Urinary incontinence is a widespread condition, particularly among middle-aged women and nearly half of individuals over the age of 70. Current management relies heavily on disposable absorbent products, which raise significant environmental concerns due to their fossil-based content and single-use nature. The development of sustainable, reusable alternatives is therefore of growing importance, particularly within material science and healthcare applications.

Unlike menstrual products, reusable solutions for urinary incontinence must accommodate the higher volume and lower viscosity of urine, which increases challenges related to leakage control and rewetting. In this study, a materials-driven approach was employed to address these challenges through systematic research into fiber selection, yarn engineering, and textile structure optimization.

A range of fiber types and yarn constructions were evaluated for their liquid management properties, including absorption capacity, wicking behavior, and retention under pressure. This led to the development of a novel multilayer textile architecture, designed to achieve efficient liquid penetration, rapid distribution, and long-term retention without the use of non-reusable superabsorbent polymers (SAPs). The resulting structure balances capillarity and storage capacity across layers, while minimizing rewetting to the surface.

The final demonstrator, a lightweight and flexible washable product, was assessed through laboratory tests and user trials against commercially available solutions, including one disposable and two reusable products. Results demonstrated that the new multilayer textile outperforms existing reusable products in both absorption and retention and approaches the performance of disposable products.

This research highlights the potential of fiber- and structure-level material innovations to enable sustainable, high-performance absorbent products, and lays the groundwork for further research to address products for heavier incontinence.