TENA

TENA is a Swedish-origin personal-care brand owned by Essity and focused on continence care. Its portfolio is designed for people experiencing urinary or fecal incontinence and includes absorbent pads, protective underwear, adult briefs, washable or reusable solutions in selected markets, cleansing products, and related skin-care items. The brand serves a broad range of needs, from light bladder leakage to heavier levels of urinary or fecal incontinence, and also offers products intended for men, women, caregivers, and healthcare institutions. TENA operates across both consumer and professional healthcare channels. Retail products are distributed through supermarkets, pharmacies, drugstores, discount retailers, and other outlets where bladder-control products are sold. Healthcare-oriented lines are supplied through institutional and professional-care channels, including hospitals, nursing homes, home-care providers, and other care settings. The brand maintains market-specific portfolios and naming conventions rather than offering an identical range in every country. The brand’s history is connected to the development of modern personal hygiene businesses in Sweden. TENA was first used as a brand name by Mölnlycke in the 1980s and was later acquired by SCA, Essity’s predecessor, in the early 1990s. SCA subsequently organized its personal-care operations and expanded its continence-care activities internationally. In 1998, SCA Personal Care was established, and the company’s incontinence products were consolidated under the TENA name later that year. Essity was separated from SCA in 2017, making TENA part of Essity’s Health & Medical business structure. TENA’s offering is built around discretion, fit, absorbency, odor control, skin protection, and ease of use. Its product architecture includes solutions for different anatomies and activity levels, with dedicated ranges such as TENA Men, TENA Silhouette, and TENA ProSkin in markets where those products are available. TENA also has a youth-oriented diaper line for teenagers and larger children who require continence support. Product availability, names, specifications, and distribution vary by country. The brand occupies a specialist position within the global hygiene market. Rather than competing only as a conventional disposable-diaper label, it combines consumer packaged goods with professional continence-care services and education. Its international footprint includes offices or commercial operations in North America, much of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and selected markets in Asia and Central America. As an Essity brand, TENA is supported by the wider group’s research, manufacturing, distribution, and sustainability capabilities. The supplied reference materials do not establish a precise founding year for TENA itself; the brand’s documented emergence as a distinct name dates to the 1980s.

TENA’s history is rooted in the Swedish hygiene and personal-care sector. Its corporate lineage ultimately connects to SCA, a Swedish company established in 1929 as a paper-packaging business. SCA began producing personal-hygiene products during the 1970s, creating the operating foundation from which its later continence-care activities developed. The TENA name was initially used by Mölnlycke during the 1980s. This period marked the brand’s emergence as a dedicated identity for products addressing adult incontinence. The supplied historical reference does not identify a single founder or an exact launch year, so the brand should be dated to the 1980s rather than assigned an unsupported calendar year. SCA acquired TENA in the early 1990s. Following the acquisition, the brand became part of SCA’s expanding personal-care operations and benefited from the company’s manufacturing, distribution, and international market presence. Continence products were sold through both healthcare channels and consumer retail, reflecting the dual nature of the category: products were needed by hospitals, nursing homes, and professional caregivers, but also by individuals purchasing privately through pharmacies, grocery stores, drugstores, and discount retailers. In 1998, SCA created SCA Personal Care. The division became a significant participant in the global incontinence-products market, and the company’s continence products were subsequently brought together under the TENA name. This consolidation helped establish TENA as the principal international identity for SCA’s continence-care portfolio. The business developed products for different degrees of leakage and incontinence, along with solutions tailored to women, men, caregivers, and institutional users. Over time, TENA expanded beyond basic absorbent pads and diapers. Its portfolio came to include protective underwear, adult briefs, male-specific products, cleansing and skin-care items, and specialized professional-care solutions. The brand also developed a youth-oriented diaper line for teenagers and larger children requiring continence support. Product ranges have differed by country, with retail and healthcare lines adapted to local distribution systems, clinical practices, and consumer needs. TENA’s international presence grew across Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and selected markets in Asia and Central America. The brand’s market proposition has emphasized discretion, reliable absorbency, comfort, odor management, fit, and skin health. Its professional business has also involved education and support for caregivers and healthcare workers, while its retail business has focused on making continence products available through ordinary consumer channels. In 2017, SCA’s hygiene and health businesses were separated from its forest-products operations and formed Essity. TENA consequently became an Essity brand. Under Essity, it continued to operate as a major continence-care brand within a wider hygiene and health portfolio. The available reference material does not provide a complete chronology of individual product launches, campaigns, acquisitions, or executive appointments, so those areas remain limited to documented facts rather than inferred events.

