What’s the first thing that comes to mind when we feel a slight itch inside our ears? Few people don’t wish they had an ear bud. The ear bud, nicknamed cotton swab in America and cotton bud in European countries, is now celebrating its centenary. Yes, our own ear bud is 100 years old. Is there anyone among us who has not at least once used cotton buds wrapped in cotton at both ends of a small handle (stem) made of wood, plastic or thick paper.
History
Cotton buds were born in 1923. There is a story behind it. The idea that led to Buds was born when Leo Gerstenzang, who immigrated to America from Poland, tried to solve a small mistake made by his wife Ceuta. Gerstenzang watched Ciuta wrap cotton around the end of a toothpick and insert it into her baby’s ear to remove dirt. Gerstenzang was afraid that the sharp toothpick would cause a cut inside the child’s ear or that the cotton would loosen and fall into the child’s ear.
Realizing that was a big risk, Gerstenzang thought of other options. There must be a solution to this. Ladu suddenly broke in my mind. Even when he named his product, the baby’s face came to mind. It was that baby that led to that discovery. Buds were originally made for babies. That’s why he gave his buds a childish name – BABY GAYS. He also formed a company to market his product: Leo Gerstenzang Infant Novelty Company.
Courted Buds
In 1926, Gerstenzang renamed his product. They were renamed Q-tips Baby Gays. Q stands for Quality. These came to be known as Q-tips in the commercial world. Q-tips is the number one brand of buds in North America, including the US and Canada. The world class company Johnson & Johnson started making their own ‘Johnson’s Buds’ and the market became more competitive. As the war between these two companies intensified, so did the patent controversy. With this, cotton buds went to court. It was discovered that a woman named Hazel Forbis was the first to produce cotton buds commercially. They were producing in their house. On December 6, 1927, she received a patent for cotton buds. They marketed it under the name BABY NOSE-GAY. With this Forbes and Q Tips decided to work together. Gerstenzang also acquired a production license from Forbes
Harm to the environment, prohibition
Buds with plastic handles are currently banned in some countries. Italy 2019 and Monaco 2020 banned plastic buds. The European Union also imposed a ban in 2021. The factor that prompted these countries to ban was the water pollution caused by the careless disposal of plastic buds after use.
Content Summary : History of cotton swabs for ears
