Little Known Facts: Cottonelle Toilet Paper

Cottonelle toilet paper might not be getting as much press as Charmin, but many consumers would place both giants on equal footing.

Charmin, made by Proctor & Gamble, is famous for being one of the softest toilet paper brands in the United States. In a recent publicity stunt, P&G opened Charmin themed public restrooms in Times Square in New York City; the popular bathrooms are cleaned after every use.

Toilet paper matters continue to fascinate people of all ages, from hanging preferences (hung over or under) to colors (black toilet paper made its debut last year), from ply count to designs. Not surprising, given that bodily functions are unavoidable and we value the comfort of our private areas.

Little known Fact: Cottonelle toilet paper and tissues are widely sold in Italy as well. That wasn't the little known fact, here it comes. Over ten years ago, concerned was expressed regarding the name Cottonelle: it appeared to be misleading, since the product advertised was not Cottone (cotton in Italian). In an effort to reach to consumers and possibly avoid lawsuits, Cottonelle importers inserted contest slips in all tissue boxes and toilet paper packaging.
The contest: find a new name for Cottonelle and win a large amount of money in golden coins.

Many of us racked our brains, trying to find an appropriate yet original replacement for Cottonelle. We mooched contest slips off people, so as to have more entries and more space for our ideas. We waited for months, until the results were announced.

The winner had come up with the most obvious name of all: Scottonelle!

The S preceding 'Cottonelle' is parallel to the English prefix 'un' as in 'unavoidable' or 'uncouth'. Hence Scottonelle's equivalent would be Uncottonelle. Clever, don't you think? It sounds better in Italian.

Some interesting toilet paper facts (credit goes to all-about-toilets.com):

- Chinese Emperors first felt the need for something to use to clean themselves and thus they ordered the first ever toilet paper in AD 1391. Each sheet of toilet tissue was then 2 feet by 3 feet.