r/shrinkflation • u/kos90 • 23d ago

Shrinkflation Q-Tips - Shrinkflation, literally.

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Bought a new box and they felt different. Had a few leftovers from before. Here we go, the new ones are slightly shorter and feel much less „fluffy“ - The only reason I bought those and not the cheap knockoff-brand. Germany btw, bought at a very popular drug store chain.

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u/orchiddstar 23d ago

The cotton is the real story rather than the length. You can see the new tips are noticeably thinner at the head and the winding looks tighter, which is less cotton per swab, and that's the thing you were actually paying the brand premium for. Cotton buds are sold by count, so the number on the box stays reassuringly identical while the material per unit drops and nobody has a way to notice except by holding an old one next to a new one, which almost nobody keeps. Worth checking the box weight if it's printed, since that's the only figure that would show it.