The last few years have seen a boom in new organic cotton-based feminine hygiene products. While bigger names in the natural space like Seventh Generation, Natracare and Organyc have been offering organic cotton-based pads, liners and tampons for years—even decades—new, smaller startups like Cora, Rael and Sustain Natural are shaking things up in the market, while big names like Edgewell’s o.b. and P&G have recently entered the organic space.

  Rael, a women-founded company that provides natural and organic feminine care products that don’t sacrifice comfort or performance, announced that their Organic Cotton Pads, Organic Cotton Pantyliners and Natural Foaming Feminine Wash will be available at all 1850 Target stores, as well as at Target.com. Founded in 2017, the brand continues its impressive trajectory after a $17.5 million Series A fundraising round late last year. Previously available online at GetRael.com and Amazon, Rael became Amazon’s #1 highest rated brand in the pads category within three months of launch, selling more than 1 million units and receiving 4000+ 5-star reviews. The brand aims to empower and inform women by offering safer, healthier alternatives for their bodies and differentiated products within feminine care, a category that has lacked innovation for the last few decades. Its products are manufactured in South Korea utilizing the latest technology, made with certified organic cotton from Texas, and free of harmful toxins and chemicals. “For our first major launch with a brick and mortar retailer, we wanted to work with a partner who is aligned with and supportive of our mission to better women's lives, and understands the importance of healthy and functional feminine care,” says Rael co-founder Yanghee Paik. “Target is the perfect partner because of their focus on discovering innovative, emerging brands and helping them grow to become the next-generation of household products.” Rael joins digitally native brands such as Native, Quip and Harry’s, who all recently expanded to brick-and-mortar distribution with Target. Simultaneous to their Target launch, Rael is elevating across multiple touchpoints, introducing redesigned core feminine care packaging and a website refresh at www.getrael.com that incorporates updated functionality, a new look and feel and an evolved aesthetic. It also moved to an expanded office space near downtown LA.

  EDANA, the leading global association serving the nonwovens and related industries, launched the draft program of the International Nonwovens Symposium, to be held in Vienna from June 12-13, 2019.   The symposium covers a range of nonwovens topics across all type of applications with a predominant emphasis on sustainability. As Pierre Wiertz, general manager of EDANA, notes: “Looking back at the focus of the INS over the years sustainability as a topic has evolved from a minor interest subject to take primacy on the agenda, thereby reflecting our industry’s priority concerns.”   The 2019 program will kick off with a key note speech on the impact of the changing global trade patterns on the nonwovens industry by Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE).   A range of presentations will feature, covering essential business areas of the nonwovens sector, including: Nonwovens innovation, Sustainability, Material, Process & Products Development and Market & Industry trends.   The International Nonwovens Symposium has been recognized by professionals as one of the best forums worldwide for knowledge enhancement with excellent technical content. The tabletop exhibition organized during the event is also a great opportunity for participants to extend their network and develop business contacts.

  Carefree, the brand that has supported the powerful moves women make for more than 40 years, has launched of Carefree Acti-Fresh Panty Liners with Twist Resist technology that helps to minimize bunching and twisting. The new-and-improved liners offer the same great protection and freshness as previous Carefree products, but featuring new technology that the liner stay in place so women don't have to. The panty liners will still be equipped with the consumer-trusted Carefree Qwik-Dry  Core that locks fluids in faster for all-day freshness. Carefree Acti-Fresh Panty Liners can be used as part of an everyday feminine hygiene routine. Whether it is light leaks, unexpected periods, or anything in between, the soft and comfortable honeycomb design provides protection that molds to a woman's body. To promote the launch of the Carefree Acti-Fresh Panty Liners, a product designed to support each and every hustler on her journey toward greatness, the brand created the "We See Your Hustle" digital creative campaign. The campaign shines a light on "the journey rather than the result," the "how" rather than the "what." To kick off "We See Your Hustle," three unique women were chosen to tell their hustle stories, ones rooted in being passionate about things that interest them while leveraging their talents to create something impactful and noteworthy. The trio includes a knife artist, a fine-art portraitist, and a cake maker who turned a simple hobby into a booming business that has already gained celebrity praise. "What unites these women and our consumers are their everyday hustles," says Sandra Kasprzak, Global Brand & Business Management at Edgewell Personal Care. "We strive to provide a trusted product that doesn't get in the way of the drive and determination all women have to make an impact each and every day."

The "Global Super absorbent Polymer Market Segmented by Product type, Application and Geography - Trends and Forecasts 2017 - 2022" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering. The Global Super absorbent Polymer Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period, to reach a value of $8.76 billion. North America is the largest market for super absorbent   polymers and this region is expected to witness moderate growth during the forecast period. Asia Pacific region is likely to be the fastest growing region, expanding at a CAGR of 5.6% between 2015 and 2020. Demand for super absorbent polymers in Europe is also anticipated to witness moderate growth due to the mature market for baby diapers and female hygiene products in the region. Super absorbent polymers (SAPs) are materials that possess the ability to absorb and retain large volumes of liquid or aqueous solutions. This makes them ideal for usage in water absorbing applications such as baby diapers, adult incontinence pads, absorbent medical dressings and controlled release drugs. Product segments in this industry are majorly three: sodium polyacrylate, polyacrylamide copolymer and others. These polymers are commonly available in granular, solid or powder and cross-linked forms. Expansions and new investments for SAP plants in the recent past indicates that the industry is on its way to expand globally and as a result, global SAP suppliers are strengthening their presence in emerging markets. Along with these factors, the growing diaper industry will also continue to drive the demand for SAP. However, the SAP industry will have to overcome challenges, such as the availability and price volatility of raw materials and changing health regulations, in order to meet the increasing demand from the growing diaper industry.

ob, the original progressive tampon brand designed by a woman for women in 1950, announced the launch of o.b. organic, an all-new product line of responsibly sourced, 100% certified organic cotton tampons from tip to string. For the first time, this new line from o.b. is also available with or without a Tru-Comfort plant-based applicator—the only o.b. tampons to offer an applicator—made from renewable sources. For nearly 70 years, o.b. offered applicator-free tampons, which meant one less applicator to a landfill or the ocean, making the brand environmentally conscious before the ecofriendly trend. With o.b. organic, the brand is offering another great choice for women who don't want to sacrifice protection for sustainability. All o.b. organic tampons are free from chlorine, dyes, pesticides, fragrances, and BPA, giving women only what they need and nothing they don't. "For decades, o.b. has strived to introduce sustainable, effective solutions for periods," says Devon Driscoll, brand manager at Edgewell Personal Care. "With the launch of o.b. organic, we are excited to now offer women 100% certified organic cotton tampons along with an innovative plant-based applicator option. We at o.b. were committed to making an applicator that is in line with our commitment to sustainability." To promote the launch of the new o.b. organic tampons, o.b. is rolling out its largest creative digital advertising campaign in years. Playing off the brand's name and heritage as the original progressive choice in feminine care, the Original Badass campaign celebrates the brand's badass reputation. Original Badass aims to refresh the brand that already has high consumer awareness and modernize it to reach a consumer who doesn't accept things at face value and refuses to accept someone else's standards. As part of the campaign, o.b. acknowledges that no applicator is the best applicator—dubbing a woman's finger the Original Badass applicator. But, for those who need a hand, o.b. organic's plant-based applicator is second best. The campaign launches today and runs through the end of the year.