Pictured is a box of Kleenex or facial tissues on my night table. I seem to use more of them as I get older. Also, my nose seems to always run in the morning when I first get up, but not in the afternoon. It also runs whenever I eat spicy Mexican food. When I walk, I always take a pocket pack of Kleenex in my small purse. That small bit of preparation was helpful when I was walking with a friend, and she tripped and fell on the sidewalk, scraping the side of her face which bled profusely. Using my Kleenex to stanch the blood, we were able to make it back to her home without getting blood all over her clothes. I have been caught without Kleenex on more than one occasion, and it is no fun to blow your nose on your sleeve. I believe Kleenex has multiple uses. Let’s learn more about it.
Kleenex is a brand name for a variety of paper-based products such as facial tissue, bathroom tissue, paper towels, tampons and diapers. Often used informally as a genericized trademark for facial tissue in the United States, the name Kleenex is a registered trademark of Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Inc. Kleenex products are manufactured in 30 countries and sold in more than 170 countries. Kleenex brands include Cottonelle, Huggies and VIVA.
History
Kleenex began during the First World War. It developed a crepe paper used as a filter for gas masks. In the early 1920s, it was adapted as a consumer product called Kotex brand to help women with their periods. The Kotex trademark was derived from the combination of the words "cotton" and "texture." The company itself has confirmed that this name was chosen as it "met [its] requirements for being short, easy to say, easy to remember and easy to explain." In 1924, the name Kleenex was selected as the name for a line of cold cream remover, as such, the "Kleen" portion of the name denotes its cleansing purpose. The "ex" was added to show that Kleenex was of the family of products that included Kotex. The first Western facial tissue was introduced in 1924 and originally marketed as a way to remove cold cream; it had already been in use in Japan for centuries. It was a disposable substitute for face towels or cotton wool. In 1925, the first Kleenex tissue ad was used in magazines showing "the new secret of keeping a pretty skin as used by famous movie stars." A few years after the introduction of Kleenex, the company's head researcher tried to persuade the head of advertising to try to market the tissue for colds and hay fever. The administrator declined the idea but then committed a small amount of ad space to mention of using Kleenex tissue as a handkerchief. By the 1930s, Kleenex was being marketed with the slogan "Don’t Carry a Cold in Your Pocket," and its use as a disposable handkerchief replacement became predominant. In 1943, Kleenex began licensing the Little Lulu cartoon character to popularize the brand.
Facial tissue has been used for centuries in Japan, in the form of washi or Japanese tissue, as described in this 17th-century European account of the voyage of Hasekura Tsunenaga:
"They blow their noses in soft silky papers the size of a hand, which they never use twice, so that they throw them on the ground after usage, and they were delighted to see our people around them precipitate themselves to pick them up."
Early advertisements linked Kleenex to Hollywood makeup departments and sometimes included endorsements from movie stars like Helen Hayes and Jean Harlow who used Kleenex to remove their theatrical makeup with cold cream. It was the customers that started to use Kleenex as a disposable handkerchief, and a reader review in 1926 by a newspaper in Peoria, Illinois found that 60% of the users used it for blowing their nose. The other 40% used it for various reasons, including napkins and toilet paper.
Kimberly-Clark also introduced pop-up, colored, printed, pocket, and 3-ply facial tissues.
Kleenex trademark
The original Kleenex trademark application at the United States Patent and Trademark Office or USPTO was filed in the class of Medical, Beauty, & Agricultural Services by Cellucotton Products Co. of Neenah, Wisconsin, on Saturday, July 12, 1924. The description provided to the USPTO was "absorbent pads or sheets for removing cold cream."
The first use for the drawing and stylized word mark in commerce was on June 12, 1924. USPTO granted trademark registration on November 25, 1924. International Cellucotton Products Co. officially assigned trademark interest and good will of the business to Kimberly-Clark Corp. on September 30, 1955. Kimberly-Clark Corp. of Neenah, Wisconsin is the current registered owner of the Kleenex trademark.
In the U.S., the Kleenex name has become — in common usage but not in law — genericized; the popularity of the product has led to the use of its name to refer to any facial tissue, regardless of the brand. Many dictionaries — including Merriam-Webster and Oxford — now include definitions in their publications defining it as such.
