Cottonelle
An American Kimberly-Clark brand of toilet paper and personal-hygiene wipes.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Cottonelle is an American personal-hygiene brand owned by Kimberly-Clark and best known for toilet paper, flushable wipes, and related bathroom-care products. The brand is positioned around softness, comfort, cleanliness, and everyday hygiene rather than around a single patented product or a specialist medical use. Its historical product range has included standard toilet paper, Cottonelle Double, two-ply Cottonelle Ultra, Cottonelle Aloe & E, Cottonelle Kids, and Cottonelle Extra Strength. Product availability and naming have varied by market and over time. Cottonelle’s marketing has relied heavily on sensory and emotional demonstrations of softness. Earlier advertising compared the feel of the paper with a cotton ball and used a woman as a brand mascot. The brand later became closely associated with a Labrador Retriever puppy, an identity that helped connect bathroom hygiene with friendliness, comfort, and family use. In 2008, Kimberly-Clark supported the brand with a traveling “Comfort Haven Bus” campaign. The dog-themed vehicle was designed to visit locations around the United States and offer visitors relaxation-oriented stations intended to demonstrate the brand’s softness and comfort claims. The brand has also used promotional programs to encourage repeat purchasing. Its Puppy Points program asked consumers to collect point labels from Cottonelle toilet-paper packages and redeem them for branded merchandise, including items such as robes, picture frames, handbags, and slippers. The redemption program was discontinued on July 31, 2008. Cottonelle has not used one universal name in every country. In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland it has been marketed as Andrex, while in South Africa it has been marketed as Baby Soft. In Italy, the brand was renamed Scottonelle in 1996 after an European Union-related assessment concluded that the name Cottonelle could mislead consumers into thinking that the product contained cotton. Scottonelle became associated with the Scottex brand in that market. In some markets, including the United States and Australia according to the cited reference material, products have also been sold under the Kleenex brand. Cottonelle is therefore best understood as a regional brand platform within Kimberly-Clark’s broader tissue and personal-care portfolio. Its identity is strongest in toilet tissue and moist or flushable wipes, supported by advertising that emphasizes tactile comfort and bathroom freshness. Exact product assortments, brand architecture, and market availability are subject to change, and the brand’s current corporate structure and international distribution should be verified against Kimberly-Clark’s latest company materials.
History
Cottonelle developed as an American toilet-paper brand within Kimberly-Clark’s consumer tissue business. The available reference material does not establish a distinct founding year for the Cottonelle brand, so the date associated with Kimberly-Clark’s corporate history should not be treated as Cottonelle’s launch date. The brand’s historical range included several forms of toilet tissue, including regular products, Cottonelle Double, two-ply Cottonelle Ultra, Cottonelle Aloe & E, Cottonelle Kids, and Cottonelle Extra Strength. The brand’s early communications focused on softness. Advertising used a woman as a mascot and commonly demonstrated the product by comparing its softness with a cotton ball. This approach framed toilet paper as a comfort product as well as a functional household necessity. Later marketing replaced that identity with a Labrador Retriever puppy, which became Cottonelle’s most recognizable mascot and gave the brand a warmer, more approachable personality. Cottonelle expanded its consumer engagement through promotions and experiential marketing. Its Puppy Points program placed collectible point labels on product packages. Consumers could save the labels and exchange accumulated points for Cottonelle-branded merchandise, including apparel and household accessories. The program ended on July 31, 2008. Earlier in 2008, the company also created the Comfort Haven Bus, a large vehicle decorated to resemble a dog. The bus traveled across the United States and provided relaxation stations intended to give visitors a direct, experiential demonstration of Cottonelle’s comfort proposition. The brand has used different names in international markets. In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland it has been marketed as Andrex, and in South Africa as Baby Soft. In Italy, Cottonelle was renamed Scottonelle in 1996. The change followed an EU-related finding that the Cottonelle name might mislead consumers into assuming that the product contained cotton. The renamed product was associated with the Scottex brand. Reference material also states that products have been sold under the Kleenex name in the United States and Australia. Cottonelle’s portfolio has centered on toilet tissue and wet or flushable wipes. Its market role is that of a consumer brand within Kimberly-Clark’s broader tissue portfolio, with differentiation built primarily through softness, comfort, freshness, strength, and mascot-led advertising. Because product names and distribution vary by country, a current market-by-market range requires verification from local Kimberly-Clark or Cottonelle sources.
