There’re some things no one tells you when you start adulting: the onset of back pain, how to DIY your BTO flat, and the types of toilet paper you should be buying. Yes, there’s a world of difference using a roll of luxurious four-ply TP on your derrière versus wiping down your nasty business with something that can pass for sandpaper.
Unfortunately, or thankfully, TP samples are something that does not exist at the supermarket. Which is why we’re here with a ranking of the most popular toilet paper brands in Singapore and their star products to help you make a better, smarter decision.
Rather than just looking at how cheap a bundle of toilet paper is, we had to take into account how comfortable they are; if their packaging is eye-catching enough; and do the brands have any sustainability practices. Also, don’t worry, we didn’t have to take any laxatives just to write this article.
Our criteria for ranking the toilet paper:
Price: How many rolls come in a bundle?
Comfort: Does it break easily into pieces? How thick or thin is it? And does it feel atas and premium?
Design: Are there any patterns on the paper? Does the packaging have any cute animals on it?
Eco-friendliness: Is the paper made sustainably? Or do the proceeds go to any good causes?
With that out of the way, here are the toilet paper brands ranked from worst to best.
No offence, but Scott’s “bath tissue” feels like something we’ll have to use in a public restroom, not something we’ll want to have around our house especially if we have guests visiting often.
Price: 10/10. Those looking for a wallet-friendly option should definitely be considering Scott for their business.
Comfort: 5/10. The downside to the cheap rolls is the quality – it’s only two-ply and it feels rough to the touch. We’ll probably only resort to using this in a zombie apocalypse.
Design: 6/10. Again, there’s nothing remarkable about the design of this brand of TP. At least it tells you that you’re getting a value pack though.
Eco-friendliness: 7/10. While Scott’s parent company Kimberly-Clark also owns Kleenex and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, the rolls are still made from virgin pulp.
Overall rating: 7/10
It’s cute and compact but it’s only a thin two-ply option. This would probably be what most people have in their heads when someone says “toilet paper”.
Price: 9/10. Cutie Compact’s toilet rolls are one of the most affordable ones you can buy, but please don’t go around hoarding it just because!
Comfort: 6/10. The thinness also means you might have to use more sheets than necessary, especially if your business gets a little messy.
Design: 6/10. The font on the packaging looks like a knock-off Comic Sans, but at least the sheets had a standard, albeit boring, dotted pattern.
Eco-friendliness: 7/10. Cutie’s parent company, NTPM, is certified by Good Environmental Choice Australia.
Overall rating: 7/10
Vinda has been in the market since 1985, but it’s one of the more obscure brands with this being the first time I’ve ever felt and used their toilet paper knowingly.
Price: 8/10. It might seem a little pricey at $0.71 per roll, but each roll has 250 sheets that are also slightly longer than average, making this pretty worth it.
Comfort: 7/10. The smooth design works to its advantage and makes it smooth to the touch. But it doesn’t feel as soft compared to toilet paper with one additional ply.
Design: 9/10. We were pleasantly surprised to see each roll wrapped up individually and packed very tightly. No discernable pattern on the paper though, which almost works despite being plain.
Eco-friendliness: Vinda’s website touts the sustainable measures they use to manufacture the TP, but the excessive use of plastic in the packaging really makes their efforts moot and a tad ironic. -1/10.
Overall rating: 6/10, but we’re ranking it at sixth because it does feel better than the other two.
4-ply toilet paper? Say less! Ichiryu is the more atas alternative to Beautex tissues, and we just had to see how a thicker toilet roll feels on our more sensitive areas.
Price: 7/10. For the atas and Japanese-inspired branding, $0.84 per roll ain’t too bad.
Comfort: 7/10. Our expectations were high coming into this, and it felt more like a 3-ply TP than the advertised 4. We even counted to make sure we weren’t being scammed, but somehow the thickness feels the same. The upgrade from 2-ply to 3-ply is a lot more noticeable. At least it’s super soft.
Design: 10/10. If there was any TP that seriously impressed us at first glance, this was it. The packaging really sells the oriental aesthetic, and the flower debossing on the sheets is a cute little detail.
Eco-friendliness: 6/10. While parent company Tipex has addressed concerns about their sustainable practices, this was way back in 2015, and there have been no updates since.
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Premier is one of the first brands I immediately thought of when curating the brands to try out, seeing as how we were already familiar with their facial tissue. If you want to pamper your behind without breaking the bank, Premier is the way to go.
