28. Absorbent Hygiene Market Insights with Natalia Richer and Heidi Beatty

Attached to Hygiene

Concerns around sustainability. A more educated consumer base. Challenges of a pandemic! No doubt the absorbent hygiene market is evolving. In this episode of ‘Attached to Hygiene’, Natalia Richer, Global AHP Consultant at Diaper Testing International, and Heidi Beatty, Crown Abbey CEO, share their insights on trends in absorbent hygiene:

• What is happening now?
• What is being explored?
• What is in store for the industry in the next three to five years?

Convenience, Sustainability, and New Technologies Propel the Industry

The absorbent hygiene industry, like many others, has been experiencing delays and shortages due to the pandemic. As a result, manufacturers across the globe are being forced to adjust supply chains. Others are having to make unexpected decisions, such as how to allocate their limited packaging materials. Even so, innovation continues: Diapers with channel cores have now been released by several manufacturers. Pant diapers are gaining market share in multiple regions and for different age groups. Reusable period panties are also growing in popularity. Some consumers, though, find the idea of a washable absorbent product to be confusing.

At the same time, technological advancements are adding new functionality to products. For example, hospitals in Europe are adopting specially designed diapers that offer remote data collection. Another avenue being explored is based on the fact that bodily fluids carry valuable information about the user’s health. What if absorbent hygiene products could also screen for certain indicators in urine or blood? Then they could flag possible health issues and notify users so they can take action sooner. Innovations such as these could bring entirely new benefits to the absorbent hygiene products of the future.

Outline of the Episode

• [04:54] How the pandemic affects the absorbent hygiene market
• [08:43] The most educated generation of mothers in history are expecting greener, cleaner, and more transparent products
• [10:37] Smarter products enable convenience and new types of data tracking
• [17:51] Some advanced potentials for absorbent hygiene products
• [22:45] A closer look at channel cores and reusable period products
• [28:21] How TESCO is working to help consumers be more sustainable
• [31:34] The Latin-American mindset and opportunities for market growth
• [35:06] The more eco-conscious you are, the more involved you can be in your purchases
• [39:21] Are compostable products bringing any nutritional value back to the soil?
• [43:47] Predictions for the absorbent hygiene market in the next five years

Resources

You can find Natalia Richer and Heidi Beatty on LinkedIn or leave them a message through our email at [e-mail].

You can also connect with this episode's moderator, Diane Toonen on LinkedIn.

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Host: Jack Hughes

Music by Jonathan Boyle

Produced and edited by: Jack Hughes with help from Paul Andrews, Michele Tonkovitz, Emory Churness, and Nikki Ackerman from GreenOnion Creative.