<P> Toilet paper is a tissue paper product people primarily use to clean the anus and surrounding area of fecal material after defecation and by women for cleaning the perineal area of urine after urination and other bodily fluid releases . It also acts as a layer of protection for the hands during these processes . It is sold as a long strip of perforated paper wrapped around a paperboard core for storage in a dispenser near a toilet . Most modern toilet paper in the developed world is designed to decompose in septic tanks, whereas some other bathroom and facial tissues are not . Toilet paper comes in various plies or layers of thickness, from one - ply all the way up to six - ply, meaning that it is either a single sheet or multiple sheets placed back - to - back to make it thicker, stronger and more absorbent . </P> <P> The use of paper for hygiene has been recorded in China in the 6th century AD, with specifically manufactured toilet paper being mass - produced in the 14th century . Modern commercial toilet paper originated in the 19th century, with a patent for roll - based dispensers being made in 1883 . </P> <P> Although paper had been known as a wrapping and padding material in China since the 2nd century BC, the first documented use of toilet paper in human history dates back to the 6th century AD, in early medieval China . In 589 AD the scholar - official Yan Zhitui (531--591) wrote about the use of toilet paper: </P> <P> Paper on which there are quotations or commentaries from the Five Classics or the names of sages, I dare not use for toilet purposes . </P>

When was toilet paper invented in ancient china