A new Freedonia Group analysis projects demand for personal hygiene nonwovens to grow 1.4% per year through 2024, slowed by continued weakness in baby diapers. Gains will come almost entirely from increasing sales of adult incontinence products, supported by the U.S.’s rapidly growing senior population.

Opportunities in the personal hygiene market will come from continuing product development aimed at increasing the adoption of these products and boosting market value. Areas of improvement include: performance, particularly in comfort or absorbability; sustainability, such as offerings with recyclable or plant-based and biodegradable fibers; and aesthetics such as more discrete and underwear-like adult incontinence products.

However, gains through 2024 will be restrained by a falling birth rate and related slow growth (less than 1%) in demand for infant diapers and training pants – which accounted for nearly three-quarters of personal hygiene nonwovens demand in 2019.

Nevertheless, this will mark an improvement from the 2014-2019 period, when a contraction in the infant/toddler population corresponded with stagnancy in this key segment. Toddlers in particular will show population gains on average with overall population growth through 2024, supporting the sale of training pants, which are larger and have more nonwoven material.

Personal Hygiene Nonwovens is now available from the Freedonia Group. This study covers the U.S. personal hygiene nonwovens industry. Historical data for 2009, 2014, and 2019 and forecasts to 2024 and 2029 are provided for nonwovens production (total) and demand (by web formation process and by application) in current dollars (which are not adjusted to account for inflation). Total demand is also shown in square meters and in metric tons.

Nonwovens are categorized by the web formation process used to produce the material: spunmelt (spunbonded and meltblown), carded, wetlaid and airlaid.

Key application breakouts include: infant diapers and training pants, adult incontinence products and feminine hygiene products.

Totals for nonwovens presented in this study include nonwovens sold on the merchant market. Nonwoven goods used in captive production are not included in these data. In addition, the study discusses impacts for Covid-19, pricing trends, competitive products, as well as the global outlook for personal hygiene nonwovens.