How do you put tri-color toothpaste into a tube? Multi-colored stripes on toothpaste and their designations How to make tri-color toothpaste

Nowadays, almost all toothpaste tubes can be found color-coded. However, none of the manufacturers explains what it means.

There are a lot of versions on the Internet explaining the importance of these colored squares, but in reality everything is much more banal. From the current material you will learn what the colored stripes on a tube of toothpaste actually mean.

This marking is applied to the “tail” of the tube (see picture), it can be found at every toothpaste manufacturer. Most likely, it was the widespread use of colored lines that became the reason for the spread of the myth about their sacred meaning for the consumer.
meaning of stripes on toothpaste
The most common colors are blue, green, black and red. For some reason, it is generally accepted that this indicates the safety of a particular paste and the percentage of harmful chemicals in its composition. The theory is as follows:

Black stripe - indicates the most harmful toothpaste, consisting of 100% chemicals and abrasives that are harmful to children's teeth. It is recommended for whitening only.
Blue strip is a less harmful toothpaste, which contains 80% chemicals. At long-term use may cause periodontal disease and other complications, therefore it is used only in medicinal purposes for a short period of time.
Red stripe – the paste consists of 50% harmful substances, it is not suitable for people with gum problems.
Green strip is a completely natural product recommended by dentists for regular use.
In fact, the color coding of toothpaste does not convey any useful information for the consumer. It is used in technological process manufacturing of packaging and at the request of the customer can be any. When choosing, you need to carefully study the composition of the toothpaste, and not focus on the color of the tube strips.

Some manufacturers have already managed to get their bearings by starting to produce toothpaste with a green square on the tube. Although the paste itself may be 100% synthetic. The most interesting thing is that this is not prohibited by law.

In the profile GOST 7983-99 “Dentistry. Toothpastes. Requirements, test methods and labeling” and ISO 11609-95 do not have any requirements regarding colored stripes on toothpaste. In addition to the standard information on the packaging (name and address of the manufacturer, composition, storage conditions, expiration date, etc.), only mass fraction fluoride Neither the color marking itself nor the meanings of its colors are spelled out in these documents.

Once again, the stripes on the toothpaste are only needed to make the tube itself, they have nothing to do with safety or composition.

Myths launched in the media:

Source:

Myth one.

*A black mark on a tube of toothpaste means that the paste contains substances that increase periodontal disease;
*The red square indicates to the consumer that the paste contains substances hazardous to health;
*The blue stripe indicates the permissible content of synthetic substances in the paste that are not hazardous to health;
*A green mark on a tube of toothpaste indicates that the toothpaste contains 100% natural raw materials, as well as the content of environmentally friendly substances. Myth two.

The stripes on toothpaste tubes indicate the percentage of chemicals in the toothpaste.
*Black - paste contains 100% chemicals;
*Blue - the paste contains 80% chemicals 20% natural product;
*Red - toothpaste consists of 50% chemicals and 50% natural product;
*Green - 100% natural product.
After reading the last statement, I imagine how at a paste production plant they make a paste from a natural product, crumble herbs, make infusions and package them in tubes, without preservatives or thickeners)

Myth three.

Quote: "On the back of a tube of toothpaste there is color stripe. They come in three types: green, blue and black. "
What do they mean? According to the author:

A tube with a black square (stripe) contains an abrasive in the paste. This paste whitens teeth well, but this paste cannot be used often, because the abrasive will scratch tooth enamel. This paste can be used no more than once a week.
The tube with a blue stripe carries the following information: the toothpaste contains abrasive, but much less than the toothpaste with a black stripe on the tube. It is recommended to brush your teeth with this paste no more often. two or three times per week. And the tube with a green stripe is more of a phytopaste; you need to brush your teeth with this paste every day, morning and evening.

Myth four.

I quote: “if there is a black stripe on the tail of the tube, the paste is terribly poisonous and generally “made entirely of oil”; blue, red are also nothing good, but green ones are natural substances and herbs.”

