_picker/color_picker.js
+++ b/ui_framework/src/components/color_picker/color_picker.js
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import classNames from 'classnames';
-
 import { ChromePicker } from 'react-color';
 
+import { KuiOutsideClickDetector } from '../outside_click_detector';
+
 import { KuiColorPickerSwatch } from './color_picker_swatch';
 
 export class KuiColorPicker extends React.Component {
@@ -12,16 +13,9 @@ export class KuiColorPicker extends React.Component {
     this.state = {
       showColorSelector: false,
     };
-    // Use this variable to differentiate between clicks on the element that should not cause the pop up
-    // to close, and external clicks that should cause the pop up to close.
-    this.clickedMyself = false;
   }
 
   closeColorSelector = () => {
-    if (this.clickedMyself) {
-      this.clickedMyself = false;
-      return;
-    }
     this.setState({ showColorSelector: false });
   };
 
@@ -33,21 +27,6 @@ export class KuiColorPicker extends React.Component {
     this.props.onChange(color.hex);
   };
 
-  onClickRootElement = () => {
-    // This prevents clicking on the element from closing it, due to the event handler on the
-    // document object.
-    this.clickedMyself = true;
-  };
-
-  componentDidMount() {
-    // When the user clicks somewhere outside of the color picker, we will dismiss it.
-    document.addEventListener('click', this.closeColorSelector);
-  }
-
-  componentWillUnmount() {
-    document.removeEventListener('click', this.closeColorSelector);
-  }
-
   getColorLabel() {
     const { color } = this.props;
     const colorValue = color === null ? '(transparent)' : color;
@@ -65,30 +44,31 @@ export class KuiColorPicker extends React.Component {
     const { color, className, showColorLabel } = this.props;
     const classes = classNames('kuiColorPicker', className);
     return (
-      <div
-        className={classes}
-        data-test-subj={this.props['data-test-subj']}
-        onClick={this.onClickRootElement}
-      >
+      <KuiOutsideClickDetector onOutsideClick={this.closeColorSelector}>
         <div
-          className="kuiColorPicker__preview"
-          onClick={this.toggleColorSelector}
+          className={classes}
+          data-test-subj={this.props['data-test-subj']}
         >
-          <KuiColorPickerSwatch color={color} aria-label={this.props['aria-label']} />
-          { showColorLabel ? this.getColorLabel() : null }
+          <div
+            className="kuiColorPicker__preview"
+            onClick={this.toggleColorSelector}
+          >
+            <KuiColorPickerSwatch color={color} aria-label={this.props['aria-label']} />
+            { showColorLabel ? this.getColorLabel() : null }
+          </div>
+          {
+            this.state.showColorSelector ?
+              <div className="kuiColorPickerPopUp" data-test-subj="colorPickerPopup">
+                <ChromePicker
+                  color={color ? color : '#ffffff'}
+                  disableAlpha={true}
+                  onChange={this.handleColorSelection}
+                />
+              </div>
+              : null
+          }
         </div>
-        {
-          this.state.showColorSelector ?
-            <div className="kuiColorPickerPopUp" data-test-subj="colorPickerPopup">
-              <ChromePicker
-                color={color ? color : '#ffffff'}
-                disableAlpha={true}
-                onChange={this.handleColorSelection}
-              />
-            </div>
-            : null
-        }
-      </div>
+      </KuiOutsideClickDetector>
     );
   }
 }
diff --git a/ui_framework/src/components/index.js b/ui_framework/src/components/index.js
index fe3d7d3eaf83..4e731c522824 100644
--- a/ui_framework/src/components/index.js
+++ b/ui_framework/src/components/index.js
@@ -96,6 +96,10 @@ export {
   KuiModalOverlay,
 } from './modal';
 
