Personal Hygiene Nonwovens Suppliers Focus on Sustainability & Performance to Increase Sales Value

Nonwovens suppliers continue to develop new products that offer the unique set of features and characteristics desired by both personal hygiene product manufacturers and consumers, particularly those that:

• are softer and lighter weight, which increases their ability to be used in close contact with skin of longer periods of time
• additional absorbability
• improvements in breathability and leak protection

Furthermore, hygiene products increasingly feature sustainable nonwoven materials, such as those made with plant-based fibers, such as jute, hemp, and cotton, which some consumers prefer in products that are in prolonged and close contact with their bodies. Additionally:

• Suppliers are improving sustainability by replacing the synthetic resins used in the production of nonwovens with biodegradable materials to minimize the environmental impact of the end-use product.
• Nonwovens producers are also interested in incorporating fibers made from recycled materials, particularly in disposables applications for this reason.

Senior-Friendly Products to See Strong Growth Along with Target Demographic Through 2024

A new Freedonia Group analysis forecasts demand for personal hygiene nonwovens to grow 1.4% per year through 2024, reaching $880 million:

• Advances will be slowed by continued weakness in baby diapers, the largest application for these products, due to slow growth in the toddler/infant population.
• Gains will come almost entirely from increasing sales of adult incontinence products, supported by a growing senior population.

Opportunities in the personal hygiene market will come from continuing product development aimed at increasing the adoption of these products and boosting market value. In addition to performance and sustainability, aesthetics such as more discrete and underwear-like adult incontinence products represents another key focus of product development efforts.

Want to Learn More?

Personal Hygiene Nonwovens is now available from the Freedonia Group. This study covers the US personal hygiene nonwovens industry (i.e., materials made from fibers, filaments, and films, which are arranged into webs, batts, or sheets, then bonded together using mechanical, thermal, or chemical means).

Historical data for 2009, 2014, and 2019 and forecasts to 2024 and 2029 are provided for nonwovens production (total) and demand (by web formation process and by application) in current dollars (which are not adjusted to account for inflation). Total demand is also shown in square meters and in metric tons.

Nonwovens are categorized by the web formation process used to produce the material:

• spunmelt (spunbonded and meltblown)
• carded
• wetlaid
• airlaid

Key application breakouts include:

• infant diapers and training pants
• adult incontinence products
• feminine hygiene products