Product originally named baby gays
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Although this name would be considered quite unusual for today's standards, the baby gay was a huge hit! Nowadays, you can pick up a box of 500 for just $5, as compared to 1927, when you could buy 60 swabs for an adorable 25 cents. The "Q" in Q-tips® stands for quality and the word "tips" describes the cotton swab at the end of the stick.
Due to increased consumer demand, Q-tips®, Inc., moved its manufacturing facility from New York City to a new facility in Long Island City, New York.
Q-tips® cotton swabs were recognized by Hollywood glamour and partnered with America's top Hollywood makeup artist, Ern Westmore, to create the "Lesson in Loveliness with Q-tips®" booklet.
Q-tips® cotton swabs purchased Paper Sticks Ltd.
of England, a manufacturer of paper sticks for the confectionery trades. This made Q-tips® cotton swabs available in both wooden and paper sticks.
The demand for Q-tips® cotton swabs products continued to grow and in 1962, the Q-tips® Company was acquired by Chesebrough-Ponds.
It was an improvised tool—clever, but not exactly convenient.
That facility handled domestic production for more than a decade before part of the process shifted to Las Piedras, Puerto Rico in 1974.
The brand changed hands again in 1987 when Unilever acquired Chesebrough-Ponds. The “Q” stood for “quality,” a detail that helped position the product as a more reliable choice than homemade cotton-and-toothpick combinations.
The Evolution of Cotton Swabs
As demand grew, production moved from New York City to Long Island City in 1948.
When it comes to earwax or hearing concerns, a healthcare provider, not a cotton swab, is the safer choice.
How cotton swabs went from 'Baby Gays' to 'Q-tips'
Soon after, Gerstenzang created the Leo Gerstenzang Infant Novelty Company for marketing purposes, and in hopes of launching a baby product line.
Since their invention in the 1920s, Q-tips have undergone various advancements, including ditching the wood for paper.
Rather oddly, when he first went into production in New York City, he named his swabs “Baby Gays.” In 1926, he changed the name ever so slightly to “Q-tips Baby Gays.” Eventually, it became known as the far more familiar and simpler “Q-tips.” That stands for “quality tips,” by the way, but it was never meant to be a product name.
By the 1950s, cotton swabs were everywhere—makeup counters, film sets, and household vanities. This plant continued to produce all Q-tips® cotton swab requirements for the domestic market until 1974.
Chesebrough-Pond's moved a portion of Q-tips® cotton swabs production to Las Piedras, Puerto Rico.
This period provided numerous growth opportunities and saw the transition to “100% cotton” for all Q-tips® cotton swabs.
Unilever, the company founded in 1885 in England as Lever Brothers by grocer William Hesketh Lever and his brother James, acquired Chesebrough-Pond's including Q-tips® cotton swabs.
Q-tips® cotton swabs Vanity Pack was introduced.
Q-tips® Antimicrobial cotton swabs were launched.
Q-tips® cotton swabs remain the market leader and continually searches for new and improved opportunities to serve consumers.
Introduced the repackaged 30-count Purse Pack.
Q-tips® cotton swabs switched to a plastic (PET) that is more environmentally friendly.
Introduced the repackaged Q-tips® cotton swabs Vanity Pack.
A year later, the company shifted to PET plastic for certain components, signaling a slow but ongoing move toward eco-friendlier materials.
Other manufacturers, including Puritan Medical Products, focused on renewable materials such as birch wood. Severe injuries can lead to long-lasting vertigo, hearing loss, altered taste function, or—in rare cases—facial paralysis.
And accidents don’t just happen during careless use.
By this time, the cotton swab exploded on the market. In 1923, he founded the “Leo Gerstenzang Infant Novelty Co.” to produce these early swabs for parents.
The first version was called “Baby Gays,” a name that reflected the product’s focus on infant care. He founded the Leo Gerstenzang Infant Novelty Co., a firm which marketed baby care accessories.
The product was originally called Baby Gays, and in 1926, the labels were changed to read Q-tips® Baby Gays.
It was an easy shift for Gerstenzang in 1958, when he purchased a paper manufacturer. It’s almost instinctive. Gerstenzang saw an opportunity to make something preassembled, safe, and ready for everyday use. Now, all he needed was a name.
He chose Baby Gays as the name of the first cotton swab.