New Survey from Essity and TENA Reveals Most Women with Incontinence Experience Intimate Skin Irritation, Yet They Reach for the Wrong Products

PHILADELPHIA, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Essity, a leading global hygiene and health company and the maker of TENA incontinence and skin care products announced new findings from a recent consumer survey of incontinence sufferers that uncovered a surprising truth: most women are living with intimate skin irritation, yet are not using the right incontinence products or addressing these issues with their doctor. ⁱ

Through the survey, conducted of women 45 and older, based in the U.S., who self-identified as having incontinence, TENA’s findings reflect that many women do not realize the connection between incontinence and intimate skin care. Three in five women over the age of 45 with incontinence experience intimate skin irritation, but only 35% have used incontinence products.

That’s why TENA Intimates® new, innovative design has skin health at its core. TENA Intimates® pads combine 100% breathability with TENA’s Triple Protection and patented ProSkin Technology®, which includes a soft top layer. TENA’s ProSkin Technology® wicks fluid away because keeping skin dry is one of the best ways to help prevent skin damage. TENA’s ProSkin Technology minimizes the potential for skin to remain damp, which breaks down skin’s natural layer of protection and can cause intimate skin irritation.

“Women who suffer from incontinence have been accepting intimate skin irritation as a side effect for far too long. I know from my 20 years of practicing integrative women’s health that women are not talking about incontinence or their intimate skin,” said Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz. “That’s why I’m thrilled that TENA is at the forefront of delivering innovative products that are designed to help protect intimate skin and has started a conversation about the connection between incontinence and skin irritation.”

“TENA’s 100% breathable products are designed to help protect intimate skin from irritation and all the inconveniences that come along with it,” said Carrie Harcus, Senior Director Marketing & Consumer Sales. “At TENA, we want women to feel empowered to step away from the taboo of incontinence and feel confident.”

Knowledge and Awareness around Incontinence and Its Impact on Intimate Skin
A snapshot of the women who participated in our survey across the U.S. reveals:

• 92% agree that breathability is an important feature in incontinence products, yet nearly half of incontinence sufferers (45%) use menstruation products to control leakage.
• 77% of women with symptoms have not spoken about incontinence with their primary doctor and nearly half (45%) of all women have not spoken to anyone at all.
• 72% claim that sometimes they’re unable to make it to the bathroom without some type of leakage.
• Although most women think about caring for their intimate skin, only 23% say they do “a lot,” and one in four are at a loss on how to treat irritation. Of those who experience intimate skin irritation, nearly half (42%) of women who experience any irritation say summer is the worst time of year for irritation.
• Only one in four women with incontinence have used exercises to improve their bladder control, regardless of whether or not they have given birth.

At varying levels of absorbency and protection, TENA has a full line of incontinence products to meet the needs of all individuals. Whether a consumer suffers from light bladder drips and dribbles, heavy leakage or needs overnight protection for worry free nights, all TENA products can be found at your local mass retailer, grocery or drug store, or online through internet based retailers or at www.TENA.us.

About TENA
TENA is a brand of Essity. With over 50 years of experience, TENA is the world’s leading continence care brand. We offer a full range of absorbent products and services, with sustainable solutions tailored to the needs of individuals, their families, and healthcare professionals. With the TENA brand, Essity is at the forefront of developing products and services that improve dignity and the quality of people’s lives.

About Essity
Essity is a leading global hygiene and health company. We are dedicated to improving well-being through our products and services. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands, such as JOBST, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, Vinda and Zewa. Essity has about 46,000 employees. Net sales in 2019 amounted to approximately SEK 129bn (EUR 12.2bn). The company’s headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Essity breaks barriers to well-being and contributes to a healthy, sustainable and circular society. For more information, visit www.essity.com. 

i. About The Survey
Essity, TENA and TRUE Global Intelligence™, the in-house research practice of FleishmanHillard, conducted a five minute online survey from June 24 to 26, 2020, among 1,000 American women, 45 years of age and older who self-identify as having urinary incontinence (defined as loss of bladder control, varying from a slight loss of urine after sneezing, coughing or laughing, to complete inability to control urination) to explore incontinence sufferers’ care and awareness of intimate skin. Quotas were set for region to ensure statistical representation by U.S. region. The margin of error is +/- 3 percent at a 95% confidence level.

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SOURCE TENA