Hemp Gets into Personal Care

Harper Hygienics is a leading manufacturer of hygiene products in Central and Eastern Europe. They have mastered the understanding of and response to consumer needs. The company headquarters and central production facility are in Minsk Mazowiecki, Poland, with a commercial office in Warsaw. In 2017, Harper Hygienics joined forces with iCotton, a Latvian company, forming the iCottonHarper Group – strengthening technological capabilities and broadening their international reach.

Harper products are distributed globally in key markets across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The broader American market is important to the company for growth, expanding their presence and partnerships in North America.

Natural Products Spurred Growth

Harper Hygienics operates with an umbrella strategy, uniting diverse product categories under strong, trusted brands, and utilizing natural fibers such as cotton and now hemp-based products. The company began with cotton pads and cotton swabs, and expanded into baby wipes, makeup remover wipes, intimate hygiene products, and household cleaning.

“Notably, we were the first company in our domestic market to introduce wet wipes for home use,” says Dmitrij Kostojanskij, CEO, “setting new standards in everyday hygiene solutions.”

“A milestone in our development was Harper Hygienics’ listing on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, while expanding infrastructure by building new production and warehouse facilities to meet growing demand for higher volumes. We have built a vertically integrated production system – from fiber processing to the finished product – ensuring full control over quality and efficiency at every stage,” says Kostojanskij.

Their brands target primarily female consumers across all age groups and include Cleanic, a wide range of natural fiber personal care products; Kindii, dedicated to babies and young children; and Presto, offering convenient and effective wet and dry wipes for household cleaning.

“Cleanic has earned us remarkable brand recognition of over 90% in the domestic Polish market,” says Kostojanskij. “In the brand’s evolution, we now leverage sustainable feminine hygiene products. Based on in-depth research, we launched Cleanic Naturals Organic Cotton sanitary pads, and now includes pantyliners, cotton swabs, cosmetic pads, and wet wipes – all aligned with our mission to combine performance, comfort, and sustainability.”

Harper followed with the Cleanic Naturals Hemp line for sanitary pads and pantyliners. In 2024, the products were finalists for the Hygienix 2024 Innovation Award. The new hemp line also includes cotton swabs, cotton pads, and intimate wipes.

Exploring Hemp Fibers

The company developed optimal fiber hemp blends to overcome the coarse nature of hemp and achieve the right balance between softness, durability, and performance. A more technical challenge – the length of the hemp fibers, which are generally longer than those of more common fibers – required adjustments in the production process and the precise selection of fiber compositions to ensure compatibility with Harper’s existing machinery and quality standards.

“We use Sero™ regenerative hemp fibers by Bast Fibre Technologies according to our specific requirements,” adds Kostojanskij. “We do not modify the raw fibers in-house; instead, we focus on selecting the right blend of materials and process- ing them into nonwoven fabrics that meet our quality and performance standards. This ensures that the hemp is prepared in a way that aligns with our product needs, allowing us to focus on fabric development and final product innovation.”

When testing Cleanic Naturals Hemp, the fiber demonstrated notable antibacterial properties, making it a compelling choice for personal hygiene applications. Harper engaged ITA-TEST, one of the largest and advanced hygiene testing laboratories in Poland. They confirmed a significant reduction in bacterial growth for two common strains: Staphylococcus aureus at 89.7% reduction and Escherichia coli at 21.6% reduction. Further consumer testing confirmed the comfort, performance, and safety of the hemp sanitary pads including a 90% rating of absorbency as high or medium and 90% praising the softness of the surface, proving that hemp is viable in even the most intimate of uses.

Hygiene and Hemp

In 2023, iCotton acquired U.S.-based Hempress Hygienics, headquartered in Austin, Texas. This next-generation period and personal care brand is committed to make sustainable and intentional hemp-based personal care products mainstream. It is the U.S. market’s first 100% organic hemp and cotton-based day and night pads, liners, swabs, cosmetic pads, and silicone menstrual cups. Hempress Hygienics is now part of the iCottonHarper Group of Companies, in which Harper Hygienics is a stakeholder.

In 2024, Harper Hygienics launched Hemplace™, Harper’s proprietary technology platform dedicated to growing its hemp-based hygiene solutions. It brings together a range of technologies, scientific expertise, and expert collaboration to integrate hemp into materials, setting new industry standards. It focuses on cuttingedge innovation from teams of experts to help industry partners and leaders collaborate on sustainable hygiene solutions.

Harper’s Cleanic Naturals Hemp were Hygienix 2024 Innovation Award finalists.