Facial tissue and paper handkerchief refers to a class of soft, absorbent, disposable papers that are suitable for use on the face. They are disposable alternatives for cloth handkerchiefs. The terms are commonly used to refer to the type of paper tissue, usually sold in boxes, that is designed to facilitate the expulsion of nasal mucus from the nose (nose-blowing) although it may refer to other types of facial tissues such as napkins and wipes.
Facial tissues are often referred to simply as "tissues", or (in Canada and the United States) by the generic trademark "Kleenex", which popularized the invention and its use outside of Japan.
Facial tissue and paper handkerchiefs are made from the lowest basis weights tissue paper (14–18 g/m2). The surface is often made smoother by light calendering. These paper types consist usually of 2–3 plies. Because of high quality requirements the base tissue is normally made entirely from pure chemical pulp, but might contain added selected recycled fiber. [1] The tissue paper might be treated with softeners, lotions or added perfume to get the right properties or "feeling". The finished facial tissues or handkerchiefs are folded and put in pocket-size packages or a box dispenser.
Facial tissue may contain non-biodegradable additives for strength. [2]
Facial tissue has been used for centuries in Japan, in the form of washi (和紙) or Japanese tissue, as described in this 17th-century European account of the voyage of Hasekura Tsunenaga:
In 1924, facial tissues as they are known today were first introduced by Kimberly-Clark as Kleenex. It was invented as a means to remove cold cream. Early advertisements linked Kleenex to Hollywood makeup departments and sometimes included endorsements from movie stars (Helen Hayes and Jean Harlow) who used Kleenex to remove their theatrical makeup with cold cream. It was the customers that started to use Kleenex as a disposable handkerchief, and a reader review in 1926 by a newspaper in Peoria, Illinois found that 60% of the users used it for blowing their nose. The other 40% used it for various reasons, including napkins and toilet paper. [4]
Kimberly-Clark also introduced pop-up, colored, printed, pocket, and 3-ply facial tissues. [5] [ third-party source needed ]
The leading global players [6] in Facial Tissue Market are:
A diaper or a nappy is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without using a toilet, by absorbing or containing waste products to prevent soiling of outer clothing or the external environment. When diapers become wet or soiled, they require changing, generally by a second person such as a parent or caregiver. Failure to change a diaper on a sufficiently regular basis can result in skin problems around the area covered by the diaper.
Kleenex is a brand name primarily known for their line of facial tissues. Often used informally as a genericized trademark for facial tissue, Kleenex is a registered trademark of Kimberly-Clark applied to products made in 78 countries. The brand has other paper products like napkins and toilet roll.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational consumer goods and personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand name products include Kleenex facial tissue, Kotex feminine hygiene products, Cottonelle, Scott and Andrex toilet paper, Wypall utility wipes, KimWipes scientific cleaning wipes and Huggies disposable diapers and baby wipes.
The Scott Paper Company was a manufacturer and marketer of sanitary tissue products with operations in 22 countries. Its products were sold under a variety of well-known brand names, including Scott Tissue, Cottonelle, Baby Fresh, Scottex and Viva. Consolidated sales of its consumer and commercial products totalled approximately $3.6 billion in 1994.
A handkerchief is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose. A handkerchief is also sometimes used as a purely decorative accessory in the breast pocket of a suit; it can then be called a pocket square. A handkerchief is also an important accessory in many folk-dances in many regions like the Balkans and the Middle East; an example of a folk-dance featuring handkerchiefs is the Greek Kalamatianós.
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and related chemicals, and other forest products—largely made from its own timber. Since 2005, it has been an independently operated and managed subsidiary of Koch Industries. As of fall 2019, the company employed more than 35,000 people at more than 180 locations in North America, South America and Europe.
Kotex is an American brand of menstrual hygiene products, which includes the Kotex maxi, thin and ultra-thin pads, the Security tampons, and the Lightdays pantiliners. Most recently, the company has added U by Kotex to its menstrual hygiene product line. Kotex is owned and managed by Kimberly-Clark, a consumer products corporation active in more than 80 countries.
Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga was a kirishitan Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyō of Sendai. He was of Japanese imperial descent with ancestral ties to Emperor Kanmu. Other names include Philip Francis Faxicura, Felipe Francisco Faxicura, and Philippus Franciscus Faxecura Rocuyemon in period European sources, as he took a baptismal name upon converting to Catholicism.
Chouan is a French nickname. It was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution. Participants in this revolt – and to some extent French anti-revolutionary activists in general – came to be known as Chouans, and the revolt itself came to be known as the Chouannerie.
Tissue paper or simply tissue is a lightweight paper or light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made from recycled paper pulp on a paper machine.
Renova is a Portuguese company that produces paper consumption goods. It is based in the city of Torres Novas, located in Médio Tejo, a NUTS3 subregion belonging to Centro region. It is one of the most well-known industry brands inside and outside of the country. Their products are sold and advertised in countries like Japan, France, the UK, the United States, Belgium, and Spain.
Andrex is a British brand of toilet roll. It is owned by the American company Kimberly-Clark. The "Andrex Puppy", a Labrador Retriever puppy that appears on the company's television advertisements, is synonymous with the brand.
A sniffle is the instinctive action of inhaling quickly in order to prevent mucus from flowing from one's nasal cavity, as an alternative to blowing the nose.
Clearwater Paper Corporation is a pulp and paper product manufacturer that was created on December 9, 2008, via a spin-off from Potlatch Corporation. With its headquarters in Spokane, Washington, the new company started with four locations for the manufacture of bleached paperboard, consumer tissue, and wood products.
Colette Renard, born Colette Lucie Raget, was a French actress and singer. Renard is closely associated with the titular character from the musical Irma La Douce, a role she played for over a decade.
Kimberly-Clark de México(KCM) is a Mexican company that engages in the manufacture and commercialization of disposable products for daily use by consumers within and away-from home in Mexico and internationally. The company's products include diapers and childcare products, feminine pads, incontinence care products, bath tissue, napkins, facial tissue, hand and kitchen towels, wet wipes and health care products. Today, the company has 8,000 direct employees and over 10,000 indirect jobs.
Royale is a Canadian brand of consumer household paper products such as facial tissue, bathroom tissue, paper towels, and paper napkins. The brand is owned by Canadian paper company Irving Tissue.
Sanitary paper includes papers used for toilet paper, sanitary napkins, facial tissues, paper towels, napkins and some disposable diapers. The paper is processed to be soft and absorbent.
Nose-blowing is the act of expelling nasal mucus by exhaling forcefully through the nose. This is usually done into a facial tissue or handkerchief, facial tissues being more hygienic as they are disposed of after each use while handkerchiefs are softer and more environmentally-friendly.
Quilton is an Australian brand of toilet roll produced by ABC Tissue Products. In 2023, Quilton was named the top-scoring toilet paper brand in a review that featured more than 30 toilet paper roll brands, where it received an 85% score. The brand has also introduced facial tissue and paper towel products.