09/16/2026
🧻🐑 WAIT… THERE COULD BE MAMMAL-DERIVED INGREDIENTS IN OUR TOILET PAPER?!
Toilet paper is just a paper product, right?
Wrong!
Well, this was something I certainly wasn't expecting to learn!
I've been navigating Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS) for 3 years and 9 months, and I JUST recently discovered that some toilet paper may contain animal-derived ingredients.
And guess what? My toilet paper of choice has been Charmin Ultra Strong! 😳
According to Charmin's own website, its toilet paper may contain animal-derived ingredients.
These ingredients aren't necessarily obvious. Toilet paper manufacturing can involve adhesives, processing aids, and conditioners, and the origins of these materials aren't always disclosed.
For those of us living with AGS, that raises some important questions!
🔎 WHAT ARE SOME ALTERNATIVES?
Here are several brands worth investigating:
🌿 Seventh Generation: Previously confirmed to The Vegetarian Resource Group that its toilet tissue and adhesives contain no animal-derived ingredients.
🌿 Quilted Northern & Angel Soft: Their manufacturer previously reported that animal ingredients were not used in its toilet tissue or adhesives.
🌿 Scott & Cottonelle: Popular choices within the AGS community. However, earlier manufacturer correspondence acknowledged that trace animal-derived materials could potentially enter the raw-material supply chain.
🌿 PlantPaper: An alternative bamboo-based toilet paper worth exploring. Verify the current formulation directly with the manufacturer.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: These are options to investigate, not guarantees of safety for every person with AGS. Manufacturing processes and ingredients can change, and individual reactions vary.
The presence of an animal-derived ingredient also doesn't automatically mean a product will cause an AGS reaction.
My biggest takeaway?
Never assume that something is mammal-free simply because it isn't food. Mammal is hidden in a lot of less obvious places.
After nearly four years of living with AGS, I'm STILL learning about unexpected places mammal-derived ingredients can appear.
And when I learn something, I want to share it with you! 💚
💚 Everything Alpha-gal
