While the need to wipe your nose is as old as the need to sneeze, it took a surprisingly long time to come up with a solution that disposed of nasal mucus politely and hygienically. Although a seemingly simple solution, the key features of facial paper tissues are that they are cheap, soft, disposable, and absorbent, especially in comparison to other similar types of paper products. Even toilet paper is not as effective, being designed to break down in water.
In fact when the Kimberly-Clark Corporation first developed the material that would later make them household names, it was to use as bandages in World War I. Cellucotton, as it was called, was made from processed wood pulp and was five times as absorbent and half as expensive as cotton. As a result of army nurses using cellucotton as disposable sanitary pads, Kimberly-Clark introduced the first disposable feminine hygiene product in 1920. But it was not until 1924 that they developed the first facial tissues, under the brand name Kleenex. Even then they designed Kleenex as a means of removing face cream and other make-up. It was only in the late 1920s that they realized that the tissues were being used as disposable handkerchiefs, and quickly changed their marketing strategy.
The name Kleenex soon became synonymous with disposable facial tissues. In 1928, the characteristic carton box with a perforated opening was introduced, soon followed by colored and printed pattern tissues. Pocket packs were introduced in 1932. While the paper tissue has largely replaced the traditional cotton handkerchief in most industrialized countries, concerns have been expressed about their environmental impact, resulting in the more recent development of recycled and chlorine-free tissues.
