A Study of Skin Physiology, Sensation and Friction of Nonwoven Fabrics Used in Absorbent Hygiene Products in Neutral and Warm Environments

Abstract

Absorbent hygiene products like diapers, feminine hygiene, and wet wipes are life necessities. These products commonly use nonwoven fabrics as the layer that is in contact with the skin. Their performance in terms of skin health and comfort is receiving increased attention because of the existence of concerns for skin health issues such as skin irritation and dermatitis, and the large influence of skin sensation on individuals' preference. Friction is usually recognized as an important factor for skin comfort and dermatitis issues, but there is a lack of understanding of the relationship between friction and skin physiology, skin sensation, in the use of absorbent hygiene products. This study reports a measurement of friction in vivo with the evaluation of skin physiology and sensation in neutral and warm environments to explore the effects of fabric and friction on skin comfort. Friction tests between the volar forearm and nonwoven fabrics were conducted with the measurement of transepidermal water loss, skin redness, and the evaluation of subjective skin sensation. The interaction between skin and eight nonwoven fabrics with a surface roughness (arithmetic mean height) between 3 μm and 20 μm was evaluated in neutral (22 °C) and warm (35 °C) environments. Skin physiological changes after friction were able to be detected quantitatively by the transepidermal water loss and skin redness measurement. In the warm environment, there was significantly higher friction, less pleasantness, more changes in transepidermal water loss but not in skin redness. The friction can only relate to skin physiology and sensation in the neutral environment while the surface roughness of fabrics related to them in both neutral and warm environments. Both rough and smooth fabrics caused high friction in the warm environment, but the rough fabric caused a higher adverse impact on skin physiology and sensation than smooth fabrics that suggested the adhesion and deformation friction could have different effects on skin comfort. Deformation friction is more likely to have effects on skin physiology and pleasantness sensation than adhesion friction. The pleasantness sensation has a negative relationship with skin physiology. A more unpleasant sensation can indicate more impact on skin physiology. This provides a potential that the unpleasant sensation can be a precaution signal for the adverse effects on skin physiology.