It does not stand for quintessential

How have I managed to get through life without questioning what the Q in Q-tips stands for?

It shocks me that I managed to get through life without discovering that the Q stands for quality, which is completely stupid.

Quality tip?

Even so, it’s better than the original name of the product:

Baby Gays.

I could find no explanation as to the origin of this name.

Oh, and for the record, you are not supposed to clean your ears with Q-tips. I have yet to meet a doctor who won’t tell you to avoid sticking anything in your ears.

Even Q-tips own website does not list the cleaning of the inner ear as a recommended use.

I suspect that if people actually followed this doctor and company warning, however, Q-tips might go out of business.