Manufacture
Facial tissue and paper handkerchiefs are made from the lowest basis weights tissue paper,14–18 g/m2. The surface is often made smoother by light calendering, using a series of hard pressure rollers to finish or smooth a sheet of paper. These paper types consist usually of 2–3 plies. Because of high quality requirements, the base tissue is normally made entirely from pure chemical pulp, but might contain added selected recycled fiber. The tissue paper might be treated with softeners, lotions or added perfume to get the right properties or "feeling." The finished facial tissues or handkerchiefs are folded and put in pocket-size packages or a box dispenser. Facial tissue may contain non-biodegradable additives for strength.
Uses
According to the April 26, 2021 article “Facial Tissue and Areas of Usage” at papertr.com, in some countries and cultures these products are considered to be non-essential and luxury. However, this does not mean that the demand is low. They can be used for different purposes. They can be used to clean different surfaces and are also suitable to use on the face. The most interesting feature about facial tissue is probably that you can use these tissues as makeup removers.
In the beginning, these tissues were associated with Hollywood makeup departments and approved by movie stars who used Kleenex to remove their makeup. Later on, consumers started using facial tissues as disposable tissues.
The worldwide market for facial tissue is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 3.7% over the next five years. The market will reach $14,000 million in 2024 from $11,700 million in 2019, according to a recent study.
According to the Jan. 17, 2019 article “5 tips on how to use facial tissues” at shpgroup.eu, you can make your own personalized candle with facial tissue. A decorative candle is an ideal gift not only for your grandparents. You can decorate it, for example, with photos of your family or with a drawing of your children. And making such a candle does not take more than 10 minutes. You only need a larger candle, scotch tape, facial tissue, baking paper and a hairdryer.
If you want to apply a photo or any picture on the candle, tape a facial tissue down with a scotch tape on a paper and imprint any pattern you want. For your own drawing, simply paint a facial tissue with colored pencils but be careful not to damage the tissue. The following steps are the same as with the picture.
Cut out the pattern or the picture from the facial tissue and carefully remove the bottom layer of the tissue. Then place the picture on the candle and wrap it in the baking paper so that it encircles it all. Hold the baking paper on the back firmly with one hand and with your other hand use the hairdryer until wet spots appear on the paper. The wax will start to melt, and the picture will merge with the candle. When all the parts of the tissue are merged with the picture, the gift is ready.
This trick is recommended to the lovers of glittering eyeshadows. Before you start playing with your eyeshadows, put a facial tissue under your eye. It will catch all the fall outs that would otherwise color not only your eyelids.
If you like blooming treetops and don´t want to wait until spring comes, make your own twigs with cherry blossoms. Prepare your basic tools — facial tissues, scissors, ruler, tree twigs and ribbon in the form of fake leaves.
First cut the ribbon to 12 cm long strips. Cut the facial tissues to be 6.5 x 7.5 cm. Create stacks of 5 pieces of cut tissues. Fold the stacks several times as if you were making a fan. Cut the center of the created stripe on both sides and tie with the ribbon so that it fits into the prepared cut-ins. Then just unfold the layers of the tissues and create a flower that you can tie to the twig.
If you have white tissues, color the flowers with pink or other chalk. Finally, put the twigs into a vase and enjoy a decorative result that you do not even need to water, yet it never wilts!
Would you like to give your lips a matt look? The procedure is very simple. Separate the layers of the facial tissue and press against your lips. Apply a little transparent powder over the tissue using a brush. Finally, just check the final look.
The problematic T-zone — forehead, nose and chin — are the struggle areas of many women. If your skin is generally oily, during the day you can gently wipe off excess sweat and oils with a facial tissue that can perfectly remove unwanted shine. You can also help yourself when applying makeup. Gentle wiping removes excess coat on the cheeks and forehead.
You can decorate the box yourself. Use, for example, a sleeve from an old, knitted sweater. Tie the cut side of the sleeve with an elastic band and make the box look nice. Then you can store anything in the empty box; imagination knows no boundaries.
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