SHOW REVIEW
Redefining the Future: Hygienix 2023 Reveals an Industry in Flux By Caryn Smith, Chief Content Officer, IFJ
ygienix 2023, hosted by INDA,
of the Nonwoven H Association Fabrics Industry, brought profes-
sionals together to define sustainability movement challenges facing the industry. With close to 450 participants and 50 tabletop exhibits, the event focused on addressing key trends and statistics, redefining hygiene in a future economy and innovating brands for up-and-coming eco-conscious consumers. The energy was amplified by lightning talks, award presentations, panels and keynotes. Courtney Scharf, futurist and chief content officer of Trend Hunter Inc., kicked off with a keynote on AHP trends and forces at work that change the industry and reveal opportunities. The key takeaway is the prevalent technological acceleration in the consumer marketplace. There is a disruption of niche brands arising from innovators, like Dude Wipes. “Technology is an accelerant with changes on a week-by-week basis,” she said. “It is causing a rise in prosumerism – a better version of consumers. Consumers expect brands to be an educator as the average consumer becomes more sophisticated.” Access to more and more information is driving this desire for education. Trends that impact personal hygiene brands include the idea that people don’t buy products, they buy better versions of themselves. Along with this, there is an evident “wellness backlash,” as this industry is typecast as shame-driven, unscientific, overpriced, and exclusionary. She warns, “Your next competitor may come out of nowhere and are not even on your radar today.” She cited UK flushable sanitary pad maker FLUUS, who advertise that their pad is the size of an eyelash once flushed into water ways. That powerful visual creates consumer trust because they can immediately gauge the end-of-life result. Products with special or limited editions
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Clockwise from top left: Greta Meyer, CEO/Co-founder of Sequel – the 2023 Hygienix Innovation Award recipient; Keynote speaker Courtney Scharf, futurist and chief content officer of Trend Hunter; Ashish Chatterjee, Innovategrn/Centrifuse; and Colin Hanna, Price Hanna Consultants, and Heidi Beatty, Crown Crown Abbey, discuss the current marketplace. Caryn Smith
also are gaining popularity because it confirms a notion that the brand is paying attention to the desires of its target market. Lastly, she noted that “smaller numbers of choices can translate to purchasing power; people do not always want so many choices, just good choices to choose from.” Also speaking to trends, Ashish Chatterjee, from Innovategrn/Centrifuse, spoke on the accelerated consumercentric approach to product marketing. “Why accelerate? Increasing demand boosts the consumer experience and empowers the underserved.” The way to do this, he suggests, is to leverage AI-curated technology to access the consumer directly and identify their compensating behaviors. AI can quickly identify solutions to consumer problems, with validated user interest, tangible cost savings from launching products consumers don’t want, and products to market first over competitors. AI-based curation, by definition, uses algorithms to process huge volumes of
data, deciphering meaning, and patterns. AI works by analyzing user data to make sense of user intent, thereby helping marketers address consumers better. Sequel’s product developer and CEO/ cofounder Greta Meyer spoke about their product success using the “listening to the consumer” approach. Sequel, founded by Meyer and Amanda Calabrese, is the prestigious 2023 Hygienix Innovation Award recipient. In Sequel’s case, the consumers who provided insight were their female college athlete peers. They all complained about traditional tampon design failures in their everyday sports life. By thinking outside the box, the product developing duo changed the traditional tampon design into a spiral shape for greater desired protection. They proved the concept and are currently bringing it to market with great success. Christy Sapp, strategic feedstock sourcing director at Nexus Circular, addressed plastics circularity by promoting
