Kimberly-Clark

What Kimberly-Clark does

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB), founded in 1872 in Neenah, Wisconsin and now headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a global consumer packaged goods company that manufactures and markets essential personal care, family care, feminine care, adult care, and professional hygiene products. Its portfolio includes iconic century-old brands such as Huggies (baby and child care), Kleenex (facial and bathroom tissue), Kotex and U by Kotex (feminine care), Depend and Poise (adult incontinence), Cottonelle, Scott, Viva, and Andrex (family care), plus Kimberly-Clark Professional (B2B workplace hygiene) and WypAll. The company serves approximately one-quarter of the world's population daily, with products sold in more than 175 countries through major retail channels including grocery, mass merchants, drug stores, club stores, dollar stores, and e-commerce platforms, alongside dedicated enterprise field sales for the B2B segment.

The company's underlying technology centers on nonwovens and absorbent product engineering, with proprietary innovations such as Pull-Ups Learning Layer technology (briefly holds fluid to allow wetness awareness during potty training) and a portfolio of 70+ U.S. and global patents (Chief R&D Officer Craig Slavtcheff named as inventor). Kimberly-Clark generates revenue primarily through unit-priced consumer packaged goods sold through retail and e-commerce, plus B2B contract sales for Kimberly-Clark Professional. Major recent strategic actions include the November 2025 announcement of a pending $48.7 billion acquisition of Kenvue (Tylenol, Listerine, Johnson's, Aveeno, Neutrogena), expected to close in H2 2026, and the 2025 divestiture of 51% of its International Family Care & Professional business to Suzano in a $1.73 billion joint venture combining tissue expertise with pulp production capabilities across 22 manufacturing facilities in 14 countries. The company employs 40,000+ people globally, reported FY2025 revenue of approximately $16.4 billion (down from $16.8 billion in the prior year), and has paid dividends for 92 consecutive years with 54 consecutive years of dividend increases (Dividend King status).

Name

Kimberly-Clark

Legal name

Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Website

https://kimberly-clark.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Kimberly-Clark is a global consumer packaged goods company founded in 1872, manufacturing and marketing essential personal care, family care, feminine care, and adult care products under iconic brands including Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, Depend, Cottonelle, and Scott, sold in 175+ countries to approximately one-quarter of the world's population daily.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Packaged Goods

akta.pro primary industry

Feminine Hygiene Products (Pads, Tampons, Liners) (CRADALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Feminine Hygiene & Intimate Care (Wash, Wipes, Deodorants) (CRADANAG)

Keywords

• Consumer packaged goods
• Personal hygiene products
• Nonwoven fabrics
• Tissue paper manufacturing
• Professional hygiene solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consumer Packaged Goods - Personal Care: Sale of disposable personal care products including diapers, training pants, baby wipes, feminine care, and adult incontinence products through retail and e-commerce channels globally
2. Consumer Packaged Goods - Family Care: Sale of tissue and paper products including facial tissue, bathroom tissue, paper towels, and wipes under brands Kleenex, Cottonelle, Scott, Andrex, and Viva
3. Kimberly-Clark Professional: B2B sale of workplace hygiene products, hand towels, tissue, wipers, and safety equipment to commercial and industrial customers
4. Pending Kenvue Acquisition: Pending acquisition of Kenvue Inc. for approximately $40 billion, adding consumer health brands including Tylenol, Listerine, Johnson's, Aveeno, and Neutrogena, expected to close H2 2026

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kimberly-Clark manufactures and markets essential personal care, family care, and professional hygiene products under globally recognized brands including Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, Depend, Poise, Pull-Ups, Cottonelle, Scott, and Andrex. The portfolio spans baby care, feminine care, adult incontinence, tissue and paper towels, and B2B workplace hygiene solutions, distributed through major retailers in more than 175 countries.

Product overview

Kimberly-Clark is a global consumer products company offering essential personal care, family care, and professional products. The portfolio spans adult care (Depend, Poise, Plenitud), baby and child care (Huggies, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, DryNites), feminine care (Kotex, U by Kotex, Intimus), family care (Kleenex, Andrex, Cottonelle, Scott, Viva), and business-to-business solutions (Kimberly-Clark Professional with Kleenex, Scott, WypAll). Products are distributed in over 175 countries, serving approximately one-quarter of the world's population daily.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• K-C Professional: Business-to-business solutions for safe, productive and sustainable workplaces
• Kleenex
• Huggies
• Kotex
• U by Kotex
• Depend
• Poise
• Pull-Ups
• Goodnites
• DryNites
• Cottonelle
• Scott
• Viva
• Andrex
• Intimus
• Plenitud
• Thinx
• KleenBebe
• GreenFinger
• LittleSwimmers

