Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you want to know about Kleenex® facial tissues

Product Information

The Kleenex® Brand offers a range of tissues designed to provide the everyday care you need. Each of our varieties offers softness, strength, and absorbency with customized features (like Anti-Viral† and Lotion™) to suit your individual care needs, personal preference, and lifestyle.

Explore our full range of options here.

All Kleenex® Tissue boxes currently include information regarding the number of sheets, sheet size, and ply count. You will find these details either on the bottom of the box or on the plastic packaging that bundles multipacks.

Kleenex® Ultra Soft™, Lotion™, and Trusted Care® tissues are dye- and fragrance-free. Kleenex® Hand Towels are also dye- and fragrance-free.

Kleenex® Trusted Care® Tissue is 2-ply for strength and absorbency. Kleenex® Ultra Soft™, Lotion™, and Anti-Viral† tissues are 3-ply for added softness and comfort.

† 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).

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

Kleenex® Lotion™ tissues have 3-layers with a unique lotion formulation of aloe, coconut oil, Vitamin E, and gentle moisturizers.

Kleenex Anti-Viral† tissues have a specially treated blue-dot middle layer, containing Citric Acid and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, that wipe out cold and flu viruses in the tissue. When moisture hits the middle layer, the active ingredients disrupt the viruses' protective coating and kill 99.9% of cold and flu viruses in the tissue within 15 minutes. Cold and flu viruses can live up to 24 hours in a regular tissue.

To learn more about our ingredients, please visit us here.

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

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 here.

† 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).

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 the softest* to comfort skin and Kleenex® Lotion™ tissues have gentle moisturizers to nourish skin.

† 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).
*Among leading ultra national  brands.

Kleenex® Hand Towels are a cleaner way to dry hands, versus cloth towels, because you get a clean, fresh towel every time.

Purchasing & Locating Product

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

Unfortunately, we do not sell carrying cases for our Pocket Pack product.

Manufacturing

The Kleenex® facial tissues you know and love on shelves 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.

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

This symbol refers only to the box itself. The Kleenex® Tissue inside is made from nearly 100% virgin fiber. While we are developing alternative fibers for future use, virgin fiber is currently used because it provides the superior softness you expect from Kleenex® Tissue.

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.

History

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 and they told Kleenex® so. In 1930, advertising was changed to reflect how the tissue was most commonly being used--as a disposable handkerchief. Today, more people buy Kleenex® Tissue than any other brand. 

To explain how Kleenex® Tissue got its name, we must go back to 1920 and the development of our first consumer product: Kotex® feminine napkins. Our Kotex® trademark was derived from the words "cotton" and "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 name signaled its 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.

1924 - Kleenex® Brand invented the facial tissue category.
1929 - Kleenex® Brand introduced the first POP-UP® dispensing with a perforated opening.
1929 - Kleenex® Brand introduced colored tissue.
1930s - Kleenex® Brand began advertising as a disposable hankerchief, rather than a cold cream remover, after receiving many, many letters from delighted consumers having gone through a cold season.
1930 - Kleenex® Brand introduced printed tissue.
1932 - Kleenex® Brand introduced Pocket Packs.
1965 - Kleenex® Brand launched Purse Packs, paving the way for today's Pocket Pack and Slim Wallet.
1985 - Kleenex® Brand introduced Bundle Packs® for convenience.
1988 - Kleenex® Brand launched its festive holiday packs.
1990 - Kleenex® Brand introduced Ultra Soft™, the first 3-ply tissue.
2004 - Kleenex® Brand introduced Anti-Viral† facial tissues.
2011 - Kleenex® Brand launched the Slim Wallet pack as well as Cooling Lotion™ tissues.
2014 - Kleenex® Brand introduced the Perfect Fit canister-style carton.

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

Environment

As our Kleenex® Brand tissues have not been designed or tested for flushability, please dispose of our products in the trash.

If you're looking for a flushable clean, try Cottonelle® Flushable Wipes. They are designed to safely break down in home septic systems. Learn more about Cottonelle® Flushable Wipes here.

Kleenex® Tissue is made with biodegradable cellulose fibers. However, 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.

Package recycling varies across the different materials used.
Cardboard tissue boxes can go in curbside recycling along with paper. No need to remove the plastic film at the opening; it is removed during the paper recycling process.
The plastic used to bundle multipacks can be recycled at Store Drop-Off locations. Wherever you see a plastic bag recycling bin in retail stores, you can also recycle your bags, wraps, and films. For more information and a Store Drop-Off locator, click here.

Kleenex® On-The-Go Pocket Packs and Slim Wallets cannot be recycled.

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 most recent reports can be viewed here.

From raw materials to our manufacturing processes to our supply chain, we're building sustainability into our ways of working. 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 here.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation and the Kleenex® Brand set ambitious 2030 Sustainability Goals focused on social impact and our plastic, forest, carbon, and water footprints all in service of creating a better future for the communities we serve.

Learn more about our sustainability initiative here.

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® products are Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified. The FSC label is the world’s most trusted mark for sustainable forestry. FSC® ensures that all materials come from responsibly managed forests. In 2011, we became the first U.S. tissue maker to offer FSC® consumer tissue products.

Learn more about FSC efforts here.