Kotex

Kotex
A Kotex "Deo" pad
Product typeMenstrual hygiene products
OwnerKimberly-Clark
CountryUnited States
Introduced1920
WebsiteKotex corporate website
A Kotex newspaper advertisement from 1920
Kotex ad, painted by Coby Whitmore (1950)

Kotex (/ˈkoʊtɛks/) 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.[1] Kotex is owned and managed by Kimberly-Clark, a consumer products corporation active in more than 80 countries.

History

The modern, commercial, disposable pads started in the late nineteenth century with the Hartmann [de] company in Germany, and Johnson & Johnson in the United States.[2] In the UK, the Birmingham firm of Southall Brothers & Barclay was advertising "sanitary towels" in The Family Doctor and Home Medical Adviser in the early 1890s.[3]

In the United States, Kotex was launched in 1920 by Kimberly-Clark to make use of leftover cellucotton (wood pulp fiber) from World War One bandages.[4][5] An employee noted that the pads had a "cotton-like texture" which was abbreviated to "cot-tex" and then made the product name with alternate spelling.[6]

In the 1920s, Kimberly-Clark placed advertisements in the women's magazines Good Housekeeping and Ladies' Home Journal.[7] Although some readers were offended by the ads, the product's success led to more advertisements. Kimberly-Clark also promoted Kotex in Good Housekeeping by using intimate advice columnist Mary Pauline Callender.[8]

Originally sold in a hospital blue box at 12 for 60 cents, Victorian sexual prudishness caused slow acceptance until Montgomery Ward began advertising them in its 1926 catalog, reaching $11 million sales in 1927 in 57 countries.[9] It became one of the first self-service items in American retailing history after it was strategically placed on countertops with a special payment box so that the woman didn't have to ask a clerk for it and touch hands. Tampax appeared in 1936. Belts were needed until the 1970 introduction of Stayfree by Personal Products Co. and New Freedom Pads by Kimberly-Clark.

New Freedom is a former brand in the Kotex family. New Freedom was one of the first beltless pads manufactured in the early 1970s.

Product line

In August 2009, Kotex launched a premium sub-brand called Kotex Luxe in Singapore. It launched U by Kotex Tween, products aimed at girls aged 8–12 in the US in 2011.[10]

Recalls and defects

In September 2012, Kimberly-Clark issued a warning regarding a shipment of rejected Kotex tampons stolen and sold to the public. The company said the defective products posed only a minor health risk to consumers.[11]

In December 2018, Kimberly-Clark issued a recall of U by Kotex Sleek tampons due to findings that the product would sometimes break apart during removal, leaving behind fragments in the body that could require medical attention for removal.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ Newman, Andrew Adam (16 March 2010). "Rebellion Against the Usually Evasive Menstrual Care Ad". The New York Times. p. B3. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Pads [Directory]". Museum of Menstruation. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Southall's towels". Museum of Menstruation & Women's Health. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
  4. ^ www.mum.org
  5. ^ www.mum.org
  6. ^ Eschner, Kat (2017-08-11). "The Surprising Origins of Kotex Pads". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  7. ^ Cross, Mary (2002). A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture. Greenwood Press. pp. 86–87. ISBN 978-0313314810. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Photo of Mary Pauline Callender". Museum of Menstruation. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  9. ^ http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2252/who-invented-tampons
  10. ^ Newman, Andrew Adam (14 April 2011). "A Younger Group for Feminine Products". The New York Times. p. B3. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Kimberly-Clark issues warning about stolen tampons". USA Today. Associated Press. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Kimberly-Clark issues recall after reports of tampons causing users to seek medical attention". Fox 8 Cleveland. December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kotex.