A new sustainable wellness brand geared toward women and the problems they face as they age is launching this week. Attn: Grace bladder leakage products feature a 100% bio-based top sheet, allowing only natural fibers to touch women’s skin, providing a gentler product than is currently on the market.
Co-founder Mia Abbruzzese noticed a need for better options in incontinence care when visiting her elderly mother and seeing she was disposing her incontinence items in a newspaper sleeve.
“Here is a woman who is relatively sophisticated,” she says noting that she didn’t even realize her mother was facing incontinence. “She is well dressed, she shops at Whole Foods, has a lot of pride in her actions and appearance and there wasn’t a more sophisticated option in this category.”
Abbruzzese, whose background is in manufacturing, decided it was time for a disruptor in women’s health. She partnered with her wife, Alex Fennell, who is a patent attorney, to develop a sustainable solution for women facing incontinence.
“As two female founders, we do have a unique perspective on it,” Fennell says. “When you see the incumbent brands, they are made by companies that are predominantly run by men. We are able to bring a unique perspective to the market in how we build a community around the brand. I think that is an opportunity we have as we engage customers.”
While the feminine hygiene category has developed a number of higher end, sustainable-focused products from both start-ups and national brands, there are few options in the adult incontinence category, despite the size and potential for growth this market holds.
Industry estimates put the value of the global adult incontinence market at $13.3 billion and it is expected to grow nearly 8% per year until 2026, compared to 2% for the feminine hygiene market.
In addition to the bio-based top sheet, more than 50% of the PE used throughout the product is based on sugarcane waste and the outer packaging is made of paperboard sourced from sustainably certified forests.
“Everything from consciously crated product to making sure we have eliminated all the harshest materials has been considered,” Abbruzzese says .”We realize that unlike period products, which we use for five days per month, these are used all day, every day, even overnight, so it is even more important that the fibers don’t contain chemicals.”
Attn: Grace is a subscription-based service where customers can choose their monthly delivery needs to suit their needs. The products feature discreet, renewably sourced and designed packing with easy-to-carry handles. The subscription-based model not only makes it easier for customers to choose and buy their products, it also allows the company to engage more directly with the customers to gauge and understand their needs.
“Stepping away from the products, a big part of our mission is really shifting he whole conversation about incontinence,” Fennell adds. “This is an issue that so many women face and no one talks about it. We have seen things change the feminine hygiene space but there is still such a stigma in this market.” There is a huge opportunity as a direct to consumer brand to engage with our customer base to to guide the change.”
Already at launch, Attn: Grace has about 10,000 customers on its waiting list, illustrating how thirsty the market is for innovation. Currently, as many as 90% of female incontinence sufferers seek to manage the problem with product designed for feminine hygiene product even though they are very different issues. While embarrassment plays a role, here, so does confusion. Many women are overwhelmed and confused by the products available for bladder leakage.
“One thing we have tried to do is streamline things,” Abbruzzese says. “We are building the brand for an older consumer because it was inspired by an older consumer and that is where we se the biggest gap in support for women’s needs.”
