During World War I, Kimberly-Clark developed a material called Cellucotton, which was five times more absorbent than cotton and cheaper to produce. It was planned for gas mask filters and sterile dressings for soldiers. When the war ended before it could be widely used, the company re-engineered it to be softer and smoother and, in 1924, introduced it as Kleenex Tissues. Initially marketed to women for makeup removal, customer feedback redirected its use as a disposable handkerchief, marking a s