CPG heavyweight Procter & Gamble (P&G) and grocer Loblaw emerged as the big winners of the 13th edition of the BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards.

The awards reflect the opinions of 45,394 Canadian shoppers who collectively provided 240,033 brand evaluations across 363 categories. The assessment spans consumer products, food and beverage, grocery retail, health and OTC, home goods, pet care, services and retail and restaurant sectors.

P&G was the top winner with multiple plaudits for Oral-B (four), Downy (three), Gillette (three) and Pepto-Bismol (two) and single wins for Pampers, Bounce, Tide, Bounty, Tampax, Always, Braun, Head & Shoulders, Old Spice, Pantene, Ivory Snow, Cascade, Swiffer, Crest, Metamucil and Olay.

Loblaw’s discount banner No Frills took home nine awards and Real Canadian Super Store earned five wins. Maxi claimed two as did PC Optimum, PC Financial and Shoppers Drug Mart. Canada’s largest grocer also scored single awards for No Name and President’s Choice. Competitor Empire bagged wins for IGA (six), Sobeys (six) and Safeway (three).

Kimberly-Clark, coming off its recent purchase of Kenvue, earned wins for Tylenol (five), Aveeno (three), Huggies (two), Neutrogena (two), Band-Aid (one) Benadryl (one) and Listerine (one).

L’Oréal earned four wins for its trademark and five for Maybelline, while last year’s top winner Walmart secured eight category wins. Reckitt’s Lysol dominated household cleaners with seven nods.

The 2026 Most Trusted Awards added 173 new categories, including 16 new retail categories, eight in petcare and 11 in dairy. In addition to national No. 1 Most Trusted winners, BrandSpark is now also including brands that have achieved second- or third-place rankings nationally. Top trusted brands in Quebec were revealed in 52 categories.

“Being most trusted doesn’t just mean a brand is widely known, it reflects real value recognized by Canadians,” said Philip Scrutton, VP of shopper insights at BrandSpark. “Shoppers are willing to pay, on average, a 15% premium for the brand they trust most over available alternatives. Trust makes brands resilient during periods of price fluctuation or economic instability.”

BrandSpark’s multi-year research shows that trust, as expressed by consumers, is a key predictor of purchase frequency, word-of-mouth advocacy and long-term loyalty.

The new 2026 BrandSpark Canadian Trust Study also revealed key insights into how Canadians define and reward trust today. According to the research, trust withstands price pressure with 79% of consumers saying they would rather pay more for a brand they trust than switch to a cheaper alternative that is not as trusted. Also, while value is a consistent driver of trust and private-label offerings continue to find success, national brands remain the trust leaders in most categories.

BrandSpark’s strongest predictors for earning resilient trust are recognition for superior and consistent quality, creating a personal connection and introducing distinct or innovative offerings.