A group of Dudes are the winners of this year’s Visionary Award, which was handed out this morning at the conclusion of the Vision 2013 Consumer Products Conference in Orlando, FL.

Joining the ranks of past winners including Swiffer floor cleaning pads and a regenerated cotton wipe from Rocline Industries, Dudes Wipes, personal cleansing wipes marketed specifically to men, were chosen from five finalists in this year’s competition.

Billed asthe product the adult moist tissue market has been waiting for, Dude Wipes incorporated social packaging and humorous niche driven branding to change male hygiene routines and behavior, according to the company’s “chief executive dude” Sean Riley.  Dude Wipes are wallet-sized and perfect for guys to stay fresh wherever or whenever nature calls. With uses ranging from the bathroom, pre- or post gym cleanroom or a quick shower, Dude Wipes are flushable, biodegradable and contain vitamin E.

“We found that once people started using wipes, they became part of their routine,” Riley says.
One of the major upsides of the product is it falls outside the scope of traditional wipes products, which are geared toward babies, women and cleaning applications.

“This product is really creating new customers for wipes,” Riley says. “We are introducing so many people into the wipes market, probably 80% of the guys using this product have not used wipes before.”

New to the world of nonwovens, Riley spent a lot of time researching substrate technology before developing Dude Wipes, which was made through a collaboration with Rockline Industries.

“We really went a long way to find the right nonwoven,” he adds. “We wanted something flushable and dispersible.”

Riley says he felt these attributes would help attract more customers to this product in a target market that is tough to influence.

“You’re dealing with somebody who is 25 years old. It’s not the easiest thing to break them into doing something new in the hygiene routine. People are going to do things the way they do,” he says.

Dude Wipes were launched in July 2012 and are currently sold online and in a number of small specialty stores.

In addition to Dude Wipes, finalists for this year’s Visionary Awards were a stretchable hood, a panty refreshener pad, a pleatable filter and a facial mask.