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Kleenex tissue products are designed to prevent viral infections. Kleenex tissues are helpful for those who often have runny nose, eye watering infection.
In the early 1920s, Kimberly-Clark was just beginning its exploration of consumer products. As a paper manufacturer, the company had been diversifying its product line and developed a creped wadding for its first consumer product, Kotex®. At this time, marketing a product for the menstrual cycle proved rather difficult and due to the slow acceptance of Kotex® in the marketplace, the company had a rather high volume of creped wadding. It was time to find another commercial application for the fluffy material. That’s when the company again looked at the creped wadding product it had been working on for possible use as a filter for gas masks in World War I. Early experiments had researchers literally iron out heavyweight Kotex®. Later, they discovered how to produce a softer sheet by changing the blend of ingredients and using different pulps. It was the beginning of Kleenex® facial tissue.
The company initially saw the Kleenex® brand as a disposable cleansing tissue. They just weren’t sure what it would be used to clean. Because the same people who worked on Kotex® were now working on this new cleansing tissue project, they were predisposed to women’s needs. They made a connection between the tissue’s properties and the growing use of cosmetics. The tissues could be a clean, convenient replacement for the unsightly “cold cream towel” that hung in many bathrooms.
The tissue was trademarked “Kleenex®” and went on the market in 1924 as a cold cream or makeup remover, a disposable substitute for facial towels. It is likely the name was derived from the word “cleansing” which was shortened to “clean,” while the capital “K” and the “ex” ending were adopted from Kotex®.
Since the Kleenex® brand came on the market in 1924, it has been the No. 1 brand of facial tissue in the world and has become a genuine global icon. Not bad for a product that was voted down by its salesmen who wanted to instead produce disposable diaper inserts for cloth diapers.
