Ontex Group NV (Ontex), a leading international provider of personal hygiene solutions has introduced two innovations in fast-growing baby pants and adult pants businesses, in which the company has outperformed the growing disposable pants market in 2022 and continues to grow sales with double-digits this year.

Baby pants are a popular alternative to open diapers for babies, especially in Europe; According to Nielsen data for the 12-month period ending in April 2023, baby pants are the only volume-growing segment in Europe, with a notable growth rate of 13 per cent, which is largely driven by retail brands.

Baby pants have traditionally been designed to assist parents in the early stages of potty training, making it easier for children to transition from diapers to regular underwear. Besides, the design of baby pants has evolved, and they now offer a true alternative to traditional open diapers. To fuel that trend, Ontex is introducing Dreamshield back pocket to upgrade leakage protection, which is a key driver for parents to shift more towards pants to more extended usage including at night.

The market for adult disposable pants is also growing. “When it comes to absorbent pants for adults, many people were taken by surprise – but not us,” said Annick De Poorter, chief innovation and sustainability officer at Ontex. “We have been at the forefront of development thanks to our experience in the healthcare sector. We know that many people have moderate incontinence and lead active lives, so we make sure our pants are affordable, discreet and easy to wear. We estimate that one in four women over the age of forty and one in nine men over sixty have some form of incontinence, so adult incontinence pants can enable many people to live a normal life.”

To further improve its offering, Ontex has launched an innovative core that improves performance thanks to its channelled X-CORE technology, of which the design squarely meets the top three needs of consumers in this category, protection, comfort and discretion, the company said in a press release.