Reality.
Many people naively believe and then spread such “true information.” Let's separate the wheat from the chaff. The presence of “chemicals” and “herbs” in the toothpaste is written on the box that comes with it; there is no need to attribute any meaning to the colored stripes on the tube, just study the composition. The difficulty, of course, is in the small print and incomprehensible names, but do not despair if you are a fighter for natural products in your home, then a magnifying glass and a table harmful ingredients to help you.

So what do the colored stripes on the tubes mean? I'm afraid to disappoint you - nothing, they have no secret meaning.
Why does the manufacturer label its products, and in different colors? Let's figure it out.

Colored stripes on tubes of toothpastes are “markings” or “light marks” for the conveyor, and they are used so that the sensor on the conveyor can read these markings and in the right place cut off the tube.

Three-color paste is something familiar since childhood. However, the process of making such paste seems so mysterious and incomprehensible that many legends and myths have arisen about this. For example, many people believe that the tube has soft partitions separating the layers, and mixing occurs in the neck of the tube. These partitions supposedly not only allow you to pour into the paste different colors, but also prevent mixing when pressing on the tube.

Another version is that the paste in the tube is white, but there are tiny bubbles of color in the neck that open when you squeeze the paste out and turn it different colors. Another explanation: different layers of paste contain different chemical elements (for example, phosphorus), which turn different colors when in contact with oxygen. True, if you think about it, it doesn’t explain anything: neither why layers with different chemical properties do not mix with each other in the tube, nor how they get there.

It’s easy to debunk these myths: it’s enough, for example, to freeze a tube of multi-colored paste and cut it. You will be convinced that the layers of paste are initially painted in different colors, and they are not separated by any partitions.

Reality

In fact, there is no magic or special secrets in making multi-colored pasta. Multi-colored paste is made using the same apparatus as single-color paste. However, the paste enters the tube not through one dispenser, as usual, but through several - different for each color. Each layer of paste is made separately and can have different : for example, one layer fights pathogenic bacteria, the second freshens breath, the third cleanses plaque and keeps teeth white.

In order for the layers not to mix with each other, they must have a certain consistency: if the density of the paste is insufficient, then in accordance with the laws of physics and chemistry, mutual penetration of colors will occur. The finished paste components from different containers are poured into the tube in parallel layers through separate dispensers. A special machine squeezes thick and viscous “sausages” of paste through back tube. After filling the tube with paste back walls The tubes are connected and sealed.

As a rule, when squeezing out the paste, you squeeze the tube evenly in the central part, as a result of which approximately the same pressure is applied to all layers of the paste. Since the density of different layers of paste is also approximately the same, and they are poured evenly, acceleration of approximately equal force is transmitted to all layers. As a result, uniformly colored strips of multi-colored paste appear from the tube.

Yes, I am also an inquisitive person and I am also interested in how tri-color toothpaste is put into a tube. And I also want to see a Chinese typewriter :) But still, puzzled by the above question, I went online and started looking. It turns out that there are heated debates about pasta packaging methods across all borders. The most popular of them:

- three different tanks containing 3 different pastes

chemical reaction(phosphorus, etc.) when interacting with air, coloration occurs

- make a tube around the paste (kuku!)

and the most pressing thing is WHY the strips do not mix inside the tube and come out in even stripes, even when massaging the tube.

We froze the paste and cut the tube and this is how everything works here

Why don't the stripes mix?

It's all a matter of physics - when pressure is applied to any part of the tube, the paste is squeezed out evenly due to the distribution of pressure throughout the paste (this is the law in physics). Therefore, all strips are uniform and of the same thickness. And due to the fact that the paste is viscous, additional NON-MIXING of the strips is ensured.

And there are no additional tanks inside - everything is already painted and mixed

And they are packaged at the factory by a special machine, making one large colored paste sausage from 3 colored sausages (from three different tanks). Then he pours this mixed paste through the butt of the tube and seals it - this sealing point is called a tube, and you use the spout of the tube when brushing your teeth.

