Introduced in 1924 as a “sanitary cold cream remover,” Kleenex derived its name both from that cleaning function and to link it phonetically to Kotex, the sanitary napkin Kimberly-Clark had introduced just four years earlier.

Kleenex® Professional Brand of Restroom Products and Facial Tissue.

However, we can confirm the Kleenex® Brand tissues you purchase at trusted retailers throughout North America are made in the U.S. and Canada.

Kotex and Kleenex The new material was pitched to the U.S. surgeon general as a substitute for cotton surgical dressing for war wounds and as a filter in gas masks.

Originally marketed as a cold cream remover, Kleenex brought disposable facial tissues mainstream as an alternative to handkerchiefs. Their 'Don't carry a cold in your pocket' marketing campaign was a successful repositioning effort to make wider use of their product.

The main obstacle for tissues in regard to environmental degradation is that most are made from virgin-fiber (fresh cut trees), as they produce the softest and most absorbent tissues. This means, to supply the tissue industry, approximately 27,000 trees are cut down each day.

Kleenex defined the category of facial tissues by being the first to offer the product. In 1924, the trademark was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

What is Tissue? Tissue products are soft, thin, pliable, and absorbent paper made from wood or recycled paper. The tissues we think of are the ones we see and use every day, such as toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, and facial tissues. Tissue also includes decorative paper for gifts.

The Kleenex trademark is owned by Kimberly-Clark, which launched the brand in 1924 as a disposable cleaning tissue for removing cosmetics. The brand launched as a handkerchief substitute in 1930 and has been the No. 1 selling facial tissue in the world ever since.

1920s. The Kleenex® Brand's story began during the First World War when Kimberly-Clark developed a crepe paper used as a filter within gas masks. In the early 1920's, that very crepe paper innovation was cleverly adapted into a consumer product called Kotex® Brand which helped women with their periods.

About the same time, a Chicago inventor devised a pop-up tissue box. In the early 1920s, Kimberly-Clark decided to place its kerchiefs in these boxes. Now, the product won even more nose-blowing converts, for it supplied a quick and easily accessible way of containing sudden sneezes.

"The end of the war in 1918 brought about a temporary suspension of K-C's wadding business because its principal customers - the army and the Red Cross - no longer had a need for the product," the company says today. So it re-purchased the surplus from the military and created a new market.

The book examines how Kleenex evolved from Army gas mask filters into disposable handkerchiefs and became the company's most reliable profit maker. The marketing campaigns orchestrated to launch the product enabled it to transform from a cold cream remover for Flappers into the iconic brand we know it as today.

Is Kleenex® Tissue biodegradable? Kleenex® Tissue is made with biodegradable cellulose fibers. Because the tissue is made with an additive to make it strong, it will not break down as rapidly as bathroom tissue. Therefore, we suggest you discard Kleenex® Tissue in the trash.

The short answer to a complicated question is yes, most tissues are biodegradable and compostable. The raw component of facial tissues is wood fibers or recycled material, natural raw materials that will eventually decompose.

Ingredients and Purposes