Andrex
Andrex is a British toilet-paper and household-paper brand owned by Kimberly-Clark, best known for its Labrador puppy advertising.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Andrex is a British household-paper brand whose principal product is toilet tissue. It was developed in 1942 by St Andrew Mills Ltd., a paper manufacturer associated with St Andrews Road in Walthamstow, London. The name is derived from the St Andrew Mill location where the tissue was first produced. The product was initially conceived in the context of improved disposable paper hygiene and was associated with a two-ply luxury format, distinguishing it from harsher or shinier toilet papers then sold in Britain. Harrods reportedly sold the early disposable handkerchief product exclusively before the brand developed into toilet tissue. The brand's corporate history is linked to a series of paper-industry ownership changes. St Andrew Mills was acquired by Bowater in 1955. In 1956, Bowater formed Bowater-Scott with the Scott Paper Company, creating a business focused on tissue products that included Andrex. Scott Paper acquired Bowater-Scott in 1986, and Kimberly-Clark acquired Scott Paper in 1995. Andrex subsequently became part of Kimberly-Clark's international tissue portfolio. Andrex is particularly identifiable through the Andrex Puppy, a Labrador Retriever puppy used in television advertising and other brand communications. The puppy replaced an earlier proposed advertising concept in 1972, in which a young girl would run through a house pulling a toilet-paper roll behind her. Regulators objected that the idea could encourage children to waste toilet paper, leading the agency and Bowater-Scott marketing team to use a puppy instead. The resulting advertising device became one of the best-known recurring symbols in British consumer-goods marketing. The brand has used numerous puppy advertisements over the decades, generally showing the dog interacting playfully with a roll of toilet tissue. Andrex has marketed conventional toilet rolls as well as related household-paper and personal-hygiene products. Its range has included wet toilet tissue, kitchen paper and variations such as Aloe Vera, Quilts and Puppies on a Roll. Andrex has stated that it marketed the first moist toilet paper in 1992. Product availability and naming vary by market and period. In Hong Kong, Kimberly-Clark uses the Andrex name alongside brands such as Scott, Kleenex and Scotties, with some products supplied from Taiwan and wet wipes imported from South Korea. The brand is mainly associated with the United Kingdom and Ireland, while Kimberly-Clark uses corresponding or related brands in other markets. Sister or equivalent branding has included Kleenex Cottonelle in the United States and Australia, Hakle in Austria, Cottonelle in Germany, Page in the Netherlands, Scottex in Belgium, Italy, Spain and Portugal, and Baby Soft in South Africa. In Australia, the comparable puppy is known as the Kleenex Puppy, and the brand has been associated with support for Guide Dogs Australia. Andrex's advertising language has changed over time. Its long-running promise of “Soft, Strong and very very Long” was replaced in 2004 by “Tuggable, Huggable softness”; “Be Kind to Your Behind” followed in 2008. By 2015, communications used the expressions “Andrex clean” and “How Andrex do you feel?” In 2022, the brand announced that bowel-cancer symptom information would be placed on toilet-roll packaging after campaigning by Deborah James and related charities. This initiative extended the brand's packaging role beyond product identification into public-health awareness. Andrex continues to operate as a Kimberly-Clark consumer tissue brand, with mainstream production reported at Northfleet and supplementary production at Flint and Barrow-in-Furness.