Attention, there is a trick here, the phrase two-color and three-color does not mean that when squeezed out of a tube there are 2 or 3 stripes. For example, a two-color paste when squeezed out has 3 stripes of one color and 3 stripes of another, but visually remains two-color.

If you look closely at a tube of toothpaste, you can see a small colored mark. It is located on the junction of the tube. Some consumers believe that the color of the mark can determine the composition of the toothpaste, its naturalness, or other features of the product.

Today, there are several versions explaining the meaning of these marks. Let's figure out what they mean colorful stripes on toothpaste really and should you pay attention to them when purchasing a product?

In an attempt to unravel the mystery of the marks, consumers came up with and circulated several versions. Let's look at them.

Version one: composition of toothpaste

Most often you can hear the following hypothesis: a colored mark drawn on a product’s packaging indicates the presence or absence of natural ingredients. Therefore, some consumers, choosing hygiene product, first of all, pay attention to the colored stripe.

What do they think each color means?

  • The black color indicates that only chemical, artificial components are used to make toothpaste and there is nothing natural in such a product.
  • The blue color of the label indicates that the product contains ingredients plant origin, however, their number is very small - about 20%. The rest is chemistry.
  • Red indicates that the hygiene product is rich in natural ingredients: their amount reaches 50%. That is, a product with a red label is half natural.
  • Green is the most preferred color. Toothpaste marked with a green stripe is made entirely from natural substances.

The most common colors are blue, green, black and red. For some reason, it is generally accepted that this indicates the safety of a particular paste and the percentage of harmful chemicals in its composition.

Version two: period of use of the hygiene product

According to another interpretation, the multi-colored stripes on the tube indicate the period for which it is recommended to use the product. After all, as you know, there are healing and whitening pastes that cannot be used for a long time, but there are those that are intended for daily use.

  • Blue color indicates that the product is suitable for everyday use.
  • A green mark indicates that the paste is designed to strengthen tooth enamel and can be used for no more than a month.
  • Red marking indicates the presence of medicinal components in the product. This paste can be used for no more than a week.
  • The black mark indicates that this is a whitening paste and can not be used constantly, but only from time to time, so as not to damage the tooth enamel.

In fact, the color coding of toothpaste does not provide any useful information to the consumer. It is used in the technological process of packaging manufacturing and can be of any type at the customer’s request.

Version three: content of dyes in the composition

If you believe this hypothesis, then the labeling on the packaging indicates the presence or absence of dyes in the product.

  • A green mark means that no chemical dyes have been added to the paste.
  • Red, blue and black marks indicate that artificial colors are present in this product.

There is an opinion that green stripes on a tube of paste are just another trick of marketers, because green in the minds of consumers it evokes an association with nature and natural ingredients.

Version four: the presence of components that protect against periodontal disease

Some consumers believe that color coding indicates whether this paste is suitable for combating periodontal disease, or, on the contrary, contributes to its development.

  • Black color – there are no components that protect against periodontal disease. Such a product may even contribute to the development of the disease.
  • Red – the product contains chemicals, allowed state standards quality.
  • Green – the product does not contain any ingredients harmful to health.

Version five: the presence of abrasive substances

There is a claim that the markings on the paste packaging indicate the presence of abrasive particles in it. Typically, such components are added to a whitening paste, which should not be used too often or for a long time so as not to scratch the tooth coating.

  • Black, blue, brown colors indicate that the product contains large number abrasive substances. It is recommended to brush your teeth with this paste for no longer than a week.
  • Red color – the paste contains abrasives, but their quantity is small. This product is allowed to be used every other day.
  • Green color – the composition of the product does not harm the dental covering, so it can be used every day.

Some manufacturers have already managed to get their bearings by starting to produce toothpaste with a green square on the tube (completely organic). Although the paste itself may be 100% synthetic. The most interesting thing is that this is not prohibited by law.

