Do not drink Tide… even if its new packaging looks just like boxed wine
As if Tide Pods, which look like candy, weren’t bad enough, the detergent brand has come out with new packaging that looks a lot like a box of wine.
On Friday, Procter & Gamble debuted its “Tide Eco-Box,” designed for people who order their detergent online.
According to a press release, the company plans to start shipping Tide for e-commerce customers in a cardboard box that includes a twist-to-open spout, a pull-out stand and a measuring cup. Liquid detergent comes in a sealed bag in the box.
This new design uses 60 percent less plastic and 30 percent less water than the current 150 oz. press-tap version of Tide, Procter & Gamble says. It requires less packaging than shipping a bottle of detergent because it doesn’t need those extra layers of cardboard boxing or bubble wrap. And the company says it’s lighter and takes up less room in delivery trucks, so it costs less to ship.
The new packing will be available through big online retailers like Amazon starting in January, per BuzzFeed.
Although this all sounds completely practical, Tide’s new look — which resembles a big ol’ box of booze — has created quite a stir on Twitter.
Wine and Tide anyone? https://t.co/02K0mBI7ZN cc: @alastorpic.twitter.com/LRJxwSRL2D
— Juan Carlos Pedreira (@juancpedreira) November 12, 2018
People were particularly struck by the new design because earlier this year, health officials felt the need to urge the public not to eat Tide Pods. A meme called the “Tide Pod Challenge,” an ongoing joke about eating the small packs of detergent, had led to the hospitalization of some teens.
this looks like a wine box, have they learnt nothing from the tide pod eating meme https://t.co/d5KyFnAxUS
— Elena Cresci (@elenacresci) November 12, 2018
What's next Tide in a keg? 😂 pic.twitter.com/xPj5eQZU7y
— ラムスフアン1982 (@Ramsfan1982) November 12, 2018
Oh Tide has a box wine variant of it's candy now https://t.co/2QZk6obd4a
— Syber (@SyberXenon) November 12, 2018
*swirls it in a glass*
*takes a sip*
Me: Excellent vintage. Good legs on this. Do I detect notes of lavend- no no... dare I say spring meadow?
Employee: sir please leave pic.twitter.com/yFevij6OLZ— That Joel Guy🌀 (@Hurricane__Joel) November 12, 2018
If they don’t want us to eat it why do they keep making it seem so delicious? First they make it look like candies and now it looks like a box of wine. Does Tide have social Darwinists making their products? #ThinOutTheHerdpic.twitter.com/hdDyHesp8N
— Alex Pierpaoli (@FistThingsFirst) November 12, 2018
Although you should never, ever eat or drink detergent, this new packaging does lead us to wonder if Tide truly is unaware that its packaging resembles food and beverage products. Or is it secretly in on the joke?
Tide pointed out to BuzzFeed that there is “a large picture of our Tide bottle on the side of the box.”
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.