World Toothpaste (in a Tube) Day. Many of the everyday products and items we use are so familiar to us that we assume we’ll always find them in the nearest store, offered by various brands in different packaging, sizes, variations, and prices. Some products are so ingrained in our daily lives that we hardly think about their relatively recent emergence or the significant changes they’ve undergone in their commercial form.
Big Numbers
According to the GITNUX MARKETDATA REPORT 2024, as of May 28, 2024, 97% of households in Europe purchase toothpaste. Globally, around 3.6 billion people use it, and the global toothpaste market is expected to reach $37.7 billion by 2027. Despite these impressive numbers, World Toothpaste (in a Tube) Day, as we commonly know it today, tends to fall into the category of quirky or lesser-known holidays. This day is observed on May 22, a date chosen for a specific reason.
Time Travel
May 22 marks the release of the modern toothpaste tube by American dentist and oral surgeon Dr. Washington W. Sheffield (1827-1897) in 1892. In the late 19th century, toothpaste was primarily sold in jars. The idea for the tube, however, arose quite by chance. Lucius Tracy Sheffield, the son of Dr. Sheffield, spent some time in Paris, where he encountered French artists using paint tubes. Lucius thought this was a much more elegant and hygienic packaging for toothpaste than the jars of that time.
Lucius’s father brought the idea to reality but did not immediately market tubes that were their own production. From 1880 to 1892, he purchased tubes from external manufacturers, and only on May 22, 1892, did the family company Sheffield Dentifrice Co. launch its first self-produced toothpaste tube on the market. This was of great significance because their own production significantly reduced costs, making the product accessible to the general public.
Good Hygiene:
The idea for the new packaging primarily arose from the desire for greater convenience and better hygiene. Toothpaste contains fluoride to prevent cavities and zinc to protect against plaque, tartar, and inflammation. For it to be effective, specialists recommend brushing teeth for three minutes at least twice a day. Our team advises you to follow your dentist’s recommendations regarding brushing and oral hygiene products. Good hygiene will prevent your tooth from appearing in your dentist’s AMOSYS software dental order! Dental technicians and dentists use AMOSYS to exchange information regarding dental orders.
Sources:
- May 22, 2024. Filip Bitterman. Time Travel through the History of Toothpaste and Its Packaging. https://www.neue-verpackung.de/markt/eine-zeitreise-durch-die-geschichte-der-zahnpasta-und-ihrer-verpackung-825.html
- May 21, 2024. Sven Giese. Toothpaste Tube Day. https://www.kuriose-feiertage.de/tag-der-zahnpastatube/
- Toothpaste Tube Day. https://www.ep.de/blog/tag-der-zahnpastatube
- GITNUX. Market Data Report 2024. https://gitnux.org/toothpaste-statistics/