- 2008
Comfort Haven Bus campaign begins
[1]Cottonelle promotes its comfort positioning with a dog-themed bus that travels across the United States and includes relaxation stations.
- 2008
Puppy Points program ends
[1]Puppy Points can no longer be redeemed for Cottonelle merchandise after July 31, 2008.
- 1996
Italian brand name changes to Scottonelle
[1]Cottonelle is renamed Scottonelle in Italy after an EU-related assessment determined that the original name could suggest that the paper contained cotton.
Products and positioning
Comfort-oriented everyday bathroom hygiene, emphasizing softness, strength, freshness, and family-friendly use.
Toilet tissue
Cottonelle Toilet Paper
The core Cottonelle product family consists of household toilet tissue in multiple constructions and performance variants. Historical examples include regular Cottonelle, Cottonelle Double, two-ply Cottonelle Ultra, Cottonelle Aloe & E, Cottonelle Kids, and Cottonelle Extra Strength. The precise assortment and naming depend on market and period.
Toilet tissue
Cottonelle Ultra
Cottonelle Ultra is a historical two-ply toilet-tissue line associated with the brand’s effort to combine softness and everyday strength. The reference material identifies it as one of Cottonelle’s principal product types but does not provide a verified launch date or current market status.
Toilet tissue
Cottonelle Aloe & E
Cottonelle Aloe & E is a toilet-tissue variant identified in the brand’s historical product range. Its name indicates an aloe- and vitamin-E-related product concept, but the available reference does not provide detailed formulation, launch, or current availability information.
Children’s toilet tissue
Cottonelle Kids
Cottonelle Kids is a children-oriented toilet-tissue variant listed among the brand’s historical offerings. The reference material does not specify its packaging, exact product features, launch date, or whether it remains sold.
Toilet tissue
Cottonelle Extra Strength
Cottonelle Extra Strength is a historical product type positioned around greater paper strength. The available source confirms the product name but does not establish its launch date or current availability.
Flushable wipes
Cottonelle FreshCare Flushable Wet Wipes
FreshCare Flushable Wet Wipes represent Cottonelle’s moist-wipe offering for use alongside toilet tissue. They extend the brand’s comfort and freshness positioning into bathroom cleansing. The available material does not provide a verified launch date or detailed current specifications.
Controversies
2020
Kimberly-Clark recalls Cottonelle flushable wipes
Kimberly-Clark recalled Cottonelle Flushable Wipes and Cottonelle GentlePlus Flushable Wipes in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean because they may contain Pluralibacter gergoviae, which can pose an infection risk. Kimberly-Clark said there had been a low rate of non-serious complaints, including irritation and minor infections.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Comfort Haven Bus
United States
Cottonelle used a large bus decorated to resemble a Labrador Retriever to travel across the country. The activation included relaxation stations designed to communicate the softness and comfort associated with the brand.
Outcome. The campaign generated an experiential extension of Cottonelle’s puppy and comfort-focused advertising; the available source does not quantify its commercial results.
- Puppy Points
United States
Consumers collected point labels from Cottonelle toilet-paper packages and redeemed them for branded merchandise such as robes, picture frames, handbags, and slippers.
Outcome. The program was discontinued and points could no longer be redeemed after July 31, 2008.
Brand decisions
2008
Discontinue Puppy Points redemptionOtherBackground
Cottonelle operated a package-label loyalty promotion that exchanged collected points for branded merchandise.
Action taken
The company ended redemption of Puppy Points on July 31, 2008.
Aftermath
The promotional merchandise program was closed; no further outcome is documented in the available reference.
1996
Rename the Italian product ScottonelleOtherBackground
An EU-related assessment concluded that Cottonelle could mislead Italian consumers into believing that the product contained cotton.
Action taken
The product was renamed Scottonelle and associated with the Scottex brand in Italy.
Aftermath
Scottonelle became the Italian market name; the source does not report financial consequences or later brand-performance results.
Recent events
Kimberly-Clark recalls Cottonelle flushable wipes[3]
Reported:
Kimberly-Clark recalled Cottonelle Flushable Wipes and Cottonelle GentlePlus Flushable Wipes in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean because they may contain Pluralibacter gergoviae, which can pose an infection risk. Kimberly-Clark said there had been a low rate of non-serious complaints, including irritation and minor infections.
Sources3 sources
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