Baby Diaper Market Trends in China | Adhesives manufacturing company

Baby Diaper Market Trends in China

Posted 18 Jun 2024 by Catherine Huang, Hygiene Marketing Manager, Asia Pacific

As people's living standards continue to improve and consumers' demands for the quality of baby products increase, the Chinese baby diaper market has experienced significant development stages. However, in recent years, with the decline in the number of newborns and the shift in consumer preferences, the market is facing an unprecedented situation where challenges and opportunities coexist. This article will explore the market environment changes and the trends in diaper product design as perceived by H.B. Fuller.

Demographic Changes

China is one of the largest consumer markets for baby diapers globally. Since the peak of the birth population in 2016, the number of newborns has begun to decline each year, especially since the pandemic in 2020. Although the relaxation of the two-child and three-child policies has mitigated this trend to some extent, factors such as the decline in the number of women of childbearing age, changes in fertility methods, and the increasing economic pressure of child-rearing are still leading to a continuous reduction in the number of newborns. This has intensified the competition in the baby diaper industry, forcing manufacturers to accelerate the pace of product innovation.

Main Trends in Baby Diaper Design

In the past, diaper designs focused primarily on absorbency. Today, baby diapers have evolved from a single function to multifunctional. High absorbency, rapid absorption, no rewetting, leakage prevention, breathability, low odor, and wetness indicators have almost become the "standard" for mid- to high-end products.

We have observed the following major trends in the design concept of Chinese baby diapers:

Softer and More Skin-friendly

Many baby diaper brands are trying to continuously upgrade the softness of their products. For example, substrates described as "milk satin luxury soft," "one-third the fineness of silk," or "about 60% finer than baby hair" give consumers a more tangible feeling of softness. Various new products have significantly upgraded from the conventional 1.2D-1.4D fiber fineness to ultra-soft fibers of 0.8D or even 0.6D, showing the ultimate pursuit of softness. Adding organic cotton/noble cotton, bamboo fiber, imported plant-based fibers, or genuine silk to the top layer substrates of diapers seems to have become a trend, not only for softness and skin-friendliness, but also for good breathability.

Functional Additives

With Chinese consumers' increasing demands for the naturalness and safety of baby products, the diaper market has witnessed the widespread addition of functional ingredients, especially plant essences. These additions aim to provide more care for babies, such as moisturizing, skin soothing, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory, while ensuring products are more naturally derived and safe. Here are some common essences and their functions:

• Aloe Vera Essence: Known for its excellent moisturizing and soothing effects, it can effectively protect the baby's skin, prevent dryness and irritation, especially suitable for babies with sensitive skin.
• Vitamin E: Isolates urine and fecal irritation, provides a skin barrier, promotes skin health, and has a certain moisturizing effect.
• Shea Butter Essence: Rich in vitamin E, it can deeply nourish the skin.
• Malic Acid Essence: Helps inhibit the irritation of diaper rash culprits, namely fecal enzymes.
• Chamomile Extract: Famous for its mild anti-inflammatory and calming effects, it can reduce skin inflammation and irritation, significantly relieving diaper rash and other skin discomforts.
• Tea Tree Essence: Widely added to diapers for its excellent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, it can reduce the occurrence of baby skin sensitivity and redness, providing a more comfortable wearing experience.

Comfort

In the design of baby diapers, to make the waist more comfortable and prevent marks, manufacturers have adopted various innovative designs and technologies. Here are some of the latest design ideas:

• Bud Waist/Bubble Waist: The elastic waistband in the form of buds or bubbles will not be too tight or leave marks. The waistband naturally fits the baby's waist and stretches freely with the baby's movements, maintaining comfort even during frequent activity and effectively preventing diaper slippage.
• Zoned Elastic Waistband: Divides the waistband into multiple elastic zones, each zone's elasticity can be adjusted according to different parts of the baby's waist. The waistband automatically adjusts its tightness with the baby's belly movements, reducing pressure on the baby's waist while ensuring the necessary support and fit of the diaper, thus avoiding marks and discomfort.

In addition to the unique waistband design that is often the highlight of new products, 3D tailoring is also a common tool for improving comfort. It makes the diaper fit better around the waist, thigh roots, and other key parts, allowing the baby to move more freely and reducing friction and marks caused by material accumulation or unevenness.

Lighter and Thinner

Many believe that China is leading the world in adopting thinner composite cores to replace traditional pulp cores. Composite cores have been widely used in China, balancing the lightness, breathability, softness, and smoothness of diapers, especially reducing the discomfort caused by heaviness, making babies more comfortable during activities.

If you look at the production process, although offline composite cores are still dominate, online composite cores have also begun to emerge. Some manufacturers integrate core production into the diaper line aiming to better control product quality and improve production efficiency. Online composite technology also provides greater flexibility, making it easier for manufacturers to try different material combinations, respond quickly to market demands, and introduce new product innovations.

In addition to continuous upgrades and difference-making innovations driven by the above four main directions, diaper manufacturers are also making breakthroughs in enhancing breathability, increasing absorption, using 3D top sheets to reduce skin contact area, increasing waistband elasticity, and targeted infiltration and rapid liquid distribution. They are also adding leak-proof poop pockets (mainly for newborns), enhancing aesthetics, co-branding with IPs, among other, to offer consumers a refreshing and better experience.

These innovations not only reflect manufacturers' attention to babies' comfort and health, but also showcase the advanced core strength of China's hygiene industry. With the development of technology and the continuous evolution of consumer needs, it is believed that baby diapers will continue to undergo product iteration. H.B. Fuller anticipates that in the near future, product design may show the following new trends:

• Environmental Protection: The design without fluorescent additives, fragrances or other additives has become increasingly popular among many consumers. As the next generation of consumers becomes more environmentally conscious, diapers made from bio-based or biodegradable materials are also promising.
• Personalization and Intelligence: The demand for personalization and intelligence in personal products is growing and it is expected that some baby diapers that meet these needs are expected to stand out.

As a key partner to global hygiene manufacturers, H.B. Fuller has always been committed to understanding the market and growing with our customers. We will continue to develop more innovative products to meet the adhesive needs of the next generation of baby diapers. Please do not hesitate to contact us or directly call HBF key account managers that you already work with, to jointly meet the various challenges in your product innovation process, and together drive promote products iteration and the progress for hygiene industry as a whole.

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