What Do The Colored Squares On The End Of Toothpaste Tubes Mean? Debunking The Myth That They Inform Customers About The Chemicals In The Product

By now you should probably know to never believe anything you see on the internet or social media without checking into the facts behind the claim.  Over the last few weeks, the web has been abuzz with claims that the colored squares at the end of tubes of toothpaste clue consumers in to the chemical make-up of the product.  I.E. - one color supposedly means that the product is organic, another color means that it includes some chemical or another, etc.

With just a cursory search into this subject, I can boldly inform you that this is a myth.

So what DO those colored squares mean?

Take a look at most products on the shelf and you will see similar squares or dots on the carton;  Sometimes it's just a single object but usually they come in multiples.  The markings are called Eye Marks - and they're used to help printers in the factory line up the blanks that eventually get imprinted with the printing and logos you see on the finished product.  Some of the markings also help the printers establish the right combinations of ink to use for the process.

The take-away from this myth should be a heightened sense of not believing everything you see or hear until you have the opportunity  to "fact-check" it for yourself.