P&G: No more Pampers, Tide, Whisper in Philippines

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MANILA, Philippines — Pabili nga po ng Pampers.

Filipinos might be familiar with the task of buying baby diapers, calling them Pampers. The global brand has become synonymous with babies’ absorbent garments since it debuted in the Philippines in 1988.

Just ask Filipino moms like Liezyl Gak Gak, who has narrated her parenthood journey with Pampers, which she describes as a “trusted brand.”

“Pampers is automatically part of my grocery list. There are a lot of diaper brands, but my trust will always be with Pampers,” Liezyl said in a public Facebook comment.

“Pampers did not fail us, whether it was overnight or during long trips. Even at times when our baby cannot sleep because of growth spurt,” Liezyl added.

And so, when information circulated on Facebook that Pampers would no longer be sold in the country, Liezyl was “super affected.”

“It is the end of an era,” she said.

Liezyl is not alone in her sentiment.

On Wednesday, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines Inc., the manufacturer of Pampers, confirmed to The STAR the cessation of the production and sale of three product categories: baby care (Pampers brand), feminine care (Whisper pads) and laundry bars (Tide and Ariel).

Changing consumer patterns

P&G Philippines said the discontinuation of three product categories – baby care, feminine care and laundry bars – will allow the consumer goods giant to “refine” its product portfolio in the country that is “consistent” with its “strategy of investing in innovation and brand superiority to drive sustainable growth.”

“The cessation of production and commercial operations in baby care, feminine care and laundry bars will enable the company to allocate resources towards enhancing our core offerings and better serve consumers,” P&G Philippines said in an e-mail to The STAR.

“P&G’s discontinuation of these three categories means they will no longer be available for sale in the country through P&G’s own operations in the Philippines,” P&G Philippines added.

P&G Philippines said that it has “immediately” begun planning for the transition regarding the discontinuation of the three product categories in the country.

“We will continue to operate the business in the ordinary course until the process is complete, which may take several months,” it said.

Separate responses from official Facebook accounts of Tide, Ariel and Pampers confirmed that P&G started phasing out their products last November.

Ariel Philippines’ official Facebook account said the decision to discontinue its laundry bar variant is based on “consumer purchasing trends and ongoing research.”

“At times, bringing innovations means letting go of less-demanded products,” Ariel said.

Local grocery stores and even drugstores in Metro Manila, visited and interviewed by The STAR, revealed that they have been informed by P&G that Whisper pads and Pampers will no longer be restocked.

Some of the retailers visited by this news outlet have already run out of stocks of Whisper pads and Pampers products.

Even the online stores of supermarkets and drugstores have indicated that Pampers products and Whisper pads have already sold out.

“Cheaper” foreign brands

Pampers Philippines’ official Facebook account said the decision to phase out its products in the country is based on “consumer purchasing patterns,” especially “when demand is no longer high enough to continue production.

Filipina mothers shared online that the presence of more affordable yet high-quality baby diapers in the market has influenced their buying patterns, especially amid current economic conditions.

“There are a lot of cheaper diapers today. As a wise mother, we go for affordable yet quality brands,” Yzelle Ladcarpi said in a Facebook comment.

“(Pampers) has good quality but pricey and there are a lot of (new brands now) that are cheap and quality as well,” Angeli Lospe De Jesus said in a separate comment.

The STAR learned that P&G’s Pampers and Whisper pads have been facing stiffer market competition against foreign brands that have begun to flood the market in recent years.

The country has seen an influx of foreign baby diaper brands in recent years, particularly Chinese ones such as Rascals, Makuku, Hey Tiger and Millie Moon, which market themselves as more affordable options.

Other brands, such as MamyPoko, which is imported from Thailand and Indonesia, as well as Huggies, imported from Vietnam, are present in the market today.

“We were at a baby fair in January and Pampers ran out of stock of the size for our baby. Beside Pampers was Hey Tiger, so I told my partner, why don’t we try that brand for our baby? So, we tried it and we have stuck to it since then,” millennial parent Louie Sanchez told The STAR.

MamyPoko claims that it sells each diaper pad for as low as P6, considerably lower than Pampers’ average retail price of P10 per pad. Other brands, such as Hey Tiger and Huggies, can be found for as low as P6.5 per pad, based on market visits.

The same price competition can be observed in the sanitary pad market, where foreign brands like Kotex, imported from Vietnam, retail for as low as P7.75 per pad of a 28-centimeter thin variant, while Whisper sells the same variant for around P10.56 per pad.

Commitment to ‘superior’ products

The entry of these foreign brands, both for sanitary pads and baby diapers, is facilitated by a tariff-free trade environment, as free trade agreements cover these goods. This is coupled with stronger marketing and promotions through online channels, including e-commerce platforms and social media sites.

The country saw a surge in its imports of both sanitary pads and baby diapers in recent years. The Philippines imported $8.64 8.64-million worth of sanitary pads last year, more than double the $3.72 million recorded in 2023, based on International Trade Centre (ITC) data. In 2022, the country imported only $87,000 of sanitary pads, compared to $2.76 million in 2021.

As for baby diapers, the country imported $123.69 million worth of baby diapers in 2023, up from $665,000 in 2022, according to ITC data. Last year, the import bill for baby diapers fell to $55.912 million.

ITC data showed that China is the Philippines’ top supplier for both sanitary pads and baby diapers. The Philippines imported nearly $5 million worth of sanitary pads and almost $47-million worth of baby diapers from China last year. In 2023, the country imported $106.92 million worth of baby diapers from China, according to ITC data.

The changing diaper market that Pampers is facing in the Philippines is not an isolated case. In the US, Pampers is also losing market share to various imported rivals, including Chinese brands, according to a Reuters report in August.

The same Reuters report indicated that P&G is pivoting toward selling luxurious diaper brands to cope with the market changes.

P&G Philippines said it remains “committed” to providing Filipino consumers with “superior” products.

“We thank our partners for their continued support of P&G as we pursue future growth opportunities in the country with our strong, trusted portfolio that will continue to serve Philippine consumers,” it said.

P&G’s other product categories in the Philippines include family care (Safeguard), grooming (Gillette), hair care (Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, Rejoice, Old Spice), home care (Ambi Pur, Joy), oral care (Oral-B), personal health care (Dolo-Neurobion, Neurobion, Sangobion, Vicks) and skin and personal care (Olay, Safeguard, Old Spice).