+export {
+  KuiOutsideClickDetector,
+} from './outside_click_detector';
+
 export {
   KuiPager,
   KuiPagerButtonGroup,
diff --git a/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/__snapshots__/outside_click_detector.test.js.snap b/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/__snapshots__/outside_click_detector.test.js.snap
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6345a66dd3ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/__snapshots__/outside_click_detector.test.js.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+// Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
+
+exports[`KuiOutsideClickDetector is rendered 1`] = `<div />`;
diff --git a/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/index.js b/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a05f19936044
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+export {
+  KuiOutsideClickDetector,
+} from './outside_click_detector';
diff --git a/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/outside_click_detector.js b/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/outside_click_detector.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..cf5e15836a42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/outside_click_detector.js
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import {
+  Children,
+  cloneElement,
+  Component,
+} from 'react';
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+
+export class KuiOutsideClickDetector extends Component {
+  static propTypes = {
+    children: PropTypes.node.isRequired,
+    onOutsideClick: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+  }
+
+  onClickOutside = event => {
+    if (!this.wrapperRef) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (this.wrapperRef === event.target) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (this.wrapperRef.contains(event.target)) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    this.props.onOutsideClick();
+  }
+
+  componentDidMount() {
+    document.addEventListener('click', this.onClickOutside);
+  }
+
+  componentWillUnmount() {
+    document.removeEventListener('click', this.onClickOutside);
+  }
+
+  render() {
+    const props = Object.assign({}, this.props.children.props, {
+      ref: node => {
+        this.wrapperRef = node;
+      },
+    });
+
+    const child = Children.only(this.props.children);
+    return cloneElement(child, props);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/outside_click_detector.test.js b/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/outside_click_detector.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..942abf51010b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui_framework/src/components/outside_click_detector/outside_click_detector.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { render } from 'enzyme';
+
+import { KuiOutsideClickDetector } from './outside_click_detector';
+
+describe('KuiOutsideClickDetector', () => {
+  test('is rendered', () => {
+    const component = render(
+      <KuiOutsideClickDetector onOutsideClick={() => {}}>
+        <div />
+      </KuiOutsideClickDetector>
+    );
+
+    expect(component)
+      .toMatchSnapshot();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui_framework/src/components/popover/popover.js b/ui_framework/src/components/popover/popover.js
index ce55ab06d937..4c2eec8e5d81 100644
--- a/ui_framework/src/components/popover/popover.js
+++ b/ui_framework/src/components/popover/popover.js
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
-import React, { Component } from 'react';
+import React from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import classNames from 'classnames';
 
+import { KuiOutsideClickDetector } from '../outside_click_detector';
+
 const anchorPositionToClassNameMap = {
   'center': '',
   'left': 'kuiPopover--anchorLeft',
@@ -10,80 +12,45 @@ const anchorPositionToClassNameMap = {
 
 export const ANCHOR_POSITIONS = Object.keys(anchorPositionToClassNameMap);
 
-export class KuiPopover extends Component {
-  constructor(props) {
-    super(props);
+export const KuiPopover = ({
+  anchorPosition,
+  bodyClassName,
+  button,
+  isOpen,
+  children,
+  className,
+  closePopover,
+  ...rest,
+}) => {
+  const classes = classNames(
+    'kuiPopover',
+    anchorPositionToClassNameMap[anchorPosition],
+    className,
+    {
+      'kuiPopover-isOpen': isOpen,
+    },
+  );
 
-    // Use this variable to differentiate between clicks on the element that should not cause the pop up
-    // to close, and external clicks that should cause the pop up to close.
-    this.didClickMyself = false;
-  }
+  const bodyClasses = classNames('kuiPopover__body', bodyClassName);
 
-  closePopover = () => {
-    if (this.didClickMyself) {
-      this.didClickMyself = false;
-      return;
-    }
+  const body = (
+    <div className={bodyClasses}>
+      { children }
+    </div>
+  );
 
-    this.props.closePopover();
-  };
-
-  onClickRootElement = () => {
-    // This prevents clicking on the element from closing it, due to the event handler on the
-    // document object.
-    this.didClickMyself = true;
-  };
-
-  componentDidMount() {
-    // When the user clicks somewhere outside of the color picker, we will dismiss it.
-    document.addEventListener('click', this.closePopover);
-  }
-
-  componentWillUnmount() {
-    document.removeEventListener('click', this.closePopover);
-  }
-
-  render() {
-    const {
-      anchorPosition,
-      bodyClassName,
-      button,
-      isOpen,
-      children,
-      className,
-      closePopover, // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
-      ...rest,
-    } = this.props;
-
-    const classes = classNames(
-      'kuiPopover',
-      anchorPositionToClassNameMap[anchorPosition],
-      className,
-      {
-        'kuiPopover-isOpen': isOpen,
-      },
-    );
-
-    const bodyClasses = classNames('kuiPopover__body', bodyClassName);
-
-    const body = (
-      <div className={bodyClasses}>
-        { children }
-      </div>
-    );
-
-    return (
+  return (
+    <KuiOutsideClickDetector onOutsideClick={closePopover}>
       <div
-        onClick={this.onClickRootElement}
         className={classes}
         {...rest}
       >
         { button }
         { body }
       </div>
-    );
-  }
-}
+    </KuiOutsideClickDetector>
+  );
+};
 
 KuiPopover.propTypes = {
   isOpen: PropTypes.bool,