Opportunities Abound for Adult Incontinence Products Market

Consumers are benefitting from online shopping, private label options and strong innovation in this hygiene category

Aside from demographics, growth in the adult incontinence products market is being accelerated by factors such as obesity and diabetes, according to Pricie Hanna, managing partner, Price Hanna Consultants. “Those conditions are some of the things that drive growth to a level higher than you would see based on just the demographics of people living longer.” 

Moreover, there are a few areas within the incontinence category where brands are seeing opportunities to increase market penetration.  

In addition to the growth of penetration that’s being seen in the products designed for light to moderate incontinence that are predominately marketed towards women, more and more products are being designed and marketed for men, says Colin Hanna, director of market research, Price Hanna Consultants. “There is an effort to lower the stigma of talking about male incontinence because that is a part of the demographics where I think there’s plenty of room for further market penetration. It is both demographics and market penetration that drive growth in a lot of interesting ways and in quite a range of product types.”

Meanwhile, moderate/heavy incontinence products kept superior performance within the retail adult incontinence space for the second year in a row, by marginally outperforming light format options in 2023, according to Euromonitor International. “Building on consumers’ orientation towards value, moderate/heavy products boast higher mileage and cost-benefit ratio that appeal to a time of higher cost of living and subsequent budgeting behavior,” says Caro Bush, research analyst, Euromonitor International. “Also underscoring the success of moderate/heavy products is innovation that aligns with requests for quick leak absorbency in discreet, less-bulky styles. Illustrating this is Poise’s 2023 introduction of the 7 Drop Pad, which utilizes a curve-shaped pad that mitigates bunching.”

Incontinence Online

Another factor supporting growth in the incontinence category is the growth of e-commerce, which intensified during Covid-19 restrictions and has created new opportunities for consumers to enter and grow within the category.

According to Colin Hanna, historically, there has been a split in adult incontinence between the consumer marketplace and the institutional marketplace, and the big change in long term care for older adults has been that more of the care is taking place inside the home. “As this trend continues, distributors, who have their long-standing relationships as medical supply distributors with long-term care providers, are having to market more and more directly to consumers in the home because even if people living at home are receiving home care from professional agencies, they are increasingly doing the purchasing of incontinence products themselves.”

Consequently, more of the large medical supply distributors are building up their e-commerce direct-to-consumer businesses, he adds. “In the adult incontinence category, there also are more players and brands compared to the other categories of mass consumer products. In addition, many traditionally institutional medical suppliers are building up strong e-commerce operations.” 

Adding to this, better consumer education is going hand-in-hand with the rise in e-commerce. “Brands are providing value not just by offering products on the website for purchase with easy and discreet delivery, which is important for incontinence, but they are also providing some hand-holding in picking the right product. It’s not always obvious to people what the best product is for fit and performance when faced with such a wide range of products,” he says. “That is where a lot of e-commerce distributors are having success building relationships directly with consumers. They’re also having success with private label because they offer private label brands as e-commerce retailers.”

Bush of Euromonitor is also witnessing these trends. “While discreet delivery is a major motivating factor of online incontinence transactions, expanding conversation-based initiatives through online blogs, discussion forums and live conversation with providers underpin the success of the channel,” she says. “Persisting efforts to open the conversation on incontinence brings new opportunity for brands to engage with consumers and best-fit product assortment to their needs.”

According to Euromonitor, settling from the online boom accompanying the Covid-19 lockdowns in the U.S., e-commerce purchases of adult incontinence products have still maintained double-digit growth in 2023.

Heidi Robinson, COO of Because Market, an online incontinence brand, says e-commerce has changed the landscape for every category in personal care and incontinence is no different. “Customers are choosing to shop differently, and that includes older adults who continue to adopt technology and online shopping at a rapid rate. Our philosophy at Because is to meet customers where they are and selling online has enabled us to provide our customers with the essential products they need, when they need them, in a convenient, affordable and discreet way,” she explains.

Beyond the shopping experience, Because’s presence online has allowed its brand to serve customers holistically outside of just products. The brand’s digital community, with its Men’s and Women’s Facebook Incontinence Support Groups, brings people together to share tips, stories and support. Additionally, Because regularly shares news and resources via its blog where customers can learn more about incontinence, wellness and aging, Robinson says.

Incontinence products manufacturer Principle Business Enterprises, Inc. (PBE) is also observing this trend. Angie Williams, PBE’s vice president of sales and marketing, says that in many cases, e-commerce vendors also provide unique experiences tailored to their audience. “For example, they may offer extensive guidance for those who care for a loved one with incontinence, foster community discussions through social media or offer tools that match someone with the best product for their specific needs,” she explains. “It has grown beyond just a shopping experience. Today, e-commerce is about providing a full network of resources and products to support a person throughout their entire incontinence journey.”

Williams says that online sales are leading growth due to ease of ordering and wider product selection compared to traditional sales channels. “Wearers and caregivers can discreetly order products from the comfort of their home, receive them in a timely fashion, and even enroll into auto-ship programs so they will not run low on supplies. This is especially beneficial for customers with limited mobility or to support the demanding schedules of the ‘sandwich generation’ providing care for both parents and children.”

According to a spokesperson from hygiene products manufacturer Ontex, e-commerce has been on the rise and consumers are choosing this channel as part of their omni-channel experience to shop incontinence products. “Be it our own blogs or e-shops or the e-shops of our trade partners, consumers are demanding complete discretion,” the spokesperson says. “Consumers are also demanding seamless shopping experiences including fast delivery, returns, multiple choices, smart pricing and promos, post-sales support, etc., and ensuring that you meet these demands is a critical success factor.”

