Tubes of toothpaste and Co. - That's what the markings on the fold really mean

Created: 03/07/2022Updated: 03/07/2022 17:18

By: Anna Lorenz

There is a simple explanation for the tactile marks on toothpaste tubes.

© Julia Haack/Westend61/Imago

Corona doesn't exist, milk is poison and Elvis is alive - there are many conspiracy theories.

But the fact that there is supposedly more to toothpaste tubes was new to us.

Sooner or later, every child asks how the colorful stripes end up in the toothpaste.

While some adults have to eloquently pull themselves out of the affair with a scratchy head, nobody gives much thought to the line on the tube.

But a conspiracy theory of almost global proportions has grown up around the colored marking on the fold.

Toothpaste: That's what the line on the fold supposedly means

The secret code that the toothpaste supposedly wants to convey to us with the colored line on the fold should be no less than a scale of the toxicity of the ingredients.

According to this, a green line stands for harmless content, a red line for 70% chemicals, a blue line is supposed to indicate up to 70% medicinal ingredients and black - let's not even start with that.

Line on tube fold: That's why the marking is really there

Who would have thought it: Since the use of questionable ingredients in toothpaste would be neither so easy nor extremely sensible, everyone will realize that something cannot be quite right with this theory.

And indeed: the colored line has a very innocent meaning that becomes clear when you know the name of these lines.

They are so-called tactile marks, which are used to bring the tube into the required position in the production process.

The colors of these tactile marks are usually chosen simply in such a way that the printing costs remain low.

This in turn is the case when the tactile mark shares the main color of the rest of the packaging.

Toothpaste: Look for these markings

Conclusion: The tactile mark on the toothpaste tube is literally just a high-contrast anchor for the scanner in the production process.

So anyone who used to choose their purchase based on the stripe on the fold will have to rethink.

If you want to rely on natural care products, it is advisable to pay attention to symbols from BDIH, ECOCERT or Nature, for example.

Additional information, such as fluoride-free, can usually be found on the packaging.

And for all those who have the "suspicious mind" sung about by the King: The same applies here - the color doesn't matter.