After testing 42 varieties of toilet paper, consumer group Choice has found the best accompaniment for a seat on the porcelain throne.
They tested toilet paper for softness, ease of sheet separation, durability and disintegration time. These were all taken into consideration to deliver a score out of 100.
A panel of five people were recruited for the “human assessment” of softness, which is based on “tactile judgment”, says Chris Barnes, a project manager at Choice.
Quilton’s 4 Ply Softness Gold was the top for bottoms, with the highest score of 78%. Quilton also scored second place with its Shea Butter in Gold 4 Ply variety at 77%. This performance comes at a price: they were both the most expensive options, at $0.69 per 100 sheets.
The next best-rated roll was less than half the price. Woolworths exclusive brand Vevelle’s Luxury Soft Double Length variety scored 77% and costs $0.29 per 100 sheets.
Barnes says that eco-friendly options generally score lower in the softness category. “There’s a bit of a challenge when using recycled paper to refine it to a very sort of soft level,” he says.
Despite this, Naturale 100% Recycled 3 Ply Softness scored 80% for softness and had an overall score of 75%. Yarn’n 100% Recycled Aussie Manufactured Deadly Dunny Paper, which donates 50% of profits to Indigenous education organisation Yalari, received a softness score of 70% and an overall score of 74%. Naturale and Yarn’n were priced at $0.28 and $0.43 per 100 sheets respectively.
Both of profit-for-purpose company Who Gives A Crap’s products ranked the lowest among eco-friendly options. Its 100% Recycled Classic Soft Double Length, priced $0.36 per 100 sheets, received an overall score of 71%, with a softness score of 70% while its Bamboo Extra Soft Double Length Rolls scored 68%, costs $0.42 per 100 sheets and received a softness score of just 55%. Who Gives a Crap was contacted for comment.
Although a comfortable experience is what most people look for in a good roll, at the other end of the pipe, sewer friendliness is also important. It’s hard to get toilet paper that’s strong enough to hold steady during use, that will also disintegrate quickly, says Barnes. “It has to be both soft and strong.”
While some otherwise high scoring products were let down by their durability, Barnes says that the lowest scoring toilet papers were too tough, not too soft. Kleenex Complete Clean and its double length version had the worst disintegration scores of just 5% and took five-and-a-half minutes to break apart when placed in a water vortex for Choice’s test. Their overall score was 53%. iCare Luxury Eco Toilet had the next lowest disintegration score which was 17%.
A spokesperson from Kimberly-Clark IFP ANZ, the manufacturer of Kleenex, said all of its products undergo rigorous safety and quality testing.
“We stand by our products and encourage any shoppers with questions to reach out to our Consumer Engagement Team,” the spokesperson said.
While a higher ply number may sound like a guaranteed good wipe, it’s not always the case, says Barnes, though he adds brands “definitely try to use it as a selling point”.
Vevelle White Toilet Tissue 2 Ply scored 77% and costs $0.19 per 100 sheets. In comparison, Sorbent’s 4 Ply Thick & Soft received a score of 75%, costing $0.59 per 100 sheets.
