What is a Pampers® diaper made of?
As parents, you want a 100% safe, comfortable diaper that keeps your baby dry and let him explore the world. Pampers® has been designing diapers for 50 years with exactly this in mind: making sure that performance and comfort go hand-in-hand with safety.
Find out everything that makes the quality and dependability of a Pampers® diaper, from the selection of our components (the ones we use and the ones we don’t use!), to how our diapers work.
A 100% safe composition, communicated in total transparency
Before they become part of a Pampers® product, the components undergo rigorous selection. Our researchers work in collaboration with pediatricians, pediatric dermatologists and toxicologists to validate the safety of the selected components and the finished baby products. All of the components we use are dermatologically tested and meet the evaluation criteria of the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, SCCS/1564/15.
Did you know?
Pampers® has been communicating its list of components on its website.
How does a Pampers® diaper work and what is it made of?
Each part of a Pampers® diaper has a specific role. But they all have the same purpose: to give your baby safety, comfort and performance.
- Absorbent core: This is the core of Pampers® technology! It absorbs moisture and keeps it away from your baby’s skin to make sure it stays healthy and dry. Here is everything contained in our absorbent core:
The super absorbent: it is a material common to all disposable diapers, which has the ability to absorb up to 30 times its weight! It absorbs and traps liquid in just a few seconds. These super absorbents are totally safe and chemically inert, as proven by more than 400 studies on this component (conducted on over 300,000 diapers!) and on possible contacts, in particular with the skin.
Cellulose: is a material of natural origin that absorbs moisture. All of the cellulose used in Pampers® is sustainably sourced. This is one way that Pampers® is committed to sustainable forest management and meets the requirements of European regulation No. 995/2010. Pampers® has developed a unique combination of super absorbents and cellulose for high-performance diapers that help to give your baby great comfort. Finding the right balance between the use of super absorbents and cellulose ensures the diaper is neither too thick nor hinders baby’s movements (and that helps to avoid the infamous “wet bulk”!).
Polypropylene and polyester
- Topsheet: it draws moisture to the inside of the diaper to keep your baby’s skin nice and dry. The top sheet, which comes in contact with your baby’s skin, contains polypropylene fibers to make it soft and comfortable for baby.
- Backsheet: this is the back of the diaper. It keeps moisture from transferring to the bed or baby’s clothes. It is composed of polyethylene and an inner envelope of polypropylene for softness and comfort.
- Stretch fastenings: these repositionable strips are soft and keep the diaper perfectly fit on your baby. They are composed of polypropylene and polyester fibers that add softness and flexibility for even more comfort for your baby.
- Flexible elastics: they help the diaper conform to your baby’s body shape, around the legs, for added comfort and to avoid leaks. Pampers® does not use rubber or latex which could be allergenic. Instead we use elastane and polypropylene.
- Adhesives: these are used to keep the components all together and avoid leakage. They do not come in contact with your baby’s skin. Pampers® uses only solvent-free adhesives.
In response to our consumers’ expectations, we have worked with our suppliers to improve the smell of some of our adhesives. These materials all undergo rigorous selection and detailed evaluation, and their usage safety has been demonstrated. They are not in contact with baby’s skin.
- Lotion: to protect your baby’s skin and help reduce the risk of diaper rash, a patented protective balm is placed on the diaper’s topsheet. The components in this lotion comply with European regulations. It contains:
Petrolatum: “Petrolatum is nothing more than the popular Vaseline, a safe, inoffensive remedy commonly used in dermatology for over 100 years. (…) commonly used to reduce the risk of diaper rash in newborns.” explains Dr. Alain Taïeb, head of of Pediatric Dermatology at the CHU Hospital of Bordeaux (France). It undergoes pharmaceutical grade purification and is totally safe for babies. To find out more, read our explanations on the lotion
Extract of Aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera) leaf for softness.
Liquid paraffin which is a fatty substance used in pharmaceutics to fight dehydration.
For its moisturizing properties, an emulsifier commonly used in pharmaceutics called stearyl alcohol.
- Adorable drawings: located on the outside of the diaper, they amuse both parents and babies! They contain non-sensitizing pigments that are non-soluble in water (so they cannot penetrate the skin).
- Wetness indicator (on our Premium CareTM diapers , Premium CareTM Pants , Baby-DryTM diapers size 1 and 2 ): Soooo convenient! The strip changes color to tell you when it’s time to change your baby! It is a yellow strip that reacts to variations in pH: it turns blue when in contact with baby’s urine.
Elastane, polyester, polypropylene… what are they?
All of the fibers contained in Pampers® diapers could also be found in… your clothing as well as your baby’s! They are technical fibers with specific properties that contribute to the comfort and performance of Pampers® diapers.
Polypropylene gives softness and comfort to all parts of the diaper that are in contact with baby’s skin. It is an extremely resistant fiber; it doesn’t break so it keeps “pilling” from forming and avoids friction on the skin.
Polyester helps spread moisture across the entire diaper length. It is also widely used in sportswear.
Polyethylene has two particularly important properties: it is both water-repellant and breathable. Clinically tested, it avoids leaks and helps the skin stay nice and dry thanks to its micro-aeration channels.
Elastane is an elastic fiber contained in many fabrics, and you probably had in your maternity wear, for example! Thanks to its elastic properties, it helps the diaper stay perfectly in place by following baby’s movements while avoiding any marks or leaks.
These fibers are cleverly combined to draw moisture to the center of the diaper and trap it there to limit the proliferation of bacteria.
Because we want to give your baby 100% safe diapers and pants, there are some things we don’t add to the composition of our products.
Pampers® does not add any toxic or dangerous substances to its products. Baby’s safety has always been our top priority.
We do NOT add the following substances in our diapers:
Preservatives. Pampers® does not use preservatives in its diapers, nor do we use: formaldehyde or formaldehyde generators, or parabens, or quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs); triclocarban or triclosan, or phenoxyethanol, or MIT or CMIT.
Bisphenol A (BPA), dioxins, dispersed colorings, elemental chlorine, ethanol, alcohol, organotins, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), pesticides, heavy metals (like lead and mercury), parabens, phenol, polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Natural latex and rubber that can sometimes be allergenic.
Some of these substances are present in our environment and can therefore be found in traces in a wide variety of everyday products from diapers, to tap water, to food. To learn more about this topic, read our article on Pampers® diaper safety.
If you have any questions about Pampers® diapers, check out our FAQ page or call our Customer Service: Consumer Service خدمة المستهلك In Saudi 800 244 0039 في السعودية In Gulf Countries and Yemen 00966 12 657 4751 في دول الخليج واليمن www.pg.com/contactMEA :للتواصل معنا Contact us on: www.pg.com
