When cold and allergy seasons arrive, facial tissues become an essential item. With so many brands and types available, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. This review and comparison aims to help you navigate the world of facial tissues, focusing on 2-ply options and highlighting key factors like softness, strength, absorbency, and value.
Understanding Facial Tissues
Facial tissues are designed to help you blow your nose and maintain hygiene. The ideal tissue should be soothing, durable, and effective at wiping away unpleasantness while remaining gentle enough for sensitive skin.
It's important to note the difference between facial tissues and other paper products. Bathroom tissue is toilet paper, and gift-wrapping tissue serves a different purpose. Also, "Kleenex" is a brand name, not a generic term for all facial tissues.
The term "ply" refers to the number of paper layers in each tissue. This review focuses on 2-ply tissues, but also includes some 3-ply tissues for comparison.
Key Considerations When Choosing Facial Tissues
- Softness: Softness is a crucial factor, especially for those with sensitive skin or frequent use.
- Strength: A strong tissue won't disintegrate during use, preventing messes and ensuring effectiveness.
- Absorbency: Absorbent tissues quickly soak up moisture, reducing the need for multiple tissues.
- Price: Cost is always a consideration, and finding a balance between quality and affordability is essential.
- Packaging: The packaging can impact the user experience. Easy-to-open boxes and convenient dispensing are desirable features.
- Environmental Friendliness: For environmentally conscious consumers, tissues made from sustainable materials are a priority.
Top 2-Ply Facial Tissues: Reviews and Comparisons
Here's a detailed look at some of the top 2-ply facial tissues on the market, based on testing and reviews:
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Kleenex Trusted Care:
- Pros: Low porosity, inexpensive.
- Cons: Average absorbency, clunky box.
- Overview: A reliable, no-frills option that delivers decent all-around performance. Its impressive fiber density effectively contains discharge, and its strength prevents blowouts. However, it offers only average performance and comes in a bulky box.
Costco's Kirkland Signature Facial Tissue:
- Overview: While ranking highest among 2-ply tissues in tests, it scores among the lowest overall performers. This tissue is fragrance-free and fits most commercial dispensers. It was found to be incredibly soft, but below average in strength and abrasion resistance and our overall worst tissue for absorbency.
Puffs Ultra Soft Non-Lotion:
- Overview: This tissue has a good softness score and decent abrasion resistance (it scored just below average) but poor tensile strength and absorbency.
Scotties Everyday Comfort:
- Overview: This tissue scored below the average in all categories and was the lowest in abrasion resistance. It is hypoallergenic with no added fragrances.
Georgia Pacific Envision 2-Ply:
- Pros: Compact box, inexpensive.
- Cons: Poor strength, rough feel.
- Overview: An inexpensive utility tissue suitable for regular sniffles. It is somewhat rough and has weak tensile strength and below-average absorbency.
Reeflex Car Tissues:
- Pros: Convenient.
- Cons: Small dimensions, poor absorbency.
- Overview: A specialty package tissue good for urgent use when nothing else is available. They have the smallest dimensions of any that we tested, and they are also comparatively thin.
Seventh Generation 2-Ply Cube:
- Pros: Convenient cube box, recycled fibers.
- Cons: Rough feeling, below-average absorbency.
- Overview: A hypoallergenic, recycled-fiber facial tissue. It has a medium-density fiber that keeps nasal discharge reasonably contained within the tissue. On the downside, this Seventh Generation tissue is not nearly as soft as the top contenders and lacks the absorbency of other models.
Notable 3-Ply Tissues for Comparison
While this review primarily focuses on 2-ply tissues, here are a few well-regarded 3-ply options for comparison:
Member’s Mark Ultra Soft:
- Overview: A Sam’s Club unscented and hypoallergenic brand that scored the highest marks as one of our softest tissues in testing. Its softness ranked equally with competitors Kleenex Ultra Soft Hypoallergenic and Kirkland Signature Facial Tissue, but Member’s Mark scored much higher than the two brands in absorbency and tensile strength.
Walmart’s Great Value Ultra Soft:
- Overview: A three-ply tissue that is among the lowest-priced tissues we tested. It had an overall above-average score and stood out most for its softness and absorbency.
Up&Up Ultra Soft Facial Tissue:
- Overview: A Target brand that scored well in absorbency and strength. This Target brand claims its tissues are free of dyes or fragrances and the tissue boxes feature assorted colors and designs.
Kleenex Ultra Soft Hypoallergenic:
- Overview: These tissues scored major softness points and received the highest marks possible in this testing category. However, they proved only average in absorbency and below average in strength and abrasion resistance.
Kleenex Anti-Viral Facial Tissue:
- Overview: This tissue only ranked above average in softness and received below-average marks for strength, absorbency, and abrasion resistance.
Kleenex Professional Cube:
- Pros: Anti-viral, high-density fibers.
- Cons: Only average absorbency, chemical additives.
- Overview: A comfortable and soft 3-ply tissue that proved to be exceptionally strong. It comes with chemical additives (presumably responsible for its anti-viral quality).
Alternative Tissue Options
Winner Soft Dry Wipe:
- Pros: Very strong, comfortable to use.
- Cons: Expensive, single-ply.
- Overview: Made from cotton fiber instead of tree pulp, this tissue is exceptionally strong and resists tearing. However, it is comparatively porous and single-ply.
Puffs Plus Lotion:
- Pros: Soothing, highly absorbent.
- Cons: Lotion-y feel, expensive.
- Overview: A super comfortable-to-use tissue with lotion that prevents skin irritation. However, it is more costly than most and leaves behind a residue on the hands.
Amazon Basics Ultra Facial Tissue with Lotion:
- Pros: Comfortable, soothing lotion.
- Cons: Inexpensive, just average strength.
- Overview: A reliable everyday tissue with lotion that mitigates irritation. However, it has a lotion-y feel and can be mildly irritating to eyes.
Testing Methodology
Facial tissues are evaluated through a variety of tests to assess their key properties:
- Tensile Strength: Measures the tissue's ability to withstand tearing.
- Absorbency: Determines how much moisture a tissue can absorb before saturation.
- Abrasion Resistance: Assesses how well the tissue holds up to repeated wiping without becoming rough or disintegrating.
- Softness: Evaluated through subjective impressions of the tissue's feel against the skin.
- Porosity: Assesses fiber density.
- Packaging: Evaluated for ease of opening, dispensing, and aesthetic appeal.
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