Version six: territorial classification

This hypothesis is quite interesting, although it is not entirely clear on what it is based. There is an opinion that the colored marks indicate the amount of petroleum products in the paste, as well as the countries for which the composition of the product was developed.

  • Black mark - the paste contains a large amount of petroleum products that are harmful to health. It is intended for Asian countries and third world countries.
  • Blue stripe – there are much less petroleum products in the product than in the previous version. This pasta is intended for Americans.
  • Red and green marks - the amount of petroleum products is small or completely absent. The product is produced for European countries.

Version seven: cost of components included in the product

According to this version, color marking depends on how expensive and high-quality components manufacturers use to make toothpaste.

  • Black stripe - the cheapest and lowest quality ingredients.
  • Blue – higher quality components.
  • Red - the product is made from high-quality components that do not harm teeth.

The true meaning of the marks

In the profile GOST 7983-99 “Dentistry. Toothpastes. Requirements, test methods and labeling” and ISO 11609-95 do not have any requirements regarding colored stripes on toothpaste.

We looked at several different versions and hypotheses about what the colored stripes on toothpaste tubes could mean. Now let's find out what these multi-colored marks actually mean.

Attention! It turns out that the stripes on toothpaste packages do not contain any “secret messages”. Why then are they needed, you ask? Their purpose is very simple - these are ordinary markings that are applied during the manufacturing process of tubes. It is needed so that the conveyor can correctly cut the packaging blanks.


The conveyor along which the workpieces move is equipped with a special sensor. This sensor scans the mark and cuts the workpiece. After this, the tube blank is rolled up, sealed and filled with toothpaste through the free edge of the package. After filling, this edge is also sealed.

Why are the stripes different colors?

It all depends on the wishes of the manufacturer. The mark must be clearly visible in order for the sensor to recognize it. Therefore, usually dark stripes (black, blue, brown) are painted on light packages, and light stripes are painted on dark ones. The manufacturer decides which color to choose.

Important! As a rule, four primary colors are used in packaging design. Sometimes additional ones are added. A fifth color, different from the others, is used to print the barcode, strip marks and text on the packaging so that they are clearly visible and contrast with the main shades. Sometimes the marks are not put down at all. This is acceptable in cases where they can be replaced by some element of the packaging design.


Thus, it becomes clear that the marking on the tube does not contain any secrets and does not carry any useful information about the composition of the product. In order to find out what components are included in toothpaste, you need to study the text on back side packaging.
As a rule, this text is printed in small font and is not at all easy to read. In this case, all the information you need can be found on the toothpaste manufacturer’s website.

What does the color of the markings on toothpaste mean, which are often located on the seal of the tube? Consumers constantly ask this question, believing that in this way they can reveal the secret of the composition.

Thanks to wild imagination, today there are several theories that are successfully applied in practice - when purchasing. Do these stripes really mean something?

Myths and debunking

There are several theories about the meaning of the color of the strip on a tube of toothpaste, most of which were “invented” by consumers themselves.

Popular opinion

The most popular theory is the connection between the colored stripe and its chemical composition. It fully reveals the meaning of color in accordance with the chemical composition used in the form:

  1. Black the strip indicates the presence of only chemical elements. There is no need to talk about the use of natural herbal ingredients.
  2. Blue the strip indicates the content of 20% natural ingredients in the entire composition. The rest are harmful chemicals.
  3. Red color indicates the content of natural substances in the cleaning product, but only half of the total amount.
  4. Green strip is the safest paste containing only natural ingredients.

Duration of use

There is also a theory where the stripes on toothpaste tubes indicate how long the product can be used.

There are 4 statements here:

  • blue a stripe on the toothpaste means it can be used daily;
  • red– contains substances that provide healing effect, but you can use it no longer than 7 days;
  • green the strip indicates its strengthening effect, the period of use is no more than 30 days;
  • black color indicates a whitening property, which negatively affects tooth enamel.

