The precise product portfolio varies considerably by country.[3]

TENA is fundamentally a continence-care brand rather than simply a manufacturer of “adult diapers”. Its products are intended to manage different degrees of involuntary urine or fecal leakage while attempting to preserve the user’s dignity, comfort, mobility, skin health, discretion, confidence and independence.

TENA explicitly positions itself around the idea that incontinence should not prevent people from maintaining an active lifestyle. Its product development therefore focuses not only on absorbency but also on fit, leakage protection, odour control, comfort and skin care.[5] This distinction is central to understanding the brand: TENA sells a continence-care system, not merely absorbent disposable products.

Origins in Sweden

TENA has its roots in Sweden and has more than six decades of history. TENA’s own international sites describe the brand as having been launched more than 60 years ago.[4] The historical development of TENA is closely connected to Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), the Swedish company that eventually became the predecessor of today’s Essity.

SCA developed a major hygiene-products business alongside its historical forestry and paper activities. By the late 20th century, incontinence products had become an important part of that business. An SCA annual report from 1998, for example, described the company as a leading supplier of incontinence products marketed under the TENA name, with products covering both light and heavy incontinence.[5]

Expansion during the 1990s

During the 1990s, TENA expanded internationally and became increasingly important to SCA’s personal-care operations. SCA’s 1998 annual report records TENA expansion into several European and Latin American markets and describes products ranging from light-incontinence protection sold through pharmacies and retail stores to heavier-protection products used in institutional and home-care settings.[6] By this period, TENA was developing into a recognisable international continence-care brand rather than simply a product line.

One of the most significant events in TENA’s corporate history occurred in 2017, when SCA reorganised its business and separated its hygiene and health operations into a new company called Essity. Essity subsequently became the corporate home of TENA.[22] The corporate relationship can be simplified as: SCA → hygiene & health business separated → Essity → TENA.

Today, TENA is therefore not an independent publicly listed company; it is a brand belonging to Essity. Essity operates numerous other major brands, but TENA is one of its most important global brands and is particularly significant in its Incontinence Products businesses.[22]

TENA’s portfolio is considerably broader than the traditional adult brief.

Liners

TENA produces relatively thin incontinence liners intended for lighter leakage. These are designed to be worn with normal underwear and are particularly relevant for people who experience occasional or small-volume leakage. TENA markets products such as TENA Discreet in various markets for this segment.[20]

Incontinence pads

Pads provide greater absorbency than liners and are available in different sizes and absorbency levels. They are commonly designed for light, moderate and heavier leakage. The exact names, sizes and absorbency levels vary between countries.

Protective underwear

Protective underwear is designed to resemble ordinary underwear more closely than a conventional adult brief. TENA markets both women’s and unisex protective-underwear products. Some current ranges emphasise close body fit, softness, breathability, leakage protection, odour control and discreet appearance. For example, TENA’s current US portfolio includes TENA ProSkin Plus protective underwear.[7]

Adult briefs

For moderate to heavy incontinence, TENA offers adult briefs. These products are more suitable when greater absorbency and security are required, particularly in situations involving significant urinary leakage, fecal incontinence, limited mobility, overnight protection or professional caregiving. The design and terminology differ between countries.

Men’s products

TENA has a dedicated TENA Men portfolio. This is significant because male anatomy and typical leakage patterns differ from those for women. The range includes products such as male guards, protective underwear and other male-specific leakage-protection products. TENA describes its men’s products as being engineered around men’s body shape and designed to provide discreet protection.[9]

Women’s products

TENA also has dedicated women’s ranges. These include liners, pads, protective underwear and other products designed around female anatomy. Some ranges are deliberately styled to look and feel more like ordinary underwear rather than medical products.[8]

An important part of TENA’s portfolio is skin care. Incontinence can expose skin to moisture, urine, faeces and repeated cleansing; consequently, continence care involves more than simply absorbing liquid. TENA sells products including cleansing wipes, washcloths, cleansing creams, moisturising lotions and protective/barrier creams. Its TENA ProSkin portfolio is specifically associated with skin-health and cleansing solutions.[10] This makes TENA closer to a complete continence-care brand than a conventional disposable-hygiene brand.

