Baby Brand Ownership: From Pampers to Huggies, Who Makes Your Baby's Products?

The Companies Behind Every Nursery

New parents face an overwhelming number of brand choices: diapers, formula, baby food, lotions, wipes, shampoo, bottles, and more. Each category has multiple brands competing for your attention and trust with reassuring packaging and safety claims.

But behind the soft colors and gentle branding, the baby products industry is controlled by a small number of large corporations. Understanding who owns these brands helps parents see past the marketing to make informed decisions about the products they use on their most precious family members.

Diapers: A Two-Company Race

The U.S. disposable diaper market is worth approximately $10 billion annually and is dominated by two companies:

Procter & Gamble: Pampers and Luvs

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) controls approximately 35% of the U.S. diaper market through two brands:

Pampers (premium): P&G's flagship diaper brand, one of the company's largest revenue generators globally. Pampers competes at the premium end with features like wetness indicators, overnight absorbency, and the new silk-fiber line launched in January 2026.

Luvs (value): P&G's budget diaper brand, positioned as "the official diaper of experienced moms" who know they do not need to pay premium prices.

In January 2026, P&G launched Pampers diapers made with silk fibers, priced at a significant premium over standard Pampers. This luxury play represents P&G's strategy to combat flat diaper sales (baby care revenue declined 2% in fiscal 2025) by moving upmarket.

Kimberly-Clark: Huggies and Pull-Ups

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) controls approximately 30% of the U.S. diaper market:

Huggies (premium): Kimberly-Clark's flagship diaper brand, a direct competitor to Pampers. Huggies emphasizes skin health and leak protection.

Pull-Ups (training pants): The leading potty training pants brand.

GoodNites (overnight protection): Disposable underwear for older children.

Kimberly-Clark is also pursuing a $48.7 billion acquisition of Kenvue (formerly J&J Consumer Health), which would add baby care brands like Johnson's Baby to its portfolio. If approved, Kimberly-Clark would become the dominant force in baby products overall.

Store Brands and Alternatives

Store-brand diapers (Target, Walmart, Costco's Kirkland) have gained significant market share by offering comparable performance at 30-50% lower prices. Many are manufactured by the same contract manufacturers that produce name-brand diapers.

Baby Formula: A Critical Category

Baby formula is one of the most tightly regulated consumer products in the U.S. The 2022 formula shortage (triggered by the Abbott Sturgis plant shutdown) highlighted the industry's concentration.

Major Formula Brands

Abbott (Similac) and Reckitt (Enfamil) together control approximately 60% of the U.S. infant formula market. Nestle holds a smaller share in the U.S. but is the global leader in infant nutrition through its NAN, S-26, and other international brands.

Post-shortage changes: After the 2022 shortage, the FDA loosened import restrictions, allowing European formula brands (HiPP, Holle, Kendamil) to enter the U.S. market legally. New domestic brands like ByHeart and Bobbie have also gained market share by offering "cleaner" ingredient profiles.

Baby Food: Nestle Dominates

Major Baby Food Brands

Nestle dominates through Gerber, which it acquired in 2007 for $5.5 billion. Gerber controls approximately 50% of the U.S. baby food market by volume. Internationally, Nestle's baby nutrition portfolio (Gerber, Cerelac, NAN) makes it the world's largest baby food company.

The baby food category has been disrupted by pouch-format products (which now represent over 50% of baby food sales) and by fresh/organic brands that emphasize ingredient transparency.

Baby Skincare and Bath

Johnson's Baby (Kenvue / Formerly J&J)

Johnson's Baby, the iconic yellow-bottle baby shampoo brand, is owned by Kenvue, the consumer health company spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. Kenvue also owns:

• Johnson's Baby Shampoo (the "No More Tears" formula)
• Johnson's Baby Lotion
• Johnson's Baby Powder (now cornstarch-based after talc controversy)
• Aveeno Baby (oat-based skincare)
• Desitin (diaper rash cream)

If the pending Kimberly-Clark acquisition of Kenvue closes, all of these brands would be owned by the same company that makes Huggies diapers, creating a comprehensive baby products portfolio under one corporate parent.

Other Baby Skincare Brands

Baby Gear and Equipment

The baby gear category (strollers, car seats, cribs, monitors) has different ownership patterns than consumables:

Newell Brands (which also owns Rubbermaid, Sharpie, and Yankee Candle) is the largest player in baby gear through its Graco and Baby Jogger brands.

The Concentration Issue

Every major baby product category is dominated by two or three companies. If Kimberly-Clark's Kenvue acquisition closes, one company would control ~30% of diapers (Huggies) AND major baby skincare brands (Johnson's Baby, Aveeno Baby), creating unprecedented category concentration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who makes Pampers?

Pampers is made by Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), the world's largest consumer goods company. P&G also makes Luvs diapers, Dreft baby laundry detergent, and Pampers wipes.

Who owns Gerber baby food?

Gerber is owned by Nestle, the Swiss food conglomerate. Nestle acquired Gerber in 2007 for $5.5 billion. Gerber is the #1 baby food brand in the United States.

Is Johnson's Baby still owned by Johnson & Johnson?

Not directly. Johnson's Baby and other consumer health brands were spun off from J&J into Kenvue in 2023. Kenvue is now a separate publicly traded company. Kimberly-Clark has agreed to acquire Kenvue for $48.7 billion, pending regulatory approval.

Are store-brand diapers as good as name brands?

Consumer testing organizations (including Consumer Reports) have consistently found that store-brand diapers perform comparably to name brands in absorbency and leak protection tests, often at 30-50% lower prices. Many store-brand diapers are manufactured by the same contract manufacturers that produce name-brand products.

The Bottom Line

The baby products industry is built on parental trust and emotional connection, but the corporate reality is that a handful of companies control the vast majority of what you buy for your children. P&G and Kimberly-Clark dominate diapers, Abbott and Reckitt dominate formula, and Nestle dominates baby food. Understanding this concentration helps parents make informed decisions based on product quality and value rather than brand marketing alone.

Explore baby and consumer brand ownership on WhoBrands or browse brands by category.

Sources

1. Euromonitor. "Baby Care Products: U.S. Market Report." 2025. 2. P&G. "Baby Care Division." Annual Report 2025. 3. Kimberly-Clark. "Kenvue Acquisition Announcement." November 2025. 4. Nestle. "Infant Nutrition Division." 2025. 5. FDA. "Infant Formula Guidance." 2025.

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com's research methodology. Last updated: February 11, 2026.