Compare toilet paper brands Quilton, Who Gives A Crap, Woolworths Essentials, ALDI Confidence, Kleenex, Sorbent, Coles So Soft, Vevelle, Coles and Coles 100% Recycled on softness, strength & quality, packaging, variety of packaging options, value for money and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Quilton has floated back to the top of our toilet paper ratings for the second year in a row, achieving five-star reviews for softness, strength and quality, variety of packaging options and overall satisfaction.
Toilet paper isn’t a very luxurious item on your shopping list, but it’s a necessary one, especially if you don’t want to be stuck in that awkward situation where you run out at the time you need it most. There seems to be two options when it comes to toilet paper – the ‘cheap and nasty’, or ‘lush and pricey’. But with supermarket private labels now seriously competing with big-name brands, plus the growth in demand for recycled toilet paper, picking up a ‘cheap’ pack doesn’t always mean you’re buying an inferior product. Likewise, buying the most expensive brand doesn’t always mean you’re getting the best value for money. That’s why we want to help you find the best toilet paper at the right price.
To get things rolling, we’ve surveyed more than 2,200 Aussies on the toilet paper they’ve bought and used in the last month. Consumers rated their brand of choice on softness, strength and quality, packaging design, variety of packaging options, value for money and overall satisfaction. The idea is to give you a good idea of which brands scrub up best, so you’ll have an easier decision to make when you next stock up. So, which brand ended up number one?
Quilton plopped back into first place for the second year running, rating best with five stars for overall satisfaction and several other research areas.
Here are the best toilet paper brands in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:
Quilton took the lead after rating best with five-star reviews for strength and quality, softness, variety of packaging options and overall satisfaction. Woolworths Essentials similarly scored full marks for value for money, as did Who Gives A Crap for packaging. Meanwhile, the majority of the brands rated still landed on four stars for overall satisfaction, except for Coles and Coles 100% Recycled which got three stars.
Let’s now consider what each of the brands in our review have to offer.
Australian-owned and made, Quilton toilet paper is manufactured by ABC Tissue from local and imported materials in mills in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Unlike most other loo roll brands, Quilton offers triple-length rolls (540 sheets) as well as standard 180 sheets and double-length (360 sheets) rolls. In addition to length, the brand gives plenty of variety with products also available in recycled, King Size and unscented varieties. You can also get the Royal Quilton range, which is exclusively sold at Woolies.
Generally sold in either three or four-ply, Quilton toilet tissue is available in packs of two, four, six, eight, nine, 10, 12, 18, 20, 24 and 30. Quilton claims it only prints patterns on the middle layer of the toilet paper to ensure maximum hygiene and to reduce the risk of users suffering an allergic reaction to the dyes.
Who Gives A Crap is stated to be ‘good for your bum and great for the world’. This eco-conscious online brand makes 100% recycled toilet paper and tissues, with 50% of profits being donated to help build toilets in the developing world. Who Gives A Crap offers 24-pack and 48-pack recycled double-length bamboo toilet paper rolls, as well as standard ‘eco’ toilet paper in 24 and 48 packs.
The brand offers free shipping on most orders over $30, which means you can say goodbye to lugging your bulky loo rolls home from the supermarket and get them delivered to your door instead. Winning!
As Woolworths’ budget brand, Woolworths Essentials toilet paper keeps things simple to save you money. Woolworths Essentials toilet paper includes two options – a two-ply roll of 260 sheets, sold in packs of 12, or a one-ply roll of 1,000 sheets, sold individually. The two-ply toilet paper is FSC Mix certified while the one-ply toilet paper is FSC Recycled certified, meaning it’s made entirely from recycled material.
From the home of hidden supermarket bargains, ALDI Confidence toilet paper comes in three different varieties. The standard three-ply toilet tissue comes in packs of four or 24. ALDI Confidence Hypoallergenic is a two-ply toilet tissue sold in packs of 12 rolls of 260 sheets. For a little extra comfort, the four-ply Hypoallergenic Quilted Softness toilet tissue comes in packs of eight rolls of 140 sheets. All are FSC Mix certified and Australian-made.
Another brand famous for its packaging and advertisement featuring cuddly Labrador puppies, Kleenex has a few different toilet paper products. This includes the Kleenex Complete Clean Toilet Tissue, available in regular and double-length. The regular alternative provides 180 sheets per roll and is said to contain extra-thick sheets, a CleanRipple texture and a three-in-one combination of softness, strength, and absorbency. The brand also has Kleenex Eco Toilet Paper, which is similarly sold in both regular and double-length varieties and with 180 sheets per roll.
