US-based company Advanced Absorbent Technologies (AAT) has unveiled a new product for the adult incontinence sector that is said to be 50% thinner than the leading brands. ALYNE incontinence underwear features a four-layer absorbent system that is free from bulky wood pulp, absorbing evenly to maintain shape and comfort.
WTiN first learned of the new development at Hygienix 2017, INDA’s premier event for the absorbent hygiene and personal care markets, held in Austin, Texas, on 6-9 November. The product bagged the Hygienix Innovation Award, beating competition from Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies Little Snugglers Nano Preemie Diapers and Procter & Gamble’s Pampers Swaddlers Preemie Diapers.
During the conference, ALYNE was presented by Joseph Howard, president and CMO of Advanced Absorbent Technologies. Howard and his business partners had been in the incontinence market previously but were compelled to re-enter the sector after seeing innovation slow down. They felt that comfort and fit were not being fully met, limiting consumers’ dignity.
Joseph Howard (right) accepts the Hygienix Innovation Award from INDA president Dave Rousse
“We realised there was an opportunity to help consumers like we used to. We started from scratch by throwing out the existing thinking surrounding product design,” says Howard. “We truly believe that ALYNE is a major leap forward in this category.”
With a combined experience of 100 years, in the fields of manufacturing, equipment, marketing and worldwide markets, Howard and his business partners created ‘hundreds and hundreds’ of different combinations and came up with one idea that they say meets high level consumer needs.
Howard says: “We completely eliminated all uses of wood pulp, but we replaced it by having a completely different structure – multi-layered superabsorbent technology. Overall, it’s extremely thin, very flexible and extremely dry.”
A promotional video for the new product, played during the conference, expanded on the technology: “The top layer has a fabric feel against the skin. Fluids move through this layer quickly to reduce the sensation of wetness. Next are two patented Diamond Quilt layers. Here, superabsorbents are organised into individual diamonds. Each diamond is like a small reservoir – as one diamond absorbs, fluid moves quickly to the next. An absorbent strip channels fluid front and back. ALYNE underwear has another Diamond Quilt layer with another absorbing material. It locks any other wetness in because absorption is almost instantaneous. Special air light barriers provide even more protection and ALYNE underwear fits comfortably close but never too tight. And, it moves with you because it is made with double the number of comfort fit threads than other leading brands. ALYNE underwear gives women and men a more dignified wearing experience.”
Elaborating on the product benefits, Howard says the material cost for ALYNE versus the standard product of today is essentially the same. “In the long-term, our production costs will actually be lower,” he says. “And the capital equipment will be around 30% less expensive. It’s a real win-win.”
In addition, Howard says achieving a thinner product also means smaller packaging. “Not only do you have great benefits from the supply chain all the way to the shelf, but also sustainability,” he says.
Savings claimed to be achieved by replacing existing technology with ALYNE technology include 2,000 less trucks on the road, two million less miles driven, 250,000 gallons of less diesel fuel, and 3.5 million cubic feet less landfill. “I truly believe that this product will change people’s lives,” says Howard.
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