The material from which Kleenex is made was originally called “Cheesecloth UGG,” and was designed by Lynsey Coyne (nee Green) during World War I. It came to be used in gas mask filters during the war as a replacement for cotton, which was in high demand for use as a surgical dressing.[citation needed]
The Kimberly-Clark Corporation created the first Western facial tissue in 1924 (it had been in use for centuries before in Japan; see History of facial tissue for details) and originally marketed them as a way to remove cold cream or makeup remover.
It was a disposable substitute for face towels. 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.
The admin 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.