History
Andrex originated in 1942 at St Andrew Mills Ltd., a paper manufacturer operating at St Andrews Road in Walthamstow. The name refers to the mill and its location. The early product was developed as a disposable handkerchief and was sold exclusively through Harrods in London. The brand's later toilet-tissue identity reflected a wider movement toward softer, more convenient paper hygiene products. Andrex was associated with two-ply luxury paper, contrasting with harsher toilet papers such as the “shiny” products then commonly distributed through chemists. St Andrew Mills was taken over by Bowater in 1955. The following year Bowater created Bowater-Scott, a joint venture with Scott Paper specializing in tissue products. Andrex became part of that tissue business. In 1986, Bowater sold Bowater-Scott to Scott Paper, consolidating the brand within Scott's paper-products operations. Kimberly-Clark purchased Scott Paper in 1995, bringing Andrex into the Kimberly-Clark group and making it part of a wider international portfolio of toilet tissue and household-paper brands. The most important development in Andrex's public identity came from advertising. In 1972, the initial concept was for a young girl to pull a toilet-paper roll through a house. Television regulators rejected the idea because they believed it might encourage children to waste paper. Bowater-Scott marketing director Raymond Dinkin decided to substitute a Labrador Retriever puppy. The puppy became the brand's signature character and has appeared in a large number of advertisements, commonly shown trailing or playing with a toilet-paper roll. The “Andrex Puppy” is now closely associated with the brand in Britain. The product portfolio expanded from standard toilet rolls into wet toilet tissue and other household-paper formats. Andrex has stated that it marketed the first moist toilet paper in 1992. The brand has also been associated with kitchen paper and toilet-tissue variants including Aloe Vera, Quilts and Puppies on a Roll. Mainstream Andrex production has been reported at Northfleet, with additional production at Flint and Barrow-in-Furness for some lines. Andrex's geographic identity remains strongest in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Kimberly-Clark also uses the Andrex name in Hong Kong, where products have been supplied from Taiwanese factories and wet wipes imported from South Korea. In other countries, comparable Kimberly-Clark products use different names, including Kleenex Cottonelle, Hakle, Cottonelle, Page, Scottex and Baby Soft. Advertising slogans have evolved from “Soft, Strong and very very Long” to “Tuggable, Huggable softness,” “Be Kind to Your Behind,” and later “Andrex clean” and “How Andrex do you feel?” In 2022, bowel-cancer awareness information was added to packaging following public campaigning connected with Deborah James. This marked a notable extension of the brand's communications into health awareness while preserving its established household-hygiene positioning.
- 2022
Bowel-cancer awareness is added to packaging
[1]Andrex announces packaging that includes bowel-cancer symptom information following campaigning associated with Deborah James and charities.
- 2015
Andrex uses updated brand expressions
[1]Brand communications use “Andrex clean” and “How Andrex do you feel?” as updated expressions of product performance and consumer experience.
- 2008
Be Kind to Your Behind campaign begins
[1]Andrex introduces a new slogan focused on comfort and personal hygiene.
- 2004
Tuggable, Huggable softness campaign begins
[1]Andrex replaces its earlier long-running slogan with a new line emphasizing softness and an affectionate household image.
- 1995
Kimberly-Clark acquires Scott Paper
[1]Kimberly-Clark purchases Scott Paper, making Andrex part of Kimberly-Clark's brand portfolio.
- 1992
Andrex markets moist toilet tissue
[1]Andrex says it marketed the first moist toilet paper in 1992, extending the brand beyond conventional dry toilet rolls.
- 1986
Scott Paper acquires Bowater-Scott
[1]Bowater sells Bowater-Scott to Scott Paper, transferring Andrex into Scott Paper's tissue operations.
- 1972
The Andrex Puppy enters the advertising concept
[1]A proposed child-led advertisement is replaced by a Labrador puppy after regulators object to the possibility of encouraging waste. The puppy becomes Andrex's defining advertising symbol.
- 1956
Bowater-Scott is formed
[1]Bowater forms a joint venture with Scott Paper focused on tissue products, including Andrex.
- 1955
St Andrew Mills is acquired by Bowater
[1]Bowater takes over St Andrew Mills, beginning a sequence of ownership changes that later places Andrex within Kimberly-Clark.
Products and positioning
Mass-market household hygiene and toilet-paper brand combining functional tissue products with a soft, family-oriented image centered on the Andrex Puppy.
Toilet tissue
Andrex toilet tissue
Andrex's core product category consists of household toilet rolls. The brand has historically emphasized softness, strength, length and multi-ply construction, with individual ranges differing by pack size, surface design and material or treatment claims. Mainstream production has been associated with Kimberly-Clark facilities in the United Kingdom.
Wet toilet tissue · 1992
Andrex wet toilet tissue
Moist toilet tissue designed to complement dry toilet paper in personal-hygiene routines. Andrex has stated that it marketed the first moist toilet paper in 1992. Specific formulation, flushability and availability depend on the product and market.
