ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 4, 1996 TAG: 9605060037
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DALLAS
SOURCE: KATIE FAIRBANK ASSOCIATED PRESS
EUCALYPTUS, ALOE AND MENTHOL are just a few of the scented additions Kleenex will be boasting this July.
Tissues are getting very complicated.
The makers of Kleenex plan to take on moisturizer-laden Puffs Plus with new tissues loaded with all kinds of concoctions intended to make blowing your nose a little less irritating.
Starting in July, Kimberly-Clark will sell two new tissues, one implanted with Vitamin E and aloe, and another with menthol, eucalyptus and silicone.
And here's something a hanky could never do: Each time one of the ``high-performance facial tissues'' is pulled from the box, tiny microcapsules release its aroma.
The tissues are stronger and softer than the low-performance variety.
And if that's not too much to expect from a tissue, Kimberly-Clark says its research shows people want tissues to pamper them when they have a cold or allergies. So much for chicken soup.
After test marketing the tissues in Australia, the company said it found 80 percent of users were attracted to the tissues' softness and menthol scent.
But allergy sufferers might find some problems with the new, scented product.
Wendi Strong, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark, says that there may be some people, especially those with allergies, who can't use the menthol and eucalyptus product.
``It's also meant for people with colds. It's meant to have a comforting soothing effect,'' she said. ``The lotion product is something people with allergies would find soothing.''
The new large-sized Kleenex should be handy for people who have gale-sized sneezes, she said.
The product is three-ply, which makes it one-and-a-half times larger than regular tissue.
``We've always sold extra-large tissues,'' said Strong, explaining that the tissue is now becoming part of the Coldcare line. ``They used to be called `man-sized.'''
Kleenex Coldcare will go head-to-head with Procter & Gamble's Puffs Plus, which account for almost 7.5 percent of total U.S. facial tissue sales.
Until the introduction of the new Kleenex brands, Puffs Plus was the only moisturized tissue on the market, offering an unscented aloe-sated tissue.
LENGTH: Medium: 52 linesby CNB