Everything you want to know
about Kleenex^® tissue

While we know that many consumers use Kleenex^® Tissues to wipe or clean their lenses, we have not tested Kleenex^® Tissue for this purpose; therefore, we cannot recommend it. We suggest that consumers check with their lens care providers for the best method of cleaning their lenses.

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All Kleenex^® Tissue cartons currently include information regarding the number of sheets, sheet size and color of the tissue on the package opening area. You will find these details either on the perforated, tear-out portion of most cartons or on the removable plastic overwrap of certain cube or upright styles.

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The Kleenex^® Brand offers a range of tissues designed to provide the care you need for both everyday and targeted facial tissue use. Each of our varieties offers softness, strength and absorbency with customized features for tissue performance, personal convenience and aesthetics.

From Kleenex^® Go Packs, which put essential care in your purse or pocket, to tissues made especially for your worst colds and allergies and the most sensitive noses, our products are designed to meet your individual care needs and your lifestyle. Explore our full range of options here.

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Kleenex® Anti-Viral tissues contain Citric Acid and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which inactivate certain viruses* within the tissue. Citric acid and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate are common ingredients used every day in households. You can read more about these ingredients and their purpose here

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Kleenex® Anti-Viral† tissues are designed and intended to be used as facial tissues only. We do not recommend using Kleenex® Anti-Viral† tissues anywhere else on your body. For delicate skin, Kleenex® Ultra Soft™ tissues are softest* to comfort skin and Kleenex® Soothing Lotion™ tissues nourish skin with gentle moisturizers.

among leading ultra national  brands.

Virucidal Against: Rhinoviruses type 1A and 2 (Rhinoviruses are the leading cause of the common cold), Influenza A and Influenza B (causes the flu); Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV – the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection in children).

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While we do not sell our products directly to individual consumers, you can purchase Kleenex^® Products online or find your local retailers here.

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No, we do not.

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Kleenex^® anti-viral^™ tissues kill 99.9% of cold & flu viruses in the tissue within 15 minutes. This applies to Rhinoviruses Type 1A and 2 (Rhinoviruses are the leading cause of the common cold); Influenza A and Influenza B (causes of the flu); and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV – the leading cause of lower respiratory infection in children). However, we cannot confirm that the product is specifically effective against coronavirus, as the product has not been tested against this disease.

To learn more about our ingredients, please visit us at https://www.kimberly-clark.com/en/ingredientsearch#q=kleenex.

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The Kleenex® Brand tissues you know and love that are on shelf today are proudly made in South Carolina, Connecticut, Oklahoma and Ontario.

Kimberly-Clark is an international company — we manufacture products for global sales and distribution throughout 150 different countries, and have manufacturing plants all over the world. However, we can confirm the Kleenex® Brand tissues you purchase at trusted retailers throughout North America are made in the U.S. and Canada.

To learn more about our brands, please visit our corporate website at: https://www.kimberly-clark.com/en-us/brands/our-brands.

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This symbol refers only to the content of the carton itself, the Kleenex^® Tissue inside is made from nearly 100 percent virgin fiber. While we are developing alternative fibers for future use, virgin fiber is currently used because it provides the superior softness consumers expect from Kleenex^® Tissue.

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At the manufacturing mills, bales of pulp are fed into a machine called a "hydrapulper," which resembles a giant electric blender. The hydrapulper, using giant rotating blades, separates the individual fibers in the pulp. Water is then added to form a mixture called "stock."

Additional water is then added to the stock to make a dilute mixture, which is more than 99 percent water. The cellulose fibers in the water are then thoroughly separated in refiners before entering the process known as "forming." During the high-speed forming process, the fibers are molded into a sheet in less than a fraction of a second.

The next process is drying. A continuous mesh belt (resembling a window screen) carries the sheet from the forming section to the drying section. In the drying section, the sheet passes around a large honeycomb cylinder where hot air is forced through the fibers to dry the sheet. In just a few seconds the sheet travels the entire length of the paper machine (which is the size of a football field) and is dried to 95 percent fiber and only 5 percent water. Typically, much of the water used in the process is recycled. Water not reused is treated to remove contaminants prior to discharge. Careful controls and monitoring ensure that the water leaving the mill meets or exceeds water quality standards. A felt belt carries the sheet from the forming section to the drying section. In the drying section, the sheet is pressed onto the steam-heated drying cylinder and then scraped off the cylinder after it has been dried. The sheet is then wound into large rolls, called "parent rolls," which can be more than 50,000 feet long.

In the final process of the manufacturing process, known as "converting," the parent rolls are made into the Kleenex® facial tissue that consumers use every day in their homes. In the first stage of converting, the large rolls are placed on a machine called a "rewinder," where they are wound into smaller diameter rolls, called "logs." These logs are perforated to create individual sheets, then cut into appropriate lengths to create individual clips.

Finally, the clips go through a packaging process where they are inserted into boxes, so they can be shipped to retailers. See our infographic on how our facial tissues are made for more details.

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Kleenex^® Tissue was first introduced in 1924, when a package of 100 sheets sold for 65 cents. Although it was originally marketed as a cold cream remover, people used the tissue many other ways, especially as a disposable handkerchief. In 1930, advertising was changed to reflect this usage, and today more people buy Kleenex^® Tissue than any other brand. 

