Period Care Pads: Consumer Demands Impact Product Designs

When a consumer finds femcare products that meet her needs—from managing light to heavy flow, discretion during the day, and extra protection at night—she tends to stick with the brands she trusts. So how do you keep a feminine care consumer happy? Give her what she wants! Thinner, softer, and more absorbent disposable hygiene articles. To do that, changes to your current designs or materials may be needed.

 

Even if your new or improved product offers greater performance or better integrity than the previous one, some consumers are simply uneasy about change—especially in the highly personal area of feminine care. This is why explaining the value and benefits of any changes in product design or materials used is extremely important to help ease consumer concerns and instill confidence.  

 

For example, the adhesive used for pad attachment is visible to her as she places the pad in her undergarment. It also plays a significant role in ensuring her pad stays in place during use. If any residue is noticed after her pad is removed, or the adhesive is too strong and the pad rips when removed, she may become dissatisfied with the quality of your product. Choosing an attachment adhesive that allows easy positioning and repositioning of the pad, keeps the pad in place no matter how active the user is while wearing it, removes easily, and doesn’t leave residue when removed—all while preserving the integrity of the pad—can make the difference in creating a more positive user experience.

 

We understand femcare products inside and out

In addition to the outward-facing pad fastening adhesive, choosing the right construction adhesive can help support designs that include a variety of traditional and alternative materials inside the product. This can include:

• Wood pulp fluff
• Superabsorbent polymer (SAP)
• Softer nonwoven fabrics
• Polymer films
• Fragrance additives 

In fact, our range of adhesives for the manufacture of feminine care articles is formulated to help meet both your construction adhesive and stay-in-place adhesive needs. This will allow you to produce a pad that sticks every time, will not shift as she moves around throughout the day and night, and is easy to remove with no ripping or residue.  

 

Consumer preferences and competition can shape your products

User preferences for disposable hygiene pads vary around the world. With the right adhesives, you can better accommodate these preferences through your ability to use the materials that support slim, discreet, highly absorbent designs that stay in place.  

 

Additionally, the variety of undergarment styles and fabric types available also should be taken into consideration when deciding on:

• Shape
• Length
• Absorbency
• Thickness
• Wings
• Adhesives 

If all this wasn’t enough to think about, the introduction of reusable menstrual cups, period panties, and even traditional tampons are competing for attention. Clearly communicating the benefits and quality of your feminine hygiene pad is critical. As a femcare consumer has positive experiences with your products and understands your absorbent articles are designed with her needs in mind, she may become a loyal user for years to come. She may also recommend your sanitary pads to her own daughters, granddaughters, and other women in her life.  

 

As you evaluate the designs, materials, and performance of your products, ask your manufacturing partners to share information, insights, and performance testing results for their products to ensure they meet your application needs. All of Bostik’s disposable hygiene adhesives undergo a series of tests to measure performance and quality. Our adhesive experts are also specially trained to provide manufacturers like you with recommendations for optimising performance and improving profitability through specialty services such as product audits. 

 

Learn more about optimising your femcare products when you read, “What to Look for in a Pad Attachment Adhesive.”