Price: 9/10. Fair at around $0.75 per roll, and has 260 sheets per roll which make it one of the thicker ones available.
Comfort: 8/10. Very comfortable sheets that are easy to tear apart without breaking into tatters.
Design: 6/10. There are some patterns but it’s nothing to write home about.
Eco-friendliness: 7/10. Premier’s parent company, NTPM, is certified by the Good Environmental Choice Australia.
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Rather than splurging on a fancy toilet freshener, PurSoft’s lavender vanilla-scented toilet paper will have your bathroom smelling fragrant all day, every day. We’re also loving the fact that it’s a four-ply roll for that luxurious, post-poo wipe.
P.S. The scent is apparently infused into the core of the roll – a.k.a. the cardboard – and not the toilet paper itself.
Price: 7/10. It’s cheaper than the other 4-ply option we found (Beautex Ichiryu).
Comfort: 8/10. The sheets are mighty soft to the touch, and the fragrance – it also comes in citrus and green tea – really makes taking a mid-day toilet break all that more pleasant.
Design: 8/10. After seeing multiple rolls with similar designs, PurSoft rolls break the mould by using angular and squarish debossing instead.
Eco-friendliness: 8/10. PurSoft’s four-ply range is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international non-profit that ensures forests are responsibly managed. However, they still use virgin pulp which isn’t as good as bamboo for the TP.
Overall rating: 7.75/10
Kleenex is another household name that’s famed for its paper products, and this list wouldn’t be complete without it. It’s also what I used during my two years in NS – gotta treat yourself right if you’re already getting tekan’ed by your sergeants in BMT.
Price: 6/10. One of the more pricey TP brands – probably for the brand name – at $0.75 per roll.
Comfort: 9/10. Kleenex lives up to its reputation with a super smooth three-ply toilet roll that can compare to its four-ply competitors.
Design: 9/10. The purple packaging is super iconic and the cuddly dog adds to the “ultra-soft” narrative. The wavy paper debossing and “Kleenex” stamp also scores points for creativity.
Eco-friendliness: 9/10. A quick search of Kleenex’s environmental efforts returns a bunch of articles praising their sustainability strategies and how they refocus their targets every 7 years. Credit where credit is due.
Overall rating: 8.25/10
“Eh I use this toilet paper! Are we switching to it for the toilets?” asked an eager colleague when we took out the Cloversoft bundle to start taking photos. Evidently, there’s some brand loyalty here, and after trying it out ourselves we could easily see why.
Price: 5/10. Cloversoft is the most expensive toilet paper on this list.
Comfort: 8/10. The plain, patternless design feels good when wiping down, and it might also be a mental thing knowing you’re using unbleached and sustainable TP.
Design: 20/10. A cute, fluffy polar bear on the packaging? We love to see it. The brown colour also comes from the unbleached bamboo which helps it stand out from the sea of white rolls.
Eco-friendliness: 10/10. Rather than use tree pulp, Cloversoft uses a more eco-friendly option, bamboo pulp, to make its toilet paper. They also donate a part of the proceeds from all their products to Polar Bears International, an organisation dedicated to the conservation and protection of the powerful predators.
Overall rating: 11/10
Despite the TSL office providing tons of toilet paper and a washing hose in the cubicles, some people still refuse to be considerate and flush their business down. Is the TP making them hesitate from returning to their seats clean? We investigate.
Price: 6/10. At $5.70 for 10 rolls, it’s not as cheap as other rolls of the same quality.
Comfort: 5/10. The strange embossing design makes wiping feel rough and not very pleasant but hey, at least it’s three-ply.
Design: 4/10. While the clear plastic bag might be due to the wholesale buy, we can’t forgive the embossed pattern that has no place on a roll of toilet paper.
Eco-friendliness: ?/10. No information can be found on the sustainability of the toilet paper we use at TheSmartLocal.
After many trips to the bathroom, we’ve come to the conclusion that there is a clear distinction between toilet paper brands if you’re just willing to shell out a few more cents.
Cloversoft’s eco-friendly rolls take the top spot in our ranks, but any of the following choices are more than good enough to clean up a shitty time, too. We just have one small request to not go about hoarding any toilet paper even if we’re not in a lockdown.
Check out our other ranked articles:
Disclaimer: No toilet paper was wasted in the making of this article.
Photography by Zhou Jinquan, Tasha Sun, Milim Tay
Originally published on 21st July 2021.
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