Skin, body and oral care is one of the main daily items of personal hygiene. It is unlikely that someone will go on business without washing, or with a stale breath. By the way, humanity has been caring for itself for a very long time. True, our ancestors did this completely different from what we were used to, because in ancient times there was no such developed chemical industry; accordingly, all kinds of oils, plant extracts, and other improvised natural remedies were used.
Nowadays, cosmetic products are sold in abundance in almost any store, including supermarkets. Each person in the house probably has at least a few jars with different shower gels or shampoos. A particularly wide range of packages, bottles and bottles is available for most beautiful ladies. Do you know what the stripes on the tubes that contain cosmetics mean ? We will talk about this below.
Resin and soap root
Scientists involved in the study of life and life of ancient people claim that the habit of taking care of their own hygiene was formed 5,000 years ago BC. Our ancient ancestors brushed their teeth by chewing tar and beeswax. These sticky masses apparently collected food debris stuck between the teeth. Instead of the usual soap or cream shower gel, ash and the so-called soap root were used. Ladies of those times looked after face and body skin with the help of essential oils, various clay, milk. The Egyptians were especially distinguished in this matter - Cleopatra’s bath alone is worth it!
The invention of the likeness of the first toothbrush also belongs to the ancient Egyptians. They used tree branches to brush their teeth. Before use, the tip of the twig was thoroughly chewed until it looked like a brush, and only then they cleaned their teeth with this simple device. By the way, Muslims still use such chopsticks.
Ancient recipes
The prehistoric prototype of toothpaste was invented by the same Egyptian inventors. It was a powdery mixture, which included incense, mastic tree branches, myrrh, ashes of burnt bovine entrails, mashed raisins, flour from egg shells and lamb horns. Egyptian hygiene products were unusually expensive, so only people from high society allowed them.
All nationalities stored their cosmetics in beautiful amphoras, jars and vessels, while spending them very sparingly. Tubes appeared much later. Naturally, there was no marking on containers with cosmetics (unless a beautiful pattern), and our ancestors did not have to rack their brains over what the squares on the tubes with cosmetics mean.
Inconvenient jars
The development of mankind required change. They did not bypass the scope of cosmetics. The first toothpaste appeared in 1873 - it was invented by the well-known company Colgate to this day. This pasta was minty and sold in small, uncomfortable glass jars. Creams and cosmetic emulsions were also produced in jars, and the more expensive the cosmetic product, the more refined the container.
Hooray tube!
The idea of creating a tube familiar to us belongs to the artist John Rand. He was tired of storing his paints in parcels of tin foil, and he came up with a container familiar to us. The resourceful portrait painter received a patent for his invention in September 1841, and his friend and part-time dentist Washington Sheffield showed the world the first folding tin tube for toothpaste.
The developers of Colgate praised the convenient innovation first, and already in 1896, toothpaste in tubes became incredibly popular in Europe and America. It included eucalyptus oil, soap and sometimes fruit extracts. Following the toothpaste, the tubes that consumers loved, began to fill with creams for hands, face and body, and fancy jars gradually faded into the background.
At the end of World War II, the chemical industry began to develop in giant leaps. The world famous sodium lauryl sulfate has appeared, which has an excellent lathering property. Then there was a revolution in the production of gels and lotions for washing, bath foams, shower creams. Evolution has also affected the means for caring for the oral cavity: pastes with fluoride and various tastes and directions of action are produced. And it was at this time that the packaging marking appeared, in which not only the name of the product and the manufacturer was listed, but also the composition.
Square Stripes
Relatively recently, the world community was seriously alarmed by reports that the squares or stripes on the tube, depending on their color, supposedly mean the percentage of harmful chemical and useful natural substances in the contents. Everyone was looking for an answer to the question of what the squares on the back of the tubes mean, and publications literally dazzled with deciphers of these colored marks. By the way, they can be black, blue, white, blue, red and green. Please note that this marking applies not only to products from tubes, but also to products made from plastic bottles. But really, what do the squares on the back of the tubes mean in the opinion of the majority?
- A small square or a strip on a tube of toothpaste or black cream means that the contents are completely chemical, without impurities of any useful constituents. Such a mark is placed on products of the worst quality, use it is harmful and dangerous to health.
- Blue or red marking is applied to containers with cosmetic or hygienic products, the composition of which consists of 30% natural ingredients. The remaining 70% is continuous chemistry. As a rule, the quality of the contents of the tube leaves much to be desired.
- And what do the squares on the back of the tubes of white, blue or green color mean? Such marks are placed only on containers with all-natural products of the highest quality.
Debunking the myths!
In fact, it is impossible to determine the quality of a cosmetic or hygiene product by the color of the marking. This is a myth that is exaggerated in society from ignorance of reality. The composition of any product, whether it be a toothpaste or a cream with hyaluronic acid, can be seen on the packaging. The font is usually small, but quite readable if desired.
But if there is a marking, it means that for some reason it is necessary. What do the boxes on the back of the tubes and plastic jars mean, if it is not about quality? Everything is simple! In fact, all these squares-stripes are nothing more than a so-called light tag.
Consider the technology for the production of tubes. Imagine a conveyor belt. On it is a batch of future containers for a nourishing cream or toothpaste, which at first is a reel made of special foil with the product information already applied. The tape moves slowly, and the machine cuts off equal pieces, seals the ends, fills it with contents and screw the caps onto the tubes. In order for everything to be smooth and the same and the machine cut the workpiece in the right place (and not 2-3 cm more or less), these light tags are applied. They serve as a kind of clue: "Cut here!" The color of the mark always matches the color of the font or drawing on the container.
That's the whole secret of the strip on the tubes! Therefore, when you see a black box on the container with your cosmetic product, you should not throw it in the bin, believing that it is of poor quality. It's not so scary!