Otherwise, you can get Kleenex Flushable Wipes. These are a lightly moistened alternative to dry toilet tissue, and are stated to be paper-based, hypoallergenic, fragrance-free and dermatologically tested. Unlike with a dry loo roll, only two wipes can be flushed at a time.
An Australian brand owned by Solaris Paper, Sorbent produces a variety of toilet tissues, flushable wipes and facial tissues. Its toilet paper is described as extra thick and soft, and is available in Silky White and Hypoallergenic. There is also a Gold range, which is said to provide 33% larger sheets for extra protection
You can also usually find these collections extending to lotions, facial tissues and more. For ‘sensitive bums’, Sorbent Hypoallergenic is stated to contain no ink, dyes and to be fragrance-free. It also has an easy-carry handle and is supposedly made from sustainably sourced materials.
Coles So Soft is the more premium of the supermarket giant’s private labels – still cheap but a bit more comfortable than the very budget two-ply. Coles So Soft generally offers three-ply options, although there is a budget-friendly two-ply option that comes with 18 rolls in each pack. The sheets are the traditional white colour, but with embossed patterns. You can expect these to checkout for $4.10 for a pack of four, with prices going up to $9.50 for a pack of three-ply 24 rolls.
Woolworths Select’s toilet paper range has been rebranded into Vevelle and offers a variety of recycled toilet paper, extra thick and double-length options. These typically come in three-ply, although there are two-ply and four-ply also available. These generally cost between $3 and $5.50.
For tight budgets, Coles two-ply toilet paper offers an affordable option with FSC certification. Coles two-ply comes in rolls of 260 sheets, available in packs of six or 18 rolls. There’s also a 12 pack of 100% recycled toilet tissue. It’s simple stuff designed to get the job done without costly extra frills and padding.
Coles also sells two-ply recycled toilet paper through its Coles 100% Recycled range, which is available in 12 rolls of 220 sheets. It’s sold at the same price as the brand’s own two-ply option, and might be a suitable budget alternative for anyone searching for recyclable toilet paper.
In addition to finding out which brands are keeping Aussies happiest on the loo; our research also identified the following drivers of satisfaction when it comes to toilet paper:
It seems that once consumers find a toilet paper they get on with, it’s difficult to wipe away their favourite brand from the shopping list. A third of survey respondents (37%) tend to buy in bulk, while 46% of Aussies always buy the same brand.
While a fifth (23%) of respondents usually buy whichever brand is cheapest, our results also show that it’s more than just price that keeps everyone happy, with strength and quality and softness of toilet paper being the two biggest drivers of satisfaction.
Although it makes sense, especially considering nearly one in four consumers (22%) said they purchase the thickest ply toilet paper possible and another 22% would choose recycled toilet paper if the quality was better.
To conclude our review, here are some of the light-hearted outcomes from our survey.
The age-old debate – should you scrunch up your toilet paper or fold it up before wiping? Scrunchers argue that their method gives better grip and keeps your hand further away from the ‘danger zone’, while proponents of folding claim that they are more efficient and can cover more ground… Both sides have good arguments, but which way is best? According to our survey, the answer is clear – fold it. Most Aussies (60%) said that they fold their toilet paper, while 20% scrunch and 15% do a mix of both.
Another toilet paper debate – and one that can cause some ‘serious tension’ in households – is toilet paper roll orientation. When you put a new roll on the holder, do you position it so that it rolls over the top, or underneath from the bottom? We found that most Australians roll toilet paper over the top (62%), while a good chunk of respondents don’t have a preference (20%). Only 13% of people are dedicated under side rollers.
The bathroom may be regarded by some as the place where great ideas happen, but it can also offer an oasis for serious alone time (finally!). That explains why almost one in five (16%) adults said they usually take their phone with them to the toilet – it’s reasonable to prefer to play games or browse Facebook rather than stare blankly at the back of a door. Unfortunately, though, taking your mobile phone into the bathroom is risky business as 8% of people admitted to having accidentally dropped their device into the toilet bowl. If this stinky situation happens to you, you might be able to salvage your phone by immediately dunking it into a bowl full of rice to draw out the moisture – hopefully before it does any damage.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
Picture credits: Lopolo/Shutterstock.com, Zyn Chakrapong/Shutterstock.com, Smit/Shutterstock.com.
Canstar Blue surveyed 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased toilet paper in the last month – in this case, 2,211 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
Here are the previous winners of Canstar Blue’s toilet paper ratings:
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