Hygienix Innovation Award™

“MDP” Male Drip Protection by Dermasteel Ltd. **WINNER**

There exists today over ten million men in the U.S. that are coping with some form of bladder leakage. To date, men have not had a variety of product choices available to them, largely because the nonwoven hygiene industry has traditionally placed more focus on the feminine hygiene market. For men experiencing light incontinence and bladder leakage, the choices for products available in the market are predominately guards, shields and briefs, all of which can be ineffective, uncomfortable, and not very discreet, particularly for someone only experiencing drips and dribbles.

Over the past four years, Dermasteel Ltd. has worked with urologists, engineers and consumers to develop a revolutionary, disruptive product for men coping with light urinary incontinence. In working with prostate support groups and directly engaging with guys who are managing light incontinence, we consistently heard the same comments and feedback: men want a discreet solution for light incontinence which is comfortable, discreet, and more tailored to the male anatomy. For guys who only experience drips and dribbles or bladder leakage, bulky guards, shields and briefs are simply more than they need. Unfortunately, there have not been any viable alternative solutions that actually performed adequately…until now.

After testing different product designs with hundreds of men coping with bladder leakage, it became obvious that men consistently were asking for a product that allows for freedom of movement without worrying about leakage, is invisibly discreet so no one knows you’re wearing it, and is form-fitting and tailored to a man’s anatomy. Our new product, MDP, delivers exactly what men are looking for, and provides a new freedom only found when the worry over bladder leakage is eliminated.

By utilizing nonwoven and absorbent core materials, and configuring them in a brand new, patented and patent-pending proprietary design, MDP has created a product configuration which is comfortably worn directly on the male anatomy. The resulting efficacy of MDP is unparalleled amongst products currently available to men and produces a secure and effective containment of drips and dribbles. MDP provides unparalleled containment of urine, resulting in the least amount of skin exposure to urine of any nonwoven hygiene product for men currently available. And the best feature of MDP…it’s so comfortable, many guys have reported that they forget they’re even wearing it.

1. >High Gel Strength (HGS) SAF™ by Technical Absorbents

As it enters the new decade, the development and promotion of its fabric portfolio continues to be the focus of Super Absorbent Fibre (SAF™) manufacturer Technical Absorbents Limited (TAL).

High Gel Strength (HGS) SAF™ fabrics are a new range from Technical Absorbents that incorporate more robust HGS SAF™ fibres. The fibres have been developed to allow the design and manufacture of materials that offer greater integrity and robustness in more demanding absorbent applications.

“The fibres are manufactured in-house and can be integrated into its needlefelt and thermo-carded fabrics for added durability,” explains Product Development Director Dr Mark Paterson.

“They provide decreased levels of absorbency compared to standard SAF™ fibres but still high absorbency compared to other available technologies. Resulting fabrics will also absorb less but in certain applications this can be beneficial, e.g. in some washable applications the fabrics durability is more important than its ability to absorb large volumes of liquid.”

A number of HGS SAF™ nonwovens have already been developed to aid the sampling process for prospective customers. Technical Absorbents can then manufacture bespoke fabrics containing HGS fibres to meet customers’ specific requirements.

Full-Care® 6217 by H.B. Fuller

Based on the combination of extensive consumer research, voice of hygiene customers study, and our world class adhesives expertise, we identified that there is a need for a new class of positioning adhesives that meet the evolving needs of the millennial consumers and deliver measurable value to the manufacturers of the disposable hygiene products.

The results of these efforts is our new generation of the positioning adhesive, the Full-Care® 6217 that delivers:

• - Up to 20% savings through coat weight reduction, compared to the industry leading adhesives.
• - Consistently higher peels with no adhesive transfer to undergarments.
• - Robust performance on different fabric types like Nylon, Microfiber and Cotton
• - Excellent adhesion on both fabric sides for reliable stay-in-place performance.

These benefits of Full-Care® 6217 were highly appreciated by the industry as they address the needs of the modern user, while providing a robust performance and saving to the manufacturers.