• 2017

  TENA becomes part of Essity

  [1]TENAen.wikipedia.org

  Following the separation of SCA’s hygiene and health operations, TENA became part of Essity.

• 1998

  SCA Personal Care created

  [1]TENAen.wikipedia.org

  SCA established SCA Personal Care, which assumed control of the company’s personal-care activities and helped consolidate its incontinence-products business.

• 1998

  Incontinence portfolio consolidated under TENA

  [1]TENAen.wikipedia.org

  SCA’s incontinence products were subsequently brought together under the TENA name, strengthening the brand as the group’s principal continence-care identity.

• 1990

  SCA acquires the brand

  [1]TENAen.wikipedia.org

  SCA acquired TENA from Mölnlycke in the early 1990s, bringing the continence-care brand into its personal-care business.

• 1980

  TENA name first used by Mölnlycke

  [1]TENAen.wikipedia.org

  The TENA brand name was first used by the separate company Mölnlycke during the 1980s. An exact launch year is not specified in the reference material.

• 1970

  Expansion into personal hygiene

  [1]TENAen.wikipedia.org

  SCA began producing personal-hygiene products during the 1970s, creating the broader business base from which its later continence-care operations developed.

• 1929

  SCA corporate predecessor established

  [1]TENAen.wikipedia.org

  The Swedish company that later became the corporate predecessor of Essity was established as a paper-packaging business, eventually providing the group lineage behind TENA.

Professional, discreet, reliable, comfortable, and skin-conscious continence care for consumers and healthcare providers.

• Skin-conscious continence care

  TENA ProSkin

  TENA ProSkin is a product family positioned around continence protection together with skin-health considerations. Depending on the market and product format, the range can include absorbent products and associated cleansing or skin-care solutions. Its intended value proposition is to help manage leakage while supporting comfort and protecting skin exposed to moisture. Exact formats and specifications vary between countries.

• Male incontinence care

  TENA Men

  TENA Men is a range developed for men experiencing urinary leakage. Products are designed around male anatomy and may include pads, protective underwear, or other formats depending on the market. The line emphasizes secure fit, discretion, and everyday mobility for users managing light to heavier leakage. The reference material does not establish a single global launch date or identical country-by-country assortment.

• Discreet female incontinence care

  TENA Silhouette

  TENA Silhouette is a women-oriented continence-care line focused on discreet protection and an underwear-like appearance. It is intended for consumers who want absorbency integrated into a less visibly medical form factor. Available products and absorbency levels differ by market, and the supplied references do not document a precise introduction year.

• Adult incontinence products

  TENA adult pads and briefs

  TENA’s core adult portfolio includes pads, protective underwear, diapers, and briefs for different levels of urinary or fecal incontinence. The products are sold through retail and professional healthcare channels and are intended for use by individuals, caregivers, hospitals, nursing homes, and home-care providers. Designs and product names are market-specific.

• Youth continence care

  TENA youth continence products

  TENA also produces a youth-oriented diaper line for teenagers and larger children who need continence support. This extends the brand beyond adult care while retaining its focus on absorbency, fit, and discreet daily use. The supplied reference material does not identify a specific launch date or complete product range.

1. 1TENAen.wikipedia.org
2. 2TENA official websitetena.com