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To explain how Kleenex^® Tissue got its name, it is necessary to go back to 1920 and the development of our first consumer product, Kotex^® feminine napkins. Our Kotex^® trademark was derived from the words "cotton texture" and met our requirements for being short, easy to say, easy to remember and easy to explain. Kleenex^® Tissue was originally designed in 1924 as a cold cream remover; hence, the "Kleen" portion of the word was coined to convey the cleansing purpose. We then added the "ex" from Kotex^® in order to convey what was the beginning of a family of products. In 1930, the name was changed from Kleenex^® Cleansing Tissue to Kleenex^® Facial Tissue or Kleenex^® Tissue.

The trademark Kleenex^® was registered with the U.S. Patent Office. The Kleenex^® trademark identifies Kleenex^® as a brand name which may only be used to designate products manufactured by Kimberly-Clark.

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1924 - Kleenex^® Brand invented the facial tissue category.

1929 - Kleenex^® Brand introduced the first POP-UP^® cartons with a perforated opening.

1929 - Kleenex^® Brand introduced colored tissue.

1930 - Kleenex^® Brand introduced printed tissue.

1932 - Kleenex^® Brand introduced Pocket Pack tissue.

1985 - Kleenex^® Brand introduced BUNDLE PACK^® Tissue for convenience.

1990 - Kleenex^® Brand introduced Ultra, the first three-ply tissue.

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As our Kleenex^® Brand tissues have not been designed or tested for flushability, please dispose of our products in the trash. Cottonelle^® Flushable Wipes can be flushed, they are are designed to safely break down in home septic systems and will not affect the normal bacterial activity in a septic system.

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Selected tree species, including spruce, fir, aspen, maple and eucalyptus contain thin wood fibers which contribute to the desirable characteristics of softness, absorbency and strength in Kleenex^® Tissue.

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Our cartons are fully recyclable with the poly insert attached. They are accepted at recycling facilities across the country.

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High-quality Kleenex^® Tissue requires high-quality cellulose fibers. Pulp is purchased from a number of different sources. Kimberly-Clark does not own any forestlands but requires that all fiber purchased for our pulp mills come from sustainably managed forests.

Select wood is either transported to the pulp mill in the form of chips from lumber processing or as logs. The logs are then washed, debarked and cut into small, uniform chips, while individual cellulose fibers are separated by "cooking" the wood. The pulp is then processed for manufacture into the final product.

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Kleenex^® Tissue is made with biodegradable cellulose fibers. Because the tissue is made with an additive to make it strong, it will not break down as rapidly as bathroom tissue. Therefore, we suggest you discard Kleenex^® Tissue in the trash.

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Kimberly-Clark has long recognized the importance of corporate responsibility and integrated the concept of sustainability in our business practices. We published our first annual sustainability report in 2004, and the reports can be reviewed at www.kimberly-clark.com. From raw materials, our manufacturing processes, even our supply chain, we're building sustainability into every facet of how we work. This includes selecting suppliers that operate in a sustainable manner. To that end, we work hard to assure that the wood fiber we purchase comes only from well-managed forestlands or from recycled sources.

Learn more about our sustainability efforts.

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At Kimberly-Clark, we take concern for the environment and conservation of natural resources seriously. In 2009, the Kimberly-Clark Foundation donated $400,000 to environmental causes and $550,000 over the last three years to Conservation International (CI) for a biodiversity conservation project. The project will have environmental benefits for the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, a major global pulp-producing region that provides 30 percent of our fiber.

Learn more about our conservation efforts.

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KLEENEX^® Brand Hand Towels offer a hygienic option for our consumers by providing an alternative to traditional cloth bathroom hand towels. KLEENEX^® Hand Towels-- a clean, fresh towel every time^™.

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Package recycling varies across the different materials used. Cartons can go in curbside recycling along with paper. The small plastic window can be kept on carton, they are removed during the paper recycling process. Multipack bundle poly film and Go*pack film can be added to ‘Store Drop Off’ collection with other packaging poly films. For store location: https://how2recycle.info/. On-the-go* Slim pack wallet and Go-anywhere* pack cannot be recycled. Wipes package film cannot be recycled due to film properties needed for moisture retention, but the polypropylene (#5) flip top lids can be removed from package and be added to curbside recycling where #5 is collected. Learn more about Kimberly-Clark's sustainability efforts.

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Kimberly-Clark has one of the most progressive fiber procurement policies in the tissue industry. We support forestry practices that help conserve valuable forestlands, respect fundamental human rights and ensure both a thriving ecosystem and a sustainable source of wood fiber for the future.

Kleenex ® Facial Tissues are Forest Stewardship Council ® (FSC®) Certified from responsible sources.* FSC® ensure that forests are responsibly sourced. In 2011, we became the first U.S. tissue maker to offer FSC® consumer tissue products. 100% of fibers for Kleenex® products are derived from sustainable resources. *Kleenex® Anti-Viral, some Kleenex® pocket packs and Kleenex® Perfect Fit are not FSC® labelled.

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Kimberly-Clark Corporation and the KLEENEX® Brand set ambitious Sustainability 2030 program objectives focused around social impact, forest & fiber, waste & recycling, energy & climate and plastics all in service of creating a better future for the communities we serve. Learn more about our sustainability initiative.

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