TENA operates in both the consumer retail market and the professional healthcare market. Professional users can include hospitals, nursing homes, residential-care facilities, home-care organisations, nurses, professional caregivers and continence specialists.

The professional side of TENA is particularly important because incontinence management can involve selecting products according to an individual’s mobility, leakage level, anatomy, skin condition and care requirements. TENA therefore provides healthcare professionals with products and continence-care resources in addition to consumer products.[11]

TENA’s development has also extended beyond physical absorbent products. One example from its earlier history is TENA Identifi, a continence-care technology introduced by SCA. It used sensing technology to monitor urinary output and timing, allowing caregivers to develop more individualised continence-care plans. SCA described it as a system designed to improve individualised care while potentially giving caregivers more time.[11]

This illustrates a broader change in the industry from traditional adult diapers to individualised continence management and digitally supported continence care. TENA has consequently invested in digital platforms and technology alongside conventional absorbent products.[23]

TENA essentially serves four major groups.

Individuals

People experiencing urinary or fecal incontinence can purchase TENA products directly through pharmacies, supermarkets, specialist retailers and online channels, depending on the country.

Caregivers

Family members caring for someone with incontinence are another major audience. TENA provides education covering product selection, hygiene, skin care and practical caregiving.[12]

Healthcare professionals

Nurses, physicians, continence specialists and care-home professionals use TENA products and related services as part of continence management.

Healthcare institutions

Hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions can purchase TENA products in larger quantities and use professional-care programmes.

TENA’s branding is strongly based around dignity and normality. Historically, incontinence products were often associated with old age, disability and institutional care. TENA’s consumer marketing has increasingly attempted to reposition continence products as ordinary personal-care products that allow people to continue living normally.

Its messaging emphasises concepts such as protection, discretion, confidence and active living. TENA explicitly describes its mission in terms of empowerment, innovation and sustainability and says its products are intended to help people continue living active and fulfilling lives.[14]

A major part of TENA’s market exists because urinary incontinence is often socially embarrassing. People may avoid discussing it with family, friends, doctors, partners or co-workers. TENA therefore markets not only products but also education about incontinence. Its consumer websites explain different types of urinary incontinence, including stress incontinence, urge incontinence and mixed incontinence.[13]

This educational role is strategically important because someone who does not recognise bladder leakage as a manageable condition may not consider buying a continence product at all.

TENA’s product innovation generally focuses on several technical objectives:

• Absorbency: Absorbent cores are designed to rapidly capture and retain liquid.
• Leakage prevention: Products use anatomical shaping and elastic components to help prevent urine from escaping around the edges.
• Fit: Modern products attempt to follow the body’s shape more closely.
• Odour control: Odour-management technologies are used to make products more discreet.
• Skin health: TENA increasingly emphasises skin protection, moisture management and cleansing.
• Discretion: Thin pads and underwear-like products are designed to be less noticeable underneath clothing.

TENA describes its innovation priorities as improving standards in skin health, protection, comfort and fit.[15]

Sustainability has become another major component of TENA’s brand strategy. Because disposable continence products contain substantial amounts of absorbent materials, plastics and packaging, environmental impact is a significant issue for the category. TENA says its sustainability work aims to reduce environmental impact while maintaining hygiene and protection.[25] This work is connected to Essity’s broader sustainability strategy, which includes work on materials, production, packaging and climate impact.

The key challenge is balancing high absorbency and leakage protection with lower material use and lower environmental impact. Reducing material too aggressively could compromise protection, while increasing absorbency can increase resource consumption. This is therefore an important technical and commercial challenge for the entire industry.

TENA is an international brand rather than a primarily Swedish or European product. TENA’s international website lists markets across Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and other international regions.[4][21] However, product names and ownership arrangements can differ by market.

This is particularly relevant in Asia. For example, SCA transferred certain Southeast Asian, Taiwanese and South Korean brand-marketing rights to Vinda International Holdings as part of a 2015–2016 transaction. SCA retained innovation and technical support while Vinda received rights to market brands including TENA in those markets.[16] Thus, saying simply “TENA is sold by Essity everywhere” can be an oversimplification; brand ownership, licensing and distribution structures can vary by territory.

