Kirkland Signature Supreme Review
Pros: Durable, comfy, price
Cons: Health, not very eco-friendly
Bottom line: Durable and cozy diaper with good performance for the price
| Editors' Rating: |
Chlorine-Free: Not Listed
Perfume-Free: Yes
Manufacturer: Kirkland
The Skinny
Kirkland Signature Supreme disposable diapers are a good value that offers better than average performance. This diaper is super comfortable and durable which can translate to even more savings by avoiding the throw away faulty diapers that come with some of the competition. This diaper performed well in our tests for absorption and leakage and while they didn't offer top of the line performance they did offer good results for the price making them a top consideration for families on a budget. These diapers don't do much in the way of environmental concerns or offering a product free of known potential skin irritants, but if what you want is a good diaper that won't break the bank then the Kirkland diaper may be a good choice for you which is why it won a Best Value award. This inexpensive option can be purchased without a Costco membership.
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Our Analysis and Hands-on Test Results
Review by:
Juliet Spurrier, MD & Wendy Schmitz
Juliet Spurrier, MD & Wendy Schmitz
Last Updated:
Monday
September 18, 2017
Monday
September 18, 2017
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The Kirkland brand is owned by the Costco Company a wholesale retail store. This private label brand strives to bring quality products to consumers at a price saving value. The Kirkland Signature label is found on about 20% of the products offered at Costco. Costco strives to provide products that are equal to or better than the name brand options so they can better control the quality of products and help drive down the price on national brands at the same time. The Kirkland label can be found on a variety of items from diapers to dog food and just about everything in between.
The chart below provides a quick comparison of the overall scores for the diapers we tested. The Kirkland diaper (in blue) scored above average offering a nice value for the price. While it isn't the highest performing option, it is a good diaper with a reasonable price for parents on a budget.
The sections below provide details about how this diaper compared to the competition. The overall score is based on individual metric scores with an emphasis on leakage and absorption.
This diaper earned a 6 of 10 for absorption. This is above the average and its results were consistent across repeated tests indicating an attention to quality and consistency in the manufacturing process we didn't see in all of the competition.
This diaper did have some moisture transfer to the test paper during testing. However, the amount was minimal compared to the competition. Less transfer is better because it means the diaper is good at locking moisture away in its core which helps prevent leaking and keeps baby's skin dry. Drier skin means less potential for irritation or diaper rash as a result of chronic wetness.
The Kirkland diaper earned a 6 of 10 for leakage, which is the average score for the group.
In our run-off test, this diaper did really well with only a small amount of mock urine making it into the pan. This test result means that the diaper absorbs liquids quickly which should result in a lower potential for leaks. However, in our online research, this diaper had a larger percentage of complaints on Amazon concerning leaks than some of the competition. Leaking isn't a significant problem, but there is a greater occurrence than there is with higher scoring diapers. For the price, however, this diaper impressed with its combination of higher leakage and absorption scores than other similarly priced options.
Kirkland earned a 9 of 10 for comfort, which is the highest score for this metric. This diaper managed to pull off something somewhat rare by being both comfortable and durable (see below).
This diaper has a soft backing and an inner liner that feels more like actual fabric than most of the diapers we tested. However, it shines when it comes to the elastic and motion points with a smooth and skin-friendly feel. Even the closure tabs and cuffs feel less abrasive than most of the competition, giving this diaper a cozy fit and feel.
Kirkland did not score well for health with a 3 of 10 and they don't provide a disclosure list of what this diaper is made of or what they have tried to avoid.
Many of the store brand or discount diapers seem to be forgoing any consideration for known irritants, but we think being free of these common additives is a step in the right direction that all brands should be making for baby's health and skin. This diaper does not indicate that it is free of chlorine, something most diapers are moving towards to avoid the impact to the environment and the development of dioxins. For health this diaper only mentions being perfume free; it says nothing about lotion, dyes, latex, or chlorine.
Like most store brand diapers the Kirkland product doesn't offer much in the way of being environmentally friendly with a score of 1 of 10.
Unfortunately, Kirkland does not offer even a partial disclosure list of how these diapers are made. Given that most companies love to brag about their environmental benefits we assume this means they've made no effort to improve the overall impact of this diaper on the Earth. Considering that no disposable diaper is great for the environment, we certainly prefer to see companies at least making an effort to improve their products with the Earth in mind. This diaper does not appear to be chlorine free, nor is it made with renewable or sustainable resources or plant-based plastics. And while you can recycle the box it comes in, we don't see that it uses recycled materials in its packaging. Some advances it could try would be using bamboo or corn-based resources, improving the potential for biodegradability, and incorporating recycled materials into its design or packaging. Diapers like Nature Babycare have moved to compostable materials and bamboo covers and liners for a more Earth-friendly configuration.
