What’s in a Pampers Diaper?

As a mom, you know the most important thing about a diaper is that it helps you keep your baby dry and comfortable. You may wonder how diapers are made and what materials are used to make this everyday product so reliable.

Pampers Are Designed With Babies in Mind

Disposable diapers have come a long way since 1961, when Victor Mills, a P&G engineer and researcher, was inspired by his baby grandson to design a better disposable diaper.

Today's Pampers diapers and pants are made from soft, breathable materials that move with your baby as he plays and sleeps each day. Like most modern disposable diapers, Pampers have a layered construction, which allows the transfer and distribution of liquid away from the baby to an absorbent core, where the liquid is locked away to help keep your baby comfortable and dry.

How Diapers Work

• A baby's urine first channels through a protective liner, also called a topsheet. Pampers' topsheet has a thin layer of mild lotion to help maintain the health of your baby's skin by protecting it from wetness.

• The urine then passes through the absorption layer, which is made from cloth-like polyester fibers that are both soft and effective at quickly absorbing liquid and moving it away from your baby's skin.

• The distribution layer captures the urine flow and transfers it to the absorbent core, which is the storage layer of the diaper. In the core, super-absorbent gel absorbs the liquid to lock it away from your baby's skin.

• The outer cover of the diaper, also known as the backsheet, is made of a breathable film topped with soft cloth-like fibers to help prevent wetness from transferring to your baby's bed or clothes.

Did you know? Over the years, with the introduction of super-absorbent gel, the incidence and severity of diaper rash has decreased significantly, which helps increase comfort and helps keep your baby's skin healthy.

Super-absorbent Gel

Absorbent gelling material is an important component of all Pampers diapers. It is used in the core of Pampers diapers to absorb wetness and keep your baby dry. Super-absorbent gel has been widely used since the 1980s in a variety of consumer products including diapers, feminine hygiene products, and food packaging.

Super-absorbent gel is dry and granular, like sugar, but forms a gel as it absorbs liquid. In fact, it can retain up to 30 times its weight in liquid, locking it away to help prevent wetness from coming back to the surface of the diaper and help keep babies drier.

What if the gel touches my baby's skin?

Occasionally, you may see small beads of gel from the diaper on your baby's skin or bedding, but the gel is non-toxic and will not harm your baby. Gel that appears on the skin can easily be removed by gently wiping your baby's skin.

Is the gel safe in my baby's diaper?

Like all materials and ingredients in our diapers, super-absorbent gel is safe. Pampers conducts tests to evaluate the safety of this ingredient — adding to the large body of evidence that shows the safety of this gel for babies' skin.

Across the industry, the safety of super-absorbent material has been proven in more than 400 consumer safety tests studying every way a person could come in contact with it — through skin contact or accidental ingestion by babies or pets. Each study has consistently demonstrated the safety of this material.

Colors on Pampers Diapers

Some Pampers diapers have colors designed to give the diaper a more clothing-like appearance. Pampers uses pigments for these colors, not dyes, because some dyes can cause allergy. The pigments we use are non-allergenic and skin safe. They are also commonly used in other consumer products, contact lenses, and food packaging.

Pampers Diapers and Fragrance

We've asked parents all around the world which products they prefer for their babies and they've told us they prefer diapers with a soft, baby-fresh scent. The fragrance in Pampers is used at a very low level in each diaper and has been carefully selected and evaluated to be non-allergenic and non-irritating to the skin.

Our clinical research has shown there is no increased risk for diaper rash for babies using scented diapers compared to unscented diapers.

Our Commitment

There's nothing more important to us than your baby. That's why you can count on us to provide you with safe, high-quality products to help you protect and care for your child. As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions, comments, or ideas.