Surely among us, everyone has wondered about the small color stripes at the end of toothpaste tubes, cosmetics… So what do these color stripes mean, and do they affect the usage process at all?
I decided to find the answer with enthusiastic help from Professor Google. First, I found information stating that these color stripes are called “color codes” and based on these colors, products are categorized as follows:
- Green: 100% natural
- Blue: a mix of natural and pharmaceutical ingredients
- Red: a mix of natural and chemical ingredients
- Black: 100% chemical.
At first glance, it sounds quite… logical, right? However, I now have many questions in mind, such as: What about the white stripe? How can toothpaste be completely natural? And for a package of cookies with a black stripe, does that mean it’s made from 100% chemicals?
Fiction!
So what do these color stripes actually mean? The answer turns out to be incredibly simple: these color stripes are used for marking!
This color mark is known as Eye mark (or Eye spot). In the production line, tubes are usually sealed at one end, while the other end remains open for product filling. Then, thanks to these eye marks, machines can seal the open end accurately in a very short period. The devices used to recognize these eye marks are commonly called Eye mark Sensors. You can watch the video below to understand how they work:
As we can see, the machines use light sensors and laser lights to detect the eye marks. Therefore, if the packaging is predominantly white, the eye mark must be a different color, such as black or blue… to prevent the possibility of miscutting the product. This is also the reason why the eye marks have different colors.
I hope that through this article, you will gain some basic knowledge that very few people pay attention to. Additionally, please consider and assess information on the internet carefully; don’t become a victim of false rumors!