United Kingdom

Buy Online Visit TENA Direct
Buy Online Visit TENA Direct

Product safety – for us, it’s personal.

We’re passionate about making products that improve health and wellbeing for everyone – because everyone deserve products that truly work and are safe for our bodies and the planet.
 
At TENA, we believe in full transparency about what goes into our products. It’s the standard we hold ourselves to.
 
Each pillar below is represented by an Essity product safety specialist. Meet the people working every day to keep you safe.

Our 5 pillars of protection

1. Suppliers
Our experts help us find safe and sustainable suppliers, ensuring we work only with the best – for products that are safe and environmentally responsible.
 
2. Materials
We only use the best materials to make our products. Our experts oversee the process of checking each one thoroughly to make sure they’re safe.  
 
3. Testing
Our experts help test our products over and over again, making sure they’re safe for you and the environment.
 
4. Production
Our seamless production process allows us to consistently create high-quality products. Our experts help oversee how our products are made.
 
5. Ongoing consumer contact
Our experts monitor our products to make sure they remain safe, even after they leave the factory.
Meet the experts behind our 5 pillars

Our products – a new level of transparency

We’re customers too. Like you, we care about what goes into the things we wear and their impact on the planet. To give you a better picture of what goes into our products, here’s a breakdown of the main elements and their ingredients.

Product core

The core is the centre of the product where urine is absorbed and stored. It consists of three layers.
 
Surface material
Also known as the top sheet, this layer keeps skin dry and comfortable by absorbing liquid. It is made from polypropylene, polyethylene polyester, and viscose.
 
Acquisition Layer
This layer draws liquid away from the skin to the absorbent core, where it is stored. It is made from wood pulp or polyester fibre.
 
Absorbent Core
This is the innermost layer, made from paper pulp – sometimes in combination with superabsorbents and/or other paper-based materials. It traps and stores urine, keeping the user dry. 

Product chassis

The chassis is the outer shell of the product, designed to hold the core together and create a proper fit for the wearer. It consists of two parts. 
 
Back sheet
A water-resistant outer layer made from polyethylene, or sometimes a fibre material, that prevent liquid from leaking through onto the user’s clothing.
 
Fit and comfort features
Polymer-based fasteners and elastic elements keep the product securely in place.  

Additional materials

Small amounts of adhesive are used in both the core and chassis. Some products also feature prints or scents.
 
Adhesive
Consists of various polymers and synthetic resins.
 
Fragrance
Contains perfume.
 
Print
Print is applied using non-toxic ink.

Packaging

Release paper
Protects the adhesive part of the product before use. Made of silicone-coated paper. 
 
Single pack 
Some products come wrapped in a polyethylene film, which is sometimes silicone-coated. Single packs protect the product and keep it clean when being carried around.
 
External product packaging
A polyethylene bag or box that protects the product – this is the packaging you see on the shelf in shops. 

Glossary

Renewable paper pulp – Pulp made of wood fibre from responsibly managed forests. The pulp is used in our pads and panty liners.
 
Fibre material (non-woven) – A thin, textile-like material. The term is used in the textile industry for materials that are neither woven nor knitted, such as felt.
 
Polymers – Large-chain molecules that can be either natural or synthetic. For instance, plastic as well as your DNA consist of polymers.
 
Polypropene/polyethylene/polyester – Some of the world's most common plastic types. Used in a wide range of everyday products, from underwear to blankets.
 
Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) – Used for its moisture-retaining ability. Commonly used in pads, diapers and compresses.
 
Synthetic resin – Viscous liquids that harden quickly, making them ideal for binding together materials.

FAQs

All of us in the product safety team use Essity products at home and trust them with our own families. We want to create the best products while doing the right things for the environment. We try to find a good balance and will never compromise on the safety of our products. 
 
Remember, just because an ingredient is natural doesn't mean it's safer for us than a man-made one. There’s no real black and white. Many “natural” things can actually be bad for us. 
 
How safe a chemical is, depends on the specific chemical in question and how much of it is used in the product, as well as how the product itself is used. This is true whether that chemical is natural or man-made. Materials that don’t meet our strict requirements simply aren’t put into our products. 
 
And of course, whenever there are better options for the environment, we use them. Just like you, we love our planet and want our kids to be able to enjoy it too. We’ve committed to lots of projects to reduce our environmental impact and make sure we're as sustainable as can be. 
Making our products skin-friendly is a must. We use them too – and we wouldn’t want to break out in a rash. 
 
That’s why we check to see our products are working for our millions of customers worldwide and make sure every ingredient meets our strict standards. 
 
Some lucky volunteers even get to try our products before they go on sale! This means the risk of skin irritation from our final products is low. 
 
In fact, it’s so low, we’ve had fewer than 1 health complaint per 50 million products sold. 
The stuff we read on the internet can get a bit scary, can’t it? Bad chemicals, bleaching… it’s a lot to take in. That’s why we look very closely at our products and materials to make sure they’re safe. 
 
We usually go beyond national and EU legislation when testing our products. That’s why all unwanted trace chemicals in our products are extremely low. So low in fact, you’d need some pretty high-tech equipment to detect them. 
 
We also only use carefully chosen perfumes, and clearly label every product, so you know exactly what’s inside. We of course also have unscented versions if you have sensitive skin or allergies. 
 
Find out more about the ingredients we use here. 
It’s good to remember that chemicals aren’t always bad and are often natural. 
 
That delicious, sweet sensation when you bite into a banana, for example, is a chemical being picked up by your taste buds. Everything is made up of chemicals. 
 
But of course, certain chemicals can be dangerous, which is why we always control them carefully.  
 
We only use pure ingredients. And we’re really strict with ourselves, when creating and testing products, to ensure that trace chemicals are never present in greater concentrations than are safe, based on the most updated scientific data. That way, we can sleep soundly at night knowing that our products are safe for you, your family and the world.  
 
Find out more about the ingredients we use here.  
We’d never add anything to our products just for the sake of it. Every part is there for a reason and is tested before it’s added. 
 
Preservatives in our water-based products are there to stop contamination and we must use glues in our products to hold parts together. But don’t worry, we choose each glue very carefully, especially if it’s expected to come into contact with skin. 
 
And if we use perfumes or dyes in a product, it’s to make the whole experience of using them more pleasant for you – and of course, they are still just as safe. 
We never test our products on animals unless there’s no way to avoid it. For instance, in some countries – like China – we have to, because the law says so. 
 
And we never add ingredients or use materials taken from animals. 
 
Although we’re as careful as possible, we choose not to label our products as vegan. That’s because we can’t 100% guarantee that others in our supply chain haven’t come into contact with materials that come from animals. 
When it comes to keeping people safe, you can’t have too many rules. Luckily, in most countries, these products are well regulated to make sure they're safe. They have to follow a variety of different rules, for instance: 
 
  • cosmetic regulations  
  • general product safety regulations to do with chemical laws  
  • medical device regulations  
  • biocide regulations  
 
We follow them all and apply them even in countries where the rules are softer. After all, what’s the point in doing everything to keep people safe in one country, but not another? That makes no sense to us. 
 
Regulations change over time, too. But we’re not ones for waiting about for rules to change – we apply the science as soon as it’s ready.  
 
You can learn more about our commitment to safe products in the Essity Supplier Standard. 
Yes. All products from TENA are compliant with existing regulations on the specific markets where they are sold. For the European market, the CE-mark on our products is a guarantee that they meet the Medical Device Regulations (MDR).  
 
Find out more about MDR here.