With a score of 7 of 10 for durability, the Kirkland diaper earned the high for the metric tying with several other options.
During testing, we did not find any issues or problems with faulty tabs or falling apart. There were no SAP leaks or tearing back fabric. Users online had similar results with no reviews out of 137 we read discussing any problems with durability. This is a rarity in the world of diapers and definitely something to consider. Some of the other diapers we tested have repeated durability issues resulting in a certain percentage of diapers being unusable which increases the overall cost of the diapers and the annoyance factor.
Kirkland diapers are a comfortable durable option with a reasonable price point.
Performance Comparison
The chart below provides a quick comparison of the overall scores for the diapers we tested. The Kirkland diaper (in blue) scored above average offering a nice value for the price. While it isn't the highest performing option, it is a good diaper with a reasonable price for parents on a budget.
The sections below provide details about how this diaper compared to the competition. The overall score is based on individual metric scores with an emphasis on leakage and absorption.
Absorption tests on the Kirkland diapers indicated it absorbs liquids quickly so baby can stay drier.
Absorption
This diaper earned a 6 of 10 for absorption. This is above the average and its results were consistent across repeated tests indicating an attention to quality and consistency in the manufacturing process we didn't see in all of the competition.
This diaper did have some moisture transfer to the test paper during testing. However, the amount was minimal compared to the competition. Less transfer is better because it means the diaper is good at locking moisture away in its core which helps prevent leaking and keeps baby's skin dry. Drier skin means less potential for irritation or diaper rash as a result of chronic wetness.
Only a small amount of mock urine made it to our leakage pan but online reviewers felt this diaper may leak more than the higher priced competition.
Leakage
The Kirkland diaper earned a 6 of 10 for leakage, which is the average score for the group.
In our run-off test, this diaper did really well with only a small amount of mock urine making it into the pan. This test result means that the diaper absorbs liquids quickly which should result in a lower potential for leaks. However, in our online research, this diaper had a larger percentage of complaints on Amazon concerning leaks than some of the competition. Leaking isn't a significant problem, but there is a greater occurrence than there is with higher scoring diapers. For the price, however, this diaper impressed with its combination of higher leakage and absorption scores than other similarly priced options.
Kirkland diapers are super soft with skin friendly elastic, motion points, tabs, and cuffs.
Comfort
Kirkland earned a 9 of 10 for comfort, which is the highest score for this metric. This diaper managed to pull off something somewhat rare by being both comfortable and durable (see below).
This diaper has a soft backing and an inner liner that feels more like actual fabric than most of the diapers we tested. However, it shines when it comes to the elastic and motion points with a smooth and skin-friendly feel. Even the closure tabs and cuffs feel less abrasive than most of the competition, giving this diaper a cozy fit and feel.
Health
Kirkland did not score well for health with a 3 of 10 and they don't provide a disclosure list of what this diaper is made of or what they have tried to avoid.
Many of the store brand or discount diapers seem to be forgoing any consideration for known irritants, but we think being free of these common additives is a step in the right direction that all brands should be making for baby's health and skin. This diaper does not indicate that it is free of chlorine, something most diapers are moving towards to avoid the impact to the environment and the development of dioxins. For health this diaper only mentions being perfume free; it says nothing about lotion, dyes, latex, or chlorine.
Ecological
Like most store brand diapers the Kirkland product doesn't offer much in the way of being environmentally friendly with a score of 1 of 10.
Unfortunately, Kirkland does not offer even a partial disclosure list of how these diapers are made. Given that most companies love to brag about their environmental benefits we assume this means they've made no effort to improve the overall impact of this diaper on the Earth. Considering that no disposable diaper is great for the environment, we certainly prefer to see companies at least making an effort to improve their products with the Earth in mind. This diaper does not appear to be chlorine free, nor is it made with renewable or sustainable resources or plant-based plastics. And while you can recycle the box it comes in, we don't see that it uses recycled materials in its packaging. Some advances it could try would be using bamboo or corn-based resources, improving the potential for biodegradability, and incorporating recycled materials into its design or packaging. Diapers like Nature Babycare have moved to compostable materials and bamboo covers and liners for a more Earth-friendly configuration.
The Kirkland diaper is very durable with no reviews or testers experiencing any issues with faulty tabs or leaking SAP.
Durability
With a score of 7 of 10 for durability, the Kirkland diaper earned the high for the metric tying with several other options.
During testing, we did not find any issues or problems with faulty tabs or falling apart. There were no SAP leaks or tearing back fabric. Users online had similar results with no reviews out of 137 we read discussing any problems with durability. This is a rarity in the world of diapers and definitely something to consider. Some of the other diapers we tested have repeated durability issues resulting in a certain percentage of diapers being unusable which increases the overall cost of the diapers and the annoyance factor.
Manufacturer Video
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Juliet Spurrier, MD & Wendy Schmitz