My congrats to Kimberly-Clark for winning the coveted 2008 Visionary Award for SpaSensials, a fantastic innovative product!

SpaSensials was one of six finalists at the VISION 2008 Consumer Products Conference, organized by INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry. I was honored to champion this innovation while I worked at Kimberly-Clark, and am proud of the entire SpaSensials team for its great work!

If you’re not familiar with SpaSensials, click here to learn more about this amazing at-home spa treatment consisting of intensive moisturizing and conditioning socks and gloves.

It’s a product geared toward women who love the softness of a spa manicure and pedicure, without the salon prices. Advanced technology helps the intensive conditioning formula in SpaSensials products to quickly and effectively absorb into the skin. The nonwoven material keeps moisturizers on the inside, next to the skin.

Kimberly-Clark had some tough competition, and there were some great new innovative consumer products in the contest. The other five finalists were:

1. Curity Brand Nursing Pad, Covidien
(formerly Tyco Healthcare Retail Group) redesigned its nursing pad into a three-dimensional lemon shape that provides a more discreet fit.

It has a thinner fluff pulp/SAP core for improved dryness and comfort as well as a tissue layer on the top and bottom to better contain the core.

2. Do-Rite Disposable Dog Diapers, Do-Rites
Do-Rites are nonwoven disposable diaper/garments that are fashionable and also provide the protection of a disposable diaper, without looking like one.

3. PowerTex Glass Cleaner, Ecolab
With applications in both consumer and institutional products, this system offers an environmentally responsible spray bottle cleaning system that uses a chemically impregnated nonwoven “sleeve,” a trigger sprayer with a specially designed dip tube system and a bottle.

4. OMop Dry Sweeper Cloths, Method Products
The OMop Dry Sweeper Cloths are disposable dry sweeper cloths made from 100% PLA (Poly-Lactic Acid), a plastic derived from corn, and are designed to be used on a custom sweeping tool.

5. Consumer Shopping Bags, Reliance Industries (India)
These reusable shopping bags are made of reverse printed and laminated BOPP film on a polypropylene nonwoven and are designed to replace conventional paper bags and cotton cloth bags in the grocery and retail market.