Kitchen paper
Andrex kitchen paper
A household-paper category associated with the brand for kitchen wiping and domestic cleaning. The precise current range and distribution are not established in the available reference material.
Toilet tissue variant
Andrex Aloe Vera
An Andrex toilet-tissue variation identified by its Aloe Vera positioning. The available material does not establish a launch date or complete specifications.
Toilet tissue variant
Andrex Quilts
A quilted toilet-tissue variation associated with the Andrex portfolio. Product specifications and current market availability are not confirmed in the available sources.
Toilet tissue variant
Andrex Puppies on a Roll
A puppy-themed Andrex product variation that extends the brand's advertising character into product naming and packaging. Exact specifications and current status are not confirmed.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Bowel-cancer awareness packaging
United Kingdom
Andrex added bowel-cancer symptom information to toilet-roll packaging following campaigning by Deborah James and related charities.
Outcome. The initiative turned product packaging into a public-health awareness channel, with several supermarkets reportedly adopting similar messaging.
- 2015Andrex clean and How Andrex do you feel?
United Kingdom
Andrex used updated expressions linking the brand to cleanliness and the consumer's post-use feeling.
Outcome. The messaging refreshed the brand while retaining its established hygiene positioning.
- 2008Be Kind to Your Behind
United Kingdom
The campaign framed toilet tissue as part of personal comfort and considerate hygiene through the line “Be Kind to Your Behind.”
Outcome. It replaced the preceding slogan as the principal reported advertising expression.
- 2004Tuggable, Huggable softness
United Kingdom
Andrex replaced the “Soft, Strong and very very Long” platform with messaging centered on softness and an affectionate, family-oriented tone.
Outcome. The slogan became a later stage in the brand's evolving advertising identity.
- 1972Andrex Puppy advertising
United Kingdom
A proposed advertisement featuring a young girl pulling a toilet-paper roll was replaced after television regulators raised concerns about encouraging waste. A Labrador Retriever puppy was used instead, creating the character that became synonymous with Andrex.
Outcome. The puppy became a long-running brand asset and appeared in numerous subsequent advertisements.
Brand decisions
2022
Add bowel-cancer information to packagingOtherBackground
Campaigners connected with Deborah James encouraged wider public awareness of bowel-cancer symptoms.
Action taken
Andrex announced packaging carrying bowel-cancer symptom information.
Aftermath
The packaging initiative was followed by similar awareness activity from various supermarkets.
1992
Introduce moist toilet tissueProduct launchBackground
The brand expanded beyond dry toilet rolls into an additional personal-hygiene format.
Action taken
Andrex marketed moist toilet paper, which it describes as the first product of its kind marketed by the brand.
Aftermath
Wet toilet tissue became part of Andrex's broader household-hygiene portfolio.
1972
Replace the child-led advertisement with the Andrex PuppyStrategyBackground
Television regulators did not approve an advertisement in which a young girl pulled a toilet-paper roll through a house because it was considered capable of encouraging children to waste paper.
Action taken
Bowater-Scott marketing director Raymond Dinkin decided to use a Labrador Retriever puppy in place of the child.
Aftermath
The puppy became the brand's most recognizable advertising asset and a defining part of Andrex's identity.
Recent events
- 2022
Andrex adds bowel-cancer symptom information to toilet-roll packaging[1]
Campaign · Other
Andrex announced that selected toilet-roll packaging would carry information about bowel-cancer symptoms following campaigning associated with Deborah James and cancer charities. Supermarkets also adopted related awareness messaging.
- 2008
Andrex adopts Be Kind to Your Behind advertising line[1]
Campaign
Andrex introduced “Be Kind to Your Behind” as a later advertising platform for its toilet-tissue products.
- 2004
Andrex changes its advertising slogan to Tuggable, Huggable softness[1]
Campaign
The brand replaced its earlier “Soft, Strong and very very Long” advertising line with “Tuggable, Huggable softness,” continuing its emphasis on softness and family-friendly communication.
Sources1 sources
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