Availability of dyes

There is a hypothesis about the presence of dyes in the product:

  • according to this theory in paste with green marking there are no synthetic dyes, and it consists only of natural ingredients;
  • tubes with black, brown and blue strips contain many harmful chemical dyes that give color to the product.
  • there are assumptions that marketers deliberately apply green stripes on tubes of paste so that they sell better - everyone knows that green means the color of nature and benefits for humans.

Protection against periodontal disease

The development warning theory says:

  • black mark - a composition that provokes the development of periodontal disease;
  • red mark - there are synthetic elements permitted by GOST;
  • green mark - an environmentally friendly composition, the most beneficial for teeth.

Content of abrasive components

There is a hypothesis about the presence of abrasive components and the frequency of its use, according to the marks on the tubes. It's about about the presence of small particles in the paste that whiten and polish teeth, but over time spoil the enamel.

According to this theory, products with high content abrasive particles are marked with stripes dark colors: black, brown, blue. Such formulations can be used for no longer than 7 days.

A red stripe means that the paste contains few abrasive particles and can be used to brush your teeth 3 times a week. But the composition with a green mark can be used every day without harm to health.

Consumer race

There is a somewhat strange theory about the presence of petroleum products in toothpaste, which radically affects territorial purpose. Here is an example:

  • tubes with black stripes are intended for Asian and third world countries;
  • With red and green pasta is made in strips for European residents;
  • USA can use paste with blue mark.
  • black color speaks of great content petroleum products;
  • blue color – contains less petroleum products;
  • red color – there are very few components in question;
  • green color is an environmentally friendly product.

Financial conspiracy

There is a theory about financial situation buyers who purchase for daily consumption.

According to this hypothesis:

  • black the strip is applied to tubes of cheap toothpaste, which contains inexpensive ingredients;
  • blue label – the product is of higher quality;
  • red The strip is an elite product containing components that are gentle on tooth enamel.

The theory is silent about other color applications.

There is a lot of speculation about these marks on toothpaste tubes, but what do they really mean?

The truth will debunk the myth about colored stripes and disappoint many dreamers.

What do the labels actually mean?

You should not trust the above speculations, because the composition is written on the packaging and it is enough to read it, and not make it up special properties colored stripe on the tube.

Although the font chosen for printing will not be able to be read by most consumers, it is therefore necessary to take a magnifying glass and a table of harmful components, with the help of which the entire composition of the product is deciphered.

The colored stripes do not contain any secret messages, no matter how much some dreamers might like them to. Colored rectangles on tubes - this is just a “marking” or “light marking”, which the conveyor needs to correctly cut the tube blank.

The conveyor sensor reads the mark on the moving belt of the tube blank and cuts it at this point. Then, the cut piece of foil is twisted, glued, the tube is filled with paste, with the lid and cap at the bottom. Finally, the edge of the tube is wrapped or soldered.

Why are the label colors different?

Why the colors of the stripes are different depends on the design of the tube. In order for the conveyor sensor to read the mark, there must be maximum contrast between the background and the light mark.

When black is used in the design of the tube, both the label and the barcode will be black; if it is not in the design, then a different, maximum contrast color is assigned relative to the background.

If the background of the tube is light, it will be used dark color tags (black, blue, brown). If the background of the tube is dark, the label will be white.

Typically, tube design uses 4 primary colors, which do not always fulfill the original plans. Then the color schemes are complemented by pre-press finishing.

To prevent colors from overlapping each other, a fifth color is assigned, which is used to print the barcode, the font on the packaging and the light mark on the tube.

It is easier for sensors to capture one color, and this also helps the manufacturer to optimize costs. Sometimes the function of photo marks is performed by design elements, then there will be no colored stripe on the tube.

So the secret of toothpaste labeling has been revealed. It turns out that they do not carry any information about the composition of the toothpaste. In any case, you should not trust such elements when choosing a product. It is important to read the ingredients on the packaging or on the manufacturer’s website before purchasing the product.