Shoppers of incontinence products are not only expecting products, but also high quality curated content to be delivered to them. This could be via the blogs, social media, newsletters, etc. “For example; today with our newsletters in European countries, we are reaching out to 25,000 subscribers and their engagement has been very high and we are very proud to reach 4.8/5 score in verified reviews,” the Ontex spokesperson explains. “The uptake in e-commerce that we have all seen during the lockdown has been surely stabilizing now, but e-commerce as a shopping channel has surely become more present.”

ccording to Sima Delafraz, chief commercial officer of hygiene products manufacturer First Quality, one of the biggest factors shaping the market is the amount of people aging into the category who are open to using technology for convenience and education. “Senior-focused e-commerce is an underleveraged opportunity as more people and caregivers are using technology as support services,” she says. “This is one of the reasons why First Quality is investing in our clinical support services, which provide consumers with 24/7 access to our team of licensed nurses who can answer consumer questions about incontinence products and care.”

Cost-Conscious Consumers

In recent years, inflation and rising costs for raw materials—which led to more expensive consumer products—have driven consumers to try private label products.

“In 2022, prompted by increased costs throughout the supply chain and a high inflationary environment seen in the U.S., players in the hygiene space and beyond were forced to raise prices for their products,” Bush says. “Adult incontinence was not exempt from these external pressures, with the unit price for retail adult incontinence products increasing nearly 9% in 2022 current value terms.”

Cost challenges continued into 2023, with lingering price increases reaching the consumer in 2023, according to Euromonitor. “Though U.S. inflation, supply chain disruptions and resulting price increases have largely calmed when compared to the prior year, value-conscious consumer behavior has remained a reality,” she adds.

According to Euromonitor’s Voice of the Consumer: Health and Nutrition Survey (fielded January to February 2023), value for money ranks as the top desired product feature for U.S. incontinence consumers, with 32.8% of U.S. respondents selecting value for money as a desired feature. 

“Private label offerings are benefitting from this budget-consciousness and are set to outpace the overall market in 2023 in both value and volume terms,” Bush explains. “In addition to budget-consciousness underpinning success of private label offerings, innovation aids in consumer adoption.”

First Quality continues to see strong growth in the market for private label incontinence products. With the rising cost of living and inflation, Delafraz says many people are reconsidering private label options and that includes seniors who may be on a fixed income. “Whether purchasing incontinence products for themselves or a loved one, many consumers today are value-conscious: They want an affordable product that doesn’t compromise on quality,” she adds.

Based on demographic trends, First Quality expects to see the incontinence products category continue to grow organically. “Age is a known risk factor for incontinence, and the population of people over the age of 65 continues to grow,” she says. “Additionally, we’re seeing more younger consumers seeking out bladder protection products, whether they’re experiencing changes due to pregnancy, perimenopause or other factors. This is an opportunity for retailers to invest in their own incontinence brands and take a holistic approach to building consumer loyalty at every age and stage.”

In the past few years, the private label market has grown two and a half times more than the category average across all products, according to Matt Koloseike, vice president of sales & marketing of Drylock. “Along with this growth, the private label market has evolved a lot in terms of positioning, innovation levels, sustainability goals and overall product quality. They have become the perfect answer to consumers that are looking for value for money for their everyday products.”

Koloseike says the product range has also increased significantly within the private label market: products are developed more extensively and offer more benefits. Some examples include discreet underwear, male guards, bladder control pads and shaped pads. “Because of this, private label products are growing at a rate that’s almost three times higher than national brand equivalents.”

In 2023, Drylock, which manufactures both retailer brands and its own brands, introduced a patented anti-leak channel core technology in North America. This innovative technology not only boosts product efficiency, safety and comfort, but also fosters sustainable development initiatives.

The new innovative technology is designed to evenly distribute the liquid throughout the underwear core and to keep the user dry, while enabling them to continue a very active and social lifestyle. It is designed to enhance protection, while providing the lowest profile and most comfortable solution available to consumers today. 

The innovative patent-protected technology showcases a proprietary channel design that uses less material while improving the performance. “Drylock’s steadfast commitment to eco-conscious design has led to a reduction in the environmental footprint of our products, all while upholding the highest standards of quality,” Koloseike says.

Meanwhile, Ontex continued to see demand for adult care products grow in 2023, both for branded products and for private label. Ontex European sales volumes realized strong growth in the healthcare channel. An Ontex spokesperson says consumers are shifting to better value-for-money alternatives and the population is aging. Retail brands have also done a good job at incorporating innovative product features, which leads to increased adoption especially for moderate and heavy incontinence, they added.

Last year Ontex launched an innovative core that improves performance in the growing light incontinence and adult pants categories thanks to its channeled X-CORE technology, the design of which directly addresses the top three consumer needs in this category - protection, comfort and discretion. Ontex’s X-CORE technology meets consumer demands for ease of use, discretion and leakage protection. For heavier incontinence, Ontex continues to work on skin protection in its absorbent aids, which has been evaluated by dermatologists, and last year the company relaunched an enhanced range of hygiene, protection and skin care products.

Innovation Boom

New products and technologies continue to launch in the adult incontinence products category, and there’s no sign of it stopping. In fact, Adam Greenberg, founder, NorthShore Care Supply, says there is a desperate need for innovation in incontinence care.

“As the baby boomers are reaching their peak incontinence years at the same time as we have a critical labor shortage in healthcare, there is an urgent need for patient-centered solutions that provide a dignified solution to incontinence management,” he says. “Changing people every two to three hours to keep the skin dry has always been a flawed strategy, especially at night. NorthShore’s focus on value-based solutions which reduce changes to no more than three times per day without compromising on dryness are a game-changer, especially in senior living.”