Nina Jobst
Research expert covering South Korea
Kimberly-Clark - statistics & facts
Hearing the word "Kleenex" as a synonym for tissues is really not uncommon, especially in the United States. This word is actually the name of a famous brand owned by Kimberly-Clark, a multinational corporation that primarily produces personal care and medical products. The majority of these items are paper based, for example, bath and facial tissues, feminine hygiene products, and disposable diapers. Established in the United States in the late 19th century, Kimberly-Clark has expanded to become one of the leading household and personal care companies in the world. Among its other well-known brands we can also find Cottonelle, Huggies, and Kotex.
Some of Kimberly-Clark’s brands, such as Andrex and Scottex, have been fixtures especially in American households and reached an almost iconic status. Although there are dozens of facial tissue brands on the market, Kleenex is consistently on top of the list of American consumers' favorite household and personal care brands.
Consumers worldwide consider many personal care and hygiene products as "everyday essentials". Tissue papers, diapers, and sanitary pads are, in fact, used by many people on an almost daily basis. It does then not come as a surprise that forecasts show that growth for this market will not stop anytime soon.
Company overview
Kimberly-Clark has experienced a stable level of revenue in the past decade, generating over 20 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. The company has three major business segments: North America, International Personal Care, and International Family Care & Professional. The largest of these by far is the North America segment, which accounted for more than half of Kimberly-Clark’s overall revenue in 2024.Some of Kimberly-Clark’s brands, such as Andrex and Scottex, have been fixtures especially in American households and reached an almost iconic status. Although there are dozens of facial tissue brands on the market, Kleenex is consistently on top of the list of American consumers' favorite household and personal care brands.
Market overview
The value of the U.S. beauty and personal care market amounted to over 100 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. By comparison, in the same year, the Chinese market generated around 71 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. Meanwhile, just a year before, the value of the U.S. tissue and hygiene paper market added up to 47 billion U.S. dollars, making it the second biggest market for tissue paper worldwide.Consumers worldwide consider many personal care and hygiene products as "everyday essentials". Tissue papers, diapers, and sanitary pads are, in fact, used by many people on an almost daily basis. It does then not come as a surprise that forecasts show that growth for this market will not stop anytime soon.
