Kleenex was Originally Designed as a Gas Mask Filter
Despite being a distinct brand name, Kleenex is now so widely used that most people use the term to describe any tissue. The firm that manufactures Kleenex, Kimberly-Clark, generated $19.4 billion in revenue in 2021; the majority of their profits come from Kleenex as well as Huggies and Kotex.
Even though today everyone uses Kleenex to blow their noses, clean their glasses, and clean up accidents, the product actually had a completely different genesis. Before 1920, a product that was not yet known as Kleenex was used for many years to filter gas masks during World War One. Cellucotton was the brand name for the product, which was manufactured from wood pulp.
Since actual cotton was scarce at the time due to the need for it elsewhere in the war effort, the Kleenex product was both literally and figuratively a lifesaver. The crepe paper was then modified to make Kotex, which is still the brand name for feminine hygiene products today.
By 1924, the item was marketed as a cold cream and makeup remover under the brand name Kleenex. The corporation didn't come up with the concept to suggest Kleenex as a substitute for a handkerchief until 1929; if you're keeping score, this would make the fourth application for the product.
