U.S. Cotton

What U.S. Cotton does

U.S. Cotton, LLC is a U.S.-based manufacturer of cotton-based personal care, medical, and beauty products, founded in 1983 by Anthony Thomas and operating today as a subsidiary of Parkdale, Inc. The company produces cotton rounds, squares, swabs, balls, and cosmetic sponges, and is recognized as the largest manufacturer of cosmetic and beauty aid cotton products in North America, the largest manufacturer of cotton swabs in the United States, and the only major manufacturer of organic cotton products in the industry. Its proprietary technologies include patented stitched-edge technology, U.S.-patented exfoliating surface technology, and proprietary carding equipment that has become an industry standard. The company operates domestic manufacturing facilities in Rio Rancho (New Mexico), Cleveland (Ohio), and Charlotte (North Carolina), with a corporate office in Gastonia (North Carolina), and maintains vertical integration through in-house paper stick and plastic bag manufacturing.

U.S. Cotton generates revenue through three principal streams: private label manufacturing for national and international retailers in drug, mass merchandising, food, and specialty channels; branded consumer products under the Swisspers portfolio (Swisspers, Swisspers Premium, Swisspers Organic, Medical, First Aid); and government contracts, most notably a $6.5 million Department of Defense award in 2021 to scale domestic production of polyester-tipped swabs for COVID-19 testing. The company also developed an FDA-approved synthetic polyester swab for diagnostic testing in collaboration with the FDA, Gates Foundation, UnitedHealth Group, and Quantigen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its growth over four decades has been driven by a combination of organic expansion and a serial acquisition strategy that consolidated fragmented regional cotton-product manufacturers (Flawa, Lemoine Manufacturing, Smith & Nephew's Canadian cotton business, American Safety Razor's cotton products group, and Neveeti Industries). Pricing is negotiated business-to-business and is not publicly disclosed.

Name

U.S. Cotton

Legal name

U.S. Cotton, LLC

Website

https://uscotton.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

U.S. Cotton is the largest North American manufacturer of cosmetic and beauty aid cotton products and the largest U.S. cotton swab producer, supplying private label and branded Swisspers products to retailers plus government COVID-19 testing contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Care Cotton Products Manufacturing

NAICS

Textile Mills (313)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Textile Mill Products (2200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cotton & Personal Care Paper (Cotton Balls/Swabs, Paper Cotton Products) (CRADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consumer Tissue Paper (Facial, Toilet, Paper Towels, Napkins) (IMAMAGAA), Home Care Tools & Consumables (Sponges, Wipes, Brushes, Gloves, Mop Refills) (CRADAKAM)

Keywords

• Cotton product manufacturing
• Private label beauty
• Cosmetic blending sponges
• Medical cotton supplies
• Organic cotton swabs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio Rancho

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Private Label Manufacturing: Manufacturing and supplying cotton products (rounds, squares, swabs, balls, sponges) to retailers under their corporate/private labels. Products are sold to national and international retailers in drug, mass merchandising, food, and specialty channels.
2. Branded Products Sales: Sale of branded cotton products including Swisspers, Swisspers Premium, Swisspers Organic, Medical, and First Aid lines through retail distribution channels.
3. Government Contracts: $6.5 million DOD contract awarded on August 27, 2021 to increase domestic production capacity of polyester-tipped swabs for COVID-19 home test kits and mass testing settings.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

U.S. Cotton manufactures and distributes a complete line of 100% cotton-based personal care, beauty, and medical products, including cotton rounds, squares, swabs, balls, and cosmetic blending sponges. The company supplies retailers under private label (corporate label) programs and sells branded product lines (Swisspers, Swisspers Premium, Swisspers Organic, Medical, First Aid) through retail channels. It also produces specialty products such as FDA-approved polyester-tipped swabs for COVID-19 diagnostic testing.

Product overview

U.S. Cotton is a manufacturer of cotton-based personal care, medical, and beauty products operating under a multi-brand portfolio strategy. The company offers three main branded product lines: Swisspers Premium (luxury multi-layer patented cotton products with exfoliating technology), Swisspers (standard all-natural cotton products), and Swisspers Organic (certified organic cotton). Additional branded categories include Medical (sterile/non-sterile medical cotton), First Aid (medical-grade cotton for wound care), and Displays & Merchandise Vehicles (retail displays). The company also operates a significant private label business supplying national and international retailers with cotton rounds, squares, swabs, balls, organic products, and cosmetic sponges. A notable product development was the FDA-approved polyester-tipped swab for COVID-19 testing, produced under a $6.5M DOD contract to increase domestic production capacity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Swisspers: All-natural cotton products made from 100% pure premium cotton, safe for every skin type. Includes cotton balls, swabs, rounds, squares, and cleansing pads.
• Swisspers Premium
• Swisspers Organic
• US Medical
• First Aid