Products and services

• Huggies

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 consecutive quarters of consistent volume and share growth
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Deion SandersminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 June 2026Depend brand partnered with former athlete and coach Deion 'Coach Prime' Sanders for Men's Health Month campaign 'Depend Wake Up Calls.' Sanders, who publicly shared his 2025 bladder cancer diagnosis and surgery, is featured on new Depend Real Fit packaging as brand's new face.
• Plug PowercoreTechnology or Integration · 20 May 2026Plug Power supplying 30 MW of GenEco PEM electrolyzers to Barrow Green Hydrogen project to produce green hydrogen for Kimberly-Clark's UK manufacturing plant. Project will supply approximately 100 GWh of green hydrogen annually, reducing natural gas consumption by 50% and cutting CO2 emissions by 18,300 tonnes per year.
• Kenvue Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 November 2025Pending acquisition of Kenvue Inc. for approximately $40-48.7 billion, creating a combined consumer health and wellness company with approximately $31.6-32 billion in annual net sales. Transaction expected to close H2 2026 pending regulatory approvals. Kenvue shareholders to receive $3.50 per share in cash plus 0.14625 Kimberly-Clark shares per share.
• SuzanocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2025Global joint venture in which Suzano acquired 51% stake for approximately $1.73 billion, with Kimberly-Clark retaining 49%. Combines Kimberly-Clark's tissue and professional products expertise with Suzano's pulp production capabilities across 22 manufacturing facilities in 14 countries. EU regulatory approval received.
• Thinx, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2022Kimberly-Clark completed acquisition of majority stake in Thinx, Inc., a leader in reusable period and incontinence underwear, expanding portfolio in femtech products. Deal builds on initial minority investment made in 2019.
• Schroders GreencoatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in Barrow Green Hydrogen project through Green Hydrogen Energy Company (GHECO) joint venture, supplying hydrogen to Kimberly-Clark's UK manufacturing facility.
• Carlton PowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in Barrow Green Hydrogen project through GHECO, developing 30MW green hydrogen facility to supply Kimberly-Clark's Barrow manufacturing plant.
• SEFEminorOthersProviding long-term renewable power purchase agreement for Barrow Green Hydrogen project, enabling green hydrogen production for Kimberly-Clark's UK operations.
• Plan International USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Kotex She Can Initiative providing menstrual hygiene education and access to over 3.5 million individuals globally.
• UNICEFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKimberly-Clark has provided over $24 million in funding to UNICEF (2015-2023) to strengthen neonatal health systems, increase access to safe water and sanitation, promote safe menstrual health and hygiene, supporting early childhood development in 26 countries.
• Water For PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Toilets Change Lives program providing sanitation services, access to clean drinking water, and hygiene education in Latin American communities.
• WaterAidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Toilets Change Lives initiative to address global sanitation crisis affecting two billion people without basic sanitation access.
• Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuggies partnership to create Respectful Maternity Care Framework and Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline to reduce disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality outcomes.
• National Diaper Bank NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuggies brand is founding sponsor, having donated over 200 million diapers and wipes since 2011 to help families in need.
• Alliance for Period SuppliesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerU by Kotex brand founding sponsor of Alliance for Period Supplies, having donated more than 25 million period supplies to help end period poverty in the U.S.
• Toilet Board CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness-led public-private partnership for sanitation economy development. Kimberly-Clark became founding member in 2014.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKimberly-Clark is member of FSC International working to advance activities for increased FSC-certified forest areas globally and environmentally-preferred fiber sourcing.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal agreement with WWF to help implement company's global fiber procurement policy and advance sustainable forest practices through Forests Forward program.
• Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate climate action NGO providing scientific standards for setting science-based targets aligned with Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Edgewell Personal Care: U.S.-listed personal care company with Schick, Wilkinson Sword, Banana Boat, Playtex tampons and Wet Ones wipes. Directly comparable to K-C's feminine care (Kotex) and personal care categories as a focused mid-cap personal-care peer.
• Church & Dwight: U.S. household and personal care company with brands like Arm & Hammer, OxiClean, Batiste and Trojan condoms. Overlaps with Kimberly-Clark's family care and feminine care categories through similar mass-market retail channels and value-tier positioning.
• Essity: Swedish-based global hygiene and health company owning TENA, Libresse, Libero and Tork - directly overlapping with Kimberly-Clark's adult care (Depend/Poise), feminine care (Kotex), baby care and Professional B2B tissue segments. Closest tissue-and-personal-care pure-play peer.
• Reynolds Consumer Products: U.S. consumer products company behind Reynolds Wrap, Hefty, Dixie and Mardi Gras. Directly comparable in mass-market paper goods and tableware categories and competes for the same retail shelf space as Scott, Viva and Cottonelle.
• Procter & Gamble: The most direct peer: P&G competes head-to-head with Kimberly-Clark in baby diapers (Pampers vs Huggies), tissue (Charmin vs Cottonelle), feminine care (Always vs Kotex), and adult incontinence (Always Discreet vs Depend). Both are diversified CPG multinationals with similar distribution and innovation cycles.

Broad incumbents

• Unilever: Global FMCG giant with personal care, hygiene and home care brands (Dove, Rexona, Domestos). Broad incumbent with significant overlap in personal care and emerging-market distribution, though Unilever is more diversified across beauty and food than K-C.
• Henkel: German multinational with Consumer Brands (Persil, Schwarzkopf, got2b) and Adhesive Technologies. Overlaps with Kimberly-Clark in personal care and household cleaning categories; broader portfolio but similar mass-market retail reach.

Regional players

• Cascades: Canadian tissue, packaging and specialty products company. Comparable in tissue and away-from-home professional hygiene products; primarily a North American competitor to Kimberly-Clark Professional and family care tissue operations.
• Sofidel: Italian tissue producer (Regina, Nicky brands) with significant European and U.S. footprint. Direct competitor in household and away-from-home tissue categories, and a relevant reference point for tissue economics and sustainability investments comparable to K-C's UK hydrogen project.

Emerging players

• Ontex Group: Belgian personal hygiene company manufacturing baby diapers, feminine hygiene and adult incontinence products for private-label and retailer brands across Europe. Comparable manufacturing footprint and category overlap, though primarily a private-label challenger to branded players like Kimberly-Clark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kimberly-clark
• Facebookfacebook.com/KimberlyClarkCorp
• Instagraminstagram.com/kimberlyclark
• YouTubeyoutube.com/kimberlyclark
• Xx.com/KCCorp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A25 records

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Kimberly-Clark