Kleenex is a
brand name for a variety of paper-based products such as
facial tissue,
bathroom tissue
A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically i ...
,
paper towels
A paper towel is an absorbent, disposable towel made from paper. In Britain, paper towels for kitchen use are also known as kitchen rolls, kitchen paper, or kitchen towels. For home use, paper towels are usually sold in a roll of perforated shee ...
,
tampons, and
diapers. Often used informally as a
genericized trademark for facial tissue in the United States and Canada, the name ''Kleenex'' is a
registered trademark of
Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand n ...
. Kleenex products are manufactured in 78 countries and sold in more than 196 countries. Kleenex brands include
Cottonelle,
Huggies, and
VIVA
Viva may refer to:
Companies and organisations
* Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator
* Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia
* Viva Air Dominicana
* VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company
* ...
.
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
heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
requirements for being short, easy to say, easy to pay 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; see
History of facial tissue for details). 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
Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...
. 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.
Kleenex trademark
The original Kleenex trademark application at the
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) was filed in the class of Medical, Beauty, & Agricultural Services by Cellucotton Products Company 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 Company officially assigned trademark interest and good will of the business to Kimberly-Clark Corporation on September 30, 1955. Kimberly-Clark Corporation of
Neenah
Neenah () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in the East North Central States, north central United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River (Wiscon ...
, Wisconsin is the current registered owner of the Kleenex trademark.
In the US, the Kleenex name has become—in common usage but ''not'' in law—
genericized
A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or ...
: 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.
See also
*
Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex
References
Further reading
*
External links
Official websiteKleenex History TimelineGallery of vintage graphic design featuring Kleenex tissues
{{Paper products
Products introduced in 1924
Brands that became generic
Kimberly-Clark brands
Paper products
Personal care brands