Products and services

• Private Label Cotton Products Comprehensive private label cotton product offerings including cotton rounds, squares, swabs (paper/wood/plastic stick), cotton balls in various sizes, organic cotton line, and cosmetic foams and sponges available for national and international retailers in drug, mass merchandising, food, and specialty channels.
• Swisspers (Core Line) All-natural cotton product line made from 100% pure cotton, safe for every skin type, including cotton balls, swabs (plastic/paper stick), rounds, cleansing pads, and squares for skincare needs. Distributed through retail channels for consumer purchase.
• Swisspers Premium Premium line of 100% pure cotton products featuring patented multi-layer technology, exfoliating surfaces, and luxury skincare items including rounds, ovals, squares, sponges, and cosmetic applicators, designed for maximum durability, absorbency, and softness.
• Swisspers Organic Organic cotton line, softer, whiter, and pesticide-free, USDA, QCS and ICEA approved, featuring paper stick swabs, wood stick swabs, cotton rounds and balls from virgin staple fibers grown exclusively on organic farms.
• Medical (US Medical) Cotton Products Premium sterile and non-sterile medical quality cotton products made from high-quality, absorbent cotton formulated for the medical community, including cotton balls for wound cleansing and application of creams and ointments.
• First Aid Cotton Products First aid cotton products made from 100% pure cotton, more absorbent than synthetic fabric and softer to the touch, for applying first aid, creams, and balms, with bilingual Canadian market-compliant packaging.
• Polyester-Tipped Swabs (COVID-19 Testing) Synthetic polyester-based swabs developed for COVID-19 testing, fully compatible with diagnostic testing and FDA emergency use authorized for use in home test kits and mass testing settings, produced as part of a $6.5 million DOD contract to increase domestic production capacity.
• Displays and Merchandise Vehicles Customizable retail displays including pallet displays, floor displays, dump bins, and shelf trays designed to expand product facings and grow sales, offered as a branded service supporting Swisspers and related product placement at retail.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 million swabs production capacity for COVID-19 testing
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2020FDA collaborated with U.S. Cotton to develop and approve a polyester-based synthetic swab for COVID-19 testing. The FDA announced emergency use authorization enabling the new synthetic swab for coronavirus diagnostic testing.
• Gates FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2020Partnered in the collaboration to address COVID-19 testing supply needs. The foundation worked with U.S. Cotton to help meet the needs for coronavirus diagnostic testing through large-scale U.S.-based manufacturing.
• UnitedHealth GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2020Collaborated with U.S. Cotton, FDA, Gates Foundation, and Quantigen to address COVID-19 testing supply needs. Provided healthcare industry perspective for testing swab development.
• QuantigencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2020Partnered with U.S. Cotton, FDA, Gates Foundation, and UnitedHealth Group to address testing supply needs. Contributed to validation and development of the synthetic swab for COVID-19 testing.
• Parkdale, Inc.coreOthersU.S. Cotton, LLC is a subsidiary of Parkdale, Inc. Parkdale Mills is a leader in business-to-business textile cotton. The partnership combines U.S. Cotton's cotton product expertise with Parkdale's textile manufacturing capabilities.
• SFI and FSC Certified SuppliersminorOthersU.S. Cotton strives to source SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified folding cartons and corrugated suppliers for packaging materials.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Church & Dwight: Diversified personal-care and household-products CPG with overlapping cotton and personal-care categories; competes with U.S. Cotton in drug and mass channels and represents a similar retailer-driven commercial model.
• Hartmann Group: Global medical and consumer-care products company with cotton and wound-care offerings overlapping U.S. Cotton's Medical and First Aid lines; relevant comparable for healthcare-channel expansion.
• Kenvue (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health): Owner of the iconic Q-tips cotton swab brand and a broad consumer-health portfolio; competes directly with U.S. Cotton's Swisspers branded swabs across drug and mass channels and is a major private-label competitor for retailer contracts.

Direct peers

• Professional Disposables International (PDI): Healthcare-focused manufacturer of swab and infection-prevention products including cotton and polyester diagnostic swabs; competes directly with U.S. Cotton's polyester-tipped COVID-19 swab offering in medical and government channels.
• Richmond Dental & Medical: Manufacturer of dental and medical cotton products including cotton rolls, pellets, and applicators; competes with U.S. Cotton's Medical and First Aid branded lines in professional healthcare distribution.
• Diamond Wipes International: Manufacturer of personal-care wipes and cotton-based disposable products for private-label and branded retail; comparable in custom converting capabilities and retailer relationships.
• Irving Consumer Products: Manufacturer of private-label tissue, cotton, and personal-care products including cotton balls and swabs for North American retailers; directly comparable in private-label model, scale, and customer base.
• Mexpo International: Manufacturer of cotton-based consumer products including cotton swabs, balls, and pads; closely comparable in product mix, private-label capabilities, and distribution into U.S. drug and mass channels.

Others

• Parkdale Mills: U.S. Cotton's parent company and a leading B2B yarn and cotton-textile manufacturer; adjacent rather than competitive, but provides vertical supply-chain integration and shared operational capabilities that directly support U.S. Cotton's manufacturing economics.
• Cotton Incorporated: Research and promotion organization for U.S. cotton; not a direct competitor but provides industry-wide market intelligence, sustainability positioning, and cotton-fiber research that shapes U.S. Cotton's raw material and category strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/swissperscotton
• Facebookfacebook.com/SwisspersCotton
• Instagraminstagram.com/swissperscotton

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about U.S. Cotton