TENA in Japan

Japan provides an interesting example of TENA’s professional-care orientation. TENA says it began its first Japanese introduction at an elderly-care facility in Tokyo in 1987. It subsequently expanded into nursing homes, hospitals and other care facilities.[17] The Japanese operation emphasises individualised continence care and helping people maintain independent toileting wherever possible.

This reflects a major difference between consumer-focused and healthcare-focused TENA. Consumer TENA asks, “How can I discreetly manage leakage?”, whereas Professional TENA asks, “How can we manage continence while preserving the individual’s independence, dignity and quality of care?”

Essity identifies TENA as a leading brand within both its Health & Medical and Personal Care business areas.[23] To understand TENA, it helps to understand Essity. Essity is a Swedish multinational specialising in hygiene and health products. Its portfolio extends beyond continence care into areas such as tissue products, feminine care, baby care, wound care, compression therapy, orthopaedics and personal hygiene.

Essity says its products and services reach around 1 billion people across approximately 150 countries. In 2025, it reported approximately SEK 138 billion (€13 billion) in net sales and about 36,000 employees. Its headquarters are in Stockholm and its shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.[24] TENA is therefore one component of a very large international hygiene-and-health corporation.

TENA describes itself as the world’s leading adult incontinence brand. The company currently cites Euromonitor International’s 2024 edition for its claim of being the No. 1 adult incontinence brand globally, measured using retail adult-incontinence retail sales value.[19] This qualification is important: “No. 1” is a market-position claim based on a specific market definition and measurement methodology, rather than meaning TENA is the largest company in every country or every type of continence product. Nevertheless, TENA is unquestionably one of the most internationally established brands in the adult-incontinence industry.

Depending on country and product segment, TENA competes with brands such as:

• Always Discreet — Procter & Gamble
• Depend — Kimberly-Clark
• Poise — Kimberly-Clark
• Prevail — First Quality
• Attends — Attends Healthcare Products
• Various regional and private-label brands

The competitive landscape differs substantially between retail consumer products and institutional healthcare products. For example, a supermarket in one country might primarily sell TENA alongside Depend and Always Discreet, whereas a hospital market can have an entirely different competitive set.

TENA is significant for several reasons. First, it helped normalise continence products by promoting the idea that leakage can be managed discreetly while people continue ordinary activities, rather than presenting incontinence purely as a medical or geriatric issue. Second, it operates across the entire care ecosystem, serving individuals, family caregivers, professional caregivers and healthcare institutions, giving the brand a broader position than a normal consumer-packaged-goods company.

Third, it combines consumer products with healthcare technology, progressing from absorbent products into skin care, individualised continence management and digital solutions. Fourth, it operates globally, having been adapted to different healthcare systems, cultures and retail environments across dozens of countries.

Brand identity summary

As of 2026, TENA is best understood as a global continence-care platform under Essity, rather than simply an “adult diaper brand”. Its portfolio encompasses consumer products, professional healthcare products, skin care, education and digital/technology-supported continence solutions. TENA has more than six decades of experience and remains one of Essity’s flagship global brands.[18]

Its overarching proposition is essentially continence protection that allows people to live with greater security, dignity and freedom. That positioning explains why TENA has evolved from traditional absorbent products toward discreet underwear, specialised male and female products, skin health, caregiver support, individualised care and digital continence management.

1. Who we are – TENA
2. Continence Care You Can Trust: What is TENA?| TENA UK
3. Who we are – TENA
4. TENA Countries and Regions
5. Your Expert on Incontinence
6. Conheça a TENA: referência em cuidado e higiene
7. TENA incontinence underwear
8. Incontinence underwear for women | Stylish bladder weakness panties
9. Choose the right male incontinence product for you from TENA Men.
10. TENA Cleansing Wipes & Creams | Effective daily skin care
11. Products
12. All you need to know about incontinence and incontinence products from TENA
13. TENA on types of female incontinence or bladder weakness
14. Our story of responsibility | TENA
15. About TENA – TENA UK
16. TENAについて―TENA
17. TENAとは | 当サイトについて
18. All About Incontinence
19. Incontinence Pads & Products | Advice | TENA US
20. Incontinence Liners
21. Who we are – TENA
22. Incontinence Products – Essity Annual and Sustainability Report 2017
23. Personal Care – Essity Annual and Sustainability Report 2021
24. About our brands | Essity
25. TENA – нашата история за отговорността