Leading absorbent textile technology company Confitex is adding its voice to calls for consumer protection in the emerging market for period-proof underwear.
Since 2015, when Confitex made international headlines with the world’s first fashionable range of absorbent underwear, the category has exploded, with dozens of brands and manufacturers popping up around the world. The absorbent apparel sector is now at a tipping point, with high-profile brands such as Adidas, Bonds and Victoria’s Secret recognising its potential and entering the market.
About the period pants market
Period panties are fabric underwear with a built-in absorbent gusset, worn either as a backup to a tampon or menstrual cup or alone as a non-invasive, eco-friendly method of managing menstruation. It’s estimated that the category is already preventing hundreds of thousands of plastic-laden single-use pads, liners and tampons from reaching landfills each year.
But in an unregulated sector characterised by inflated and unsubstantiated claims about absorbency and leak resistance, consumers are not surprisingly confused and often disappointed when the ‘leakproof’ underwear they’ve bought doesn’t live up to its promises.
“We believe in the environmental benefits of period pants and we want the sector to succeed”.
CEO Christine Arden says Confitex is committed to building consumer confidence in menstrual underwear and providing transparency and guidance. “We believe in the environmental benefits of period pants and we want the sector to succeed – but we’re concerned that the failure of some brands to deliver on their promises will dent the credibility of the entire category,” she says. “It’s literally the wild west, in that anyone can claim anything.
“A number of industry players have suggested the sector requires regulation for the protection of consumers. In particular, we back the call for companies to seek third-party verification for their marketing claims – and publish the results openly so consumers can make an informed choice.”
The proof is in the padding
When Confitex launched its second-generation range, which includes washable incontinence underwear from the Confitex for Men label, and women’s period panties, bladder leak underwear and reusable nursing pads under the Just’nCase brand, the company invested in independently validating the performance of its patented textile technology.
Following extensive laboratory testing, global safety science leader UL granted Confitex for Men trunks and Just’nCase high-cut, lace and full briefs coveted UL Verification Marks authenticating the company’s claims in these areas:
- Leakproof
- Total absorbency
- Absorbency speed
- Air permeable
- Odour resistance
- No PFOA/PFOS detected
- Maintains absorption, odour resistance, leakproof and air permeability performance after 52 washes
Confitex took a further step in assuring customer satisfaction by choosing to claim a level of absorbency below that allowed by the verified results. “For example, our Extra Absorbency women’s briefs have been lab-verified to absorb the equivalent of 15 regular tampons but because we want to over-deliver to our customers in real-life situations, we only advertise their absorbency as 10 regular tampons,” says Arden.
Superior performance without PU plastics
Confitex also commissioned independent testing to ascertain the true performance of other popular absorbent apparel brands. Conducted between January and April 2020, this testing conclusively demonstrated that Confitex’s textile technology offered the best combination of absorbency and leakproof performance of any product on the market.
“Confitex’s textile technology was named 2021 Product of the Year in the international Plus X Awards”.
This market superiority was reinforced when Confitex’s textile technology was named 2021 Product of the Year in the international Plus X Awards, the world’s largest award program for innovation in technology, sports and lifestyle (previous winners include Apple, Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Nespresso and Nikon). Confitex also received six out of seven possible seals for Innovation, High Quality, Ease of Use, Functionality, Ergonomics and Ecology in the health and personal care category.
Unlike most other brands, Confitex’s leakproof absorbent textile is made without a layer of PU plastic, which not only makes it more eco-friendly but also means it can be moulded, shaped, stitched, heat-sealed and tumble dried without affecting its leakproof performance.
Setting the standards for absorbent apparel
UL’s vice president and general manager for retail and consumer products, Doug Lockard, supports the call for transparency of product claims. “In any new sector, third-party verification of product claims is important for consumers, giving assurance that the products will perform as promised. Customers rely on packaging, labelling and marketing claims as part of their decision-making process. To create brand trust, it is key that products are tested to verify a manufacturer’s marketing claims.”
Lockard encourages other period pants brands to utilise UL’s testing and verification services designed exclusively for the absorbent apparel industry. “We recommend that products in this sector be lab-tested by a reputable standards company with the results published openly for full transparency.”
About Confitex
Confitex is an eco-conscious textile technology company driven by a desire to transform lives and protect the planet. By marrying high-tech absorbent and leakproof textiles with stylish design, the company aims to change the handling of everyday leaks and smash any stigma along the way. As well as producing and marketing its own Just’nCase and Confitex for Men brands, Confitex manufactures private label products at its purpose-designed production facility on behalf of large-scale retailers and brands seeking the reassurance of high-quality validated products.
