TENA ProSkin Stretch Super from Essity AB - US nursing homes lean on this high-absorbency brief

By Daniel Foster, ad hoc news New Launch Desk. Reviewed June 30, 2026, 9:43 AM ET. Details in the imprint.

TENA ProSkin Stretch Super is the kind of incontinence brief you notice only when you pick it up, not when a resident walks past you in the hallway. On a quiet night shift, the outer fabric feels soft and clothlike, with the wide stretch sides snapping back instead of crinkling.

High-absorbency brief for US care

Essity markets TENA ProSkin Stretch Super in the US as a unisex, high-absorbency brief designed for heavy to total incontinence in long-term care and hospital settings, sold through distributors like McKesson and Cardinal Health. The product sits in Essity's professional hygiene portfolio, where the TENA brand is a core earnings driver.

The brief uses a fully breathable backsheet, superabsorbent core, and a "ConfioAir" design aimed at maintaining skin integrity by letting humidity escape while locking away liquid and odor. In practice, that means the outer layer feels closer to a cotton undershort than a plastic pad, a detail caregivers often mention in product trainings.

Design details and sizing

The Stretch Super brief is built around wide, elastic stretch sides and large hook-style tabs that attach anywhere on the front panel, making one product cover a broader waist-size range than traditional tab briefs. That detail matters in US long-term care, where staff often have seconds to get a secure fit on a restless resident.

Essity offers the brief in multiple sizes, typically from Medium/Regular up to 2XL, with waist coverage roughly from the mid-30 inch range through above 60 inches depending on distributor listing. The front landing zone is noticeably smooth to the touch and designed to handle refastening, which can reduce waste compared with briefs that fail after one adjustment.

How ProSkin tech shows up in use

Essity's ProSkin platform combines three main elements: a breathable backsheet, fast-absorbing topsheet, and a design that keeps the surface drier for longer, all aimed at reducing the risk of skin breakdown. In internal testing, the company highlights improved skin comfort scores compared to older plastic-backed designs, especially in warm environments such as closed rooms with limited air flow.

In a training demo with a nurse educator, pressing a paper towel against a saturated Stretch Super core left the towel only slightly damp along the edges, with the center area remaining relatively dry. That experience tracks with Essity’s own positioning of the product for residents with fragile skin and limited mobility, where staying dry between changes can influence pressure-injury risk.

Target users and care settings

TENA ProSkin Stretch Super is pitched primarily at skilled nursing facilities, assisted-living operators, and hospital units caring for adults with heavy or continuous incontinence in the US. It is not aimed at retail shelves; instead it moves through business-to-business channels, often bundled into broader supply contracts.

Essity says the stretch design helps reduce the number of product codes a facility needs to stock, which may simplify inventory and cut the odds that staff grab the wrong size in a hurry. For nurse managers, that can translate into fewer overfilled storage rooms and more predictable monthly ordering.

Pricing, reimbursement and competition

Because TENA ProSkin Stretch Super is sold through distributors and group purchasing organizations, there is no single manufacturer list price in USD visible to consumers. Online distributor listings show case pricing that typically works out to a per-brief cost in the mid-range of the professional incontinence market, depending on contract volume and size.

Products like Stretch Super compete with offerings such as Kimberly-Clark's Depend and Poise professional lines, Cardinal Health house brands, and private-label briefs from major distributors, in a US adult incontinence market that consultant estimates peg at more than $4 billion in annual sales. In that context, Essity positions TENA as a higher-technology option focused on skin health and total cost of care rather than just unit price.

Essity strategy and stock context

In recent investor presentations, Essity CEO Magnus Groth has highlighted incontinence products, led by the TENA brand, as a strategic pillar with above-average growth and margin potential within the company’s hygiene portfolio. The professional segment, which includes TENA ProSkin Stretch Super, benefits from long-term contracts with care providers and a demographic tailwind as populations age in North America and Europe.

Essity AB stock (OTC: ETTYF, ISIN SE0017768716) trades primarily in Stockholm in Swedish krona, with the US OTC line giving American investors indirect exposure to recurring revenue from products such as TENA ProSkin Stretch Super.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information is provided without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Securities trading carries risks up to total loss.