Disposable diapers, as a typical absorbent hygiene product, have far superior production materials and manufacturing processes compared to ordinary cleaning paper, thus offering considerable profit margins. Adult incontinence products, designed to improve the quality of life for the elderly and the disabled, have witnessed a significant sales growth globally in recent years, presenting an extremely promising future for the diaper industry.
Regarding baby diapers, with the development of the global economy and the general increase in per capita purchasing power, along with the continuous transformation of parenting concepts, the baby diaper market has maintained a rapid growth trend. In some countries and regions with a large population base, such as parts of Asia, over 80% of newborn families choose to use diapers. Especially during the baby boom periods, it has created a huge development space for the baby diaper market. According to authoritative market research data, the compound annual growth rate of the global baby diaper market is expected to remain at around 8% in the next five years.
In the field of adult incontinence products, due to the intensified aging of the global population structure, this industry has entered a rapid development stage. According to relevant surveys, the global market size has increased by 30% in the past five years, reaching tens of billions of dollars. Cependant, there is still much room for improvement in market penetration. In some developed countries, the market penetration can reach 20%, while it is generally less than 5% in developing countries. If calculated based on the level of regions with higher average penetration, the market size is expected to double again in the next ten years.
From the perspective of user experience, high-quality diapers can keep babies dry throughout the night and reduce the occurrence probability of diaper rash. According to incomplete statistics, the incidence of diaper rash in babies using high-quality diapers has decreased by 70%. For adult incontinence products, good products can significantly improve the quality of life of users, reduce embarrassment and discomfort, and enhance their self-confidence and social participation.
- The Surface Layer
The surface layer directly touches the baby’s delicate skin, so it must be soft and breathable, not absorb water itself, be able to keep the baby’s body dry, quickly absorb urine and effectively prevent side leakage. Commonly, the material used for the surface layer is non-woven fabric. In the diaper field, the commonly used ones are hot air non-woven fabric and spunbond non-woven fabric, among which the hot air non-woven fabric has better performance. According to market feedback, the consumer satisfaction rate of diapers using the hot air non-woven fabric surface layer can increase by 15%.
- The Drainage Layer
The drainage layer is located between the surface layer and the absorbent core. Its important role is to enable the diaper to absorb liquid quickly, efficiently and evenly. You know, babies’ urine is often discharged in a local area. If it cannot be guided to other positions in a timely and rapid manner, it will cause the local core of the diaper to be blocked due to excessive absorption, and then cause rewetting.
Different from the surface layer material, the fibers of the drainage layer are mainly arranged longitudinally. When urine reaches the drainage layer, the fiber network will instantly absorb the liquid and temporarily store it. Then, the liquid will spread along the longitudinal fibers until it is absorbed by the core layer, thus avoiding the blockage and rewetting of the local core layer due to a large amount of liquid absorption. According to experimental data, the design of a high-quality drainage layer can increase the urine diffusion speed by 30%.
- The Absorbent Core
Currently, the diapers circulating in the global market usually have two types of core structures: one is the all-core, and the other is the composite paper core. The composite core is composed of fluff pulp and super absorbent polymer (SAP).
Let’s focus on the super absorbent polymer here. It is a high polymer formed by appropriate cross-linking and has a three-dimensional spatial network. In the field of hygiene products, it is a commonly used raw material for sanitary napkins and diapers. This material is insoluble in water and organic solvents but has unique water absorption and water retention properties. At the same time, it has the characteristics of polymer materials: huge water absorption capacity, which can reach hundreds or even thousands of times its own mass. The water absorption speed is extremely fast, and a gel can be formed within seconds. The water retention is strong, and it is not easy to lose water under heating and pressurization conditions. It has good stability against light, heat, and acids and bases, and also has good biodegradability.
- The Backsheet
The backsheet looks like a layer of plastic film but is actually a breathable microporous film. The micropores are the key. Since the minimum diameter of water droplets is about 20 µm and the diameter of water vapor molecules is only 0.0004 µm, the diameter of the micropores is right between the two. In this way, the ideal effect of breathability but impermeability is achieved. According to actual use tests, diapers with a good backsheet design can increase breathability by 25%.
- The Side Leakage Prevention Edges at the Leg Openings
The side leakage prevention edges at the leg openings are located on both sides of the thigh openings and are connected to the surface layer. Their main role is to prevent urine from leaking from the sides when it fails to seep down in time. According to consumer surveys, diapers with good side leakage prevention effects can increase the repurchase rate by 20%.
For a diaper, it is composed of various materials, but the ones that account for a relatively large proportion and are the most important are the ones introduced above. The mystery veil of diapers has now been lifted for you! Presumably, you have discovered that the seemingly simple diaper actually contains a lot of high technology.
At this point, do you have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the production materials of diapers? Although a diaper is composed of various materials and structures, all the qualified raw materials used in the production are safe and environmentally friendly for the human body and the environment, and you can purchase and use them with confidence. (https://caresohygiene.com/product/)
