People are only now discovering why a popular brand of soap has a sticker on it – and it’s not related to branding.
While many assume Imperial Leather soap stickers are simply part of its recognisable branding, people have now realised that there‘s a far more practical reason behind it.
In a Facebook post made to the page Upcycleit, Handmade & Crafters on the Tedooo app, one social media user left people shocked after revealing the true purpose of British-made soaps.
Rather than serving merely as packaging, the sticker is actually designed to prevent the bar from disintegrating and going soggy.
The post read: ‘Having recently discovered there is a purpose for the sticker on a bar of Imperial Leather, I left it in place and have been placing the bar of soap sticker-down (the sticker stops the soap from sitting in a soggy soapy puddle, in case you’ve been living in a cave). The excitement builds as the soap nears its end.’
People were shocked by the discovery, with many taking to the comments to express their amazement.
One user wrote: ‘I have felt superior ever since I realised this (maybe in the 80s) and I think about how clever I am every time I put the soap down. And I’m secretly cranky when I find the soap wrong way up! ‘
Another wrote: ‘I was this day old when I learnt that fact’.
While many assume Imperial Leather soap (pictured) stickers are simply part of its recognisable branding, people have now realised that there’s a far more practical reason behind it
A third remarked: ‘Isn’t it funny though, that sticker stays intact and doesn’t disintegrate all the life of the soap, in fact it outlives the soap. Wonder what it’s made of.’
‘Well, there you go…every day is a school day…’ a fourth commented.
Imperial Leather earned its moniker nearly 300 years ago when Russian nobleman, Count Grigory Orlov commissioned a brand of perfume, called Eau de Cologne Imperiale Russe, from Bayleys at Bond Street in London.
The perfume was inspired by Russian leather, a high-quality variant widely exported through the country and easily recognisible by it’s aroma.
Russian leather, which inspired the scent of the now British beloved soaps, derives its pleasant smell from a birch oil tanning process.
The Bond Street perfume shop was acquired by Cussons Sons & Co in 1921, although it wasn’t until some time later that the scent was used to create Imperial Leather soap.
The sticker on the face of Imperial Leather soap bars are used to improve durability, a trait that made it a popular toiletry during World War II.
Additionally and as told on the brand’s website, Imperial Leather ‘was one of the first brands to invest in TV advertising, in between episodes of popular drama’.
The sticker on the face of Imperial Leather soap bars are used to improve durability, a trait that made it a popular toiletry during World War II
People were shocked by the discovery, with many taking to the comments to express their amazement
‘It was this investment that led to the coining of the phrase ‘Soaps’ in relation to such shows in the UK.’
It comes after people discovered the true origin of Play Doh, the popular children’s modelling clay.
The soft, putty-like substance is a beloved toy owned by millions all over the world and is known for sparking delight among its younger patrons.
Though it is now mainly used for crafts in homes and schools, Hasbro-owned Play-Doh was in fact invented for a very different purpose when it first launched.
Revealing the surprising history behind the colourful putty, an Instagram page called @fascinating_historic_world shared a handful of products ‘that became successful because customers used them completely wrong’.
Far from a children’s toy, Play-Doh was originally created as a wall cleaner as a way to remove coal residue and soot stains from inside the home.
It was first invented by Noah McVicker for Cincinnati-based soap manufacturer Kutol Products during the 1930s as a wallpaper cleaner.
Created during a period where coat heating was commonplace, Kutol originally designed the clay as a tool to remove soot left by coal generated heaters.
It was created for users to stamp onto stained wallpaper to absorb and remove dark stains that couldn’t be extracted by regular cleaning alone.
But by the the 1950s, the use of the malleable putty had changed drastically. As World War II came to a close, it soon became clear that there was no longer a need for wallpaper cleaning putty, and Play-Doh was reinvented as a children’s toy.
As the Instagram video explained: ‘When schools started using the non-toxic cleaning compound for children’s art projects, the company rebranded their wallpaper cleaner as the world’s most popular children’s toy and creative medium.’
People were left gobsmacked by the discovery – and admitted they hadn’t known it was ever used for anything other than a children’s toy. One person wrote jokingly wrote: ‘Play Doh: Back when wallpaper was made of actual paper.’
A second said: ‘Just looked up all these products up. Cannot believe this is all true, but I shouldn’t be surprised. There was a time where cocaine was used as sinus medicine so I should not be surprised.’
A third remarked: ‘I knew it! When I played with Play-Doh. I always thought it smelled very industrial.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .