Carnation Adult Diaper Review

*For more information on how I do reviews see Diaper Test Methodology

Summary

The Carnation Adult Diaper is a plastic-backed moderately absorbent diaper widely sold in Taiwan. It appears to be one of the more popular incontinence products sold there, but isn’t widely sold externally. This diaper mirrors the popular Asian style with a landing zone in the front and repositionable tapes. Also notable is the fact that like many other Asian incontinence products this is clearly marketed as a “diaper” as opposed to a “brief” or “slip”.

This diaper has generous padding coverage, but won’t take much more than a single wetting before a change is needed. It’s quite comfortable and is one of the easier diapers to achieve a good fit. In terms of profile it’s quite discreet, but it also has a relatively noisy backsheet that would draw attention in a quiet room. Overall, I feel it would be best used with a booster pad or for light-moderate incontinence but have no complaints in terms of comfort or durability.

Key Features:

• Plastic-backing
• Repositionable tapes
  
• White backsheet with Greek cross wetness indicators
• Standing inner leak barriers

Pros:

• Snug/comfortable design
  
• Great durability
• Odor resistant

Cons:

• Surface dampness
• Low absorbency
  

Product Details

For the purpose of this post I will be reviewing and referring to the medium-sized Carnation Adult Diaper. However, other available sizes are listed below:

Packaging

Brand: Carnation
Manufacturer: KNH Enterprise Co., Ltd
Origin: Taiwan
Units Per Bag: 16
Cost Per Unit: $
Dimensions (L x W x H): 31 cm (12.2") x 19 cm (7.5") x 24 cm (9.5")
Weight: 1.53 kg (3.4 lbs)
Available Sizes: M,L
Advertised Absorbency: High Absorption

1.1 Carnation Adult Diaper Packaging

Diaper

Backsheet: Plastic (Poly)
Wetness Indicator: Yes (blue Greek crosses on backsheet, disappear when wet)
Standing Inner Leak Guards: Yes
Leg Gathers: Yes
Product Style: Tab-Style Brief
Refastenable Tabs: Yes
Number of Tapes: 2
Repositionable Tabs: Yes
Outer Color: White
Inner Color: White (blue Greek cross outline symbols)
Front Waistband: No
Rear Waistband: No
Folded Thickness: 2.0 cm (0.79")
Folded Length: 25 cm (9.84")
Dry Weight: 100 g (3.53 oz)
Fragrance: None
Diaper Dimensions (L x fW x mW x bW): 79 cm (31.3") x 65 cm (25.6") x 33 cm (13") x 65 cm (25.6")
Wing Shape (Front, Rear): Rectangular, Rectangular
Padding Dimensions (L x fW x mW x bW): 65 cm (25.6") x 35 cm (13.8") x 16 cm (6.3") x 39 cm (15.4")
Padding Wing Dimensions (fPW x fPH x bPW x bPH): 9.5 cm (3.7") x 12 cm (4.7") x 11.5 cm (4.5") x 14 cm (5.5")
Padding Wing Shape (Front, Rear): Rectangular, Rectangular
Total Padding Area: 1590 cm² (246 in²)
Tape Spacing (t1 x t2): 4 cm (1.6") x 11 cm (4.3")
Tape (W x L): 2.5 cm (1") x 3 cm (1.2")

 

1.2 Carnation Adult Diaper

Laboratory Absorbency Tests

Total Absorption Volume (after press out): 675 ml (23.8 oz)
Total Absorption Volume (before press out): 700 ml (24.7 oz)
Time to Absorb Wettings (first to last): (49 s, 62 s, 73 s)
Wet Folded Thickness: 3.5 cm (1.4")
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 83%
Total Padding to Absorbency Ratio: 0.42 ml / cm² (0.10 oz / in²)
Press Out Volume: 25 ml (0.88 oz)

Surface Dampness Rating: 4
The Carnation Adult Diaper wasn’t remarkable when it came to surface dampness, but it wasn’t awful either. There was noticeable dampness after the first wetting, but not as much as the Certainty, Attends Poly or First Quality diapers. During real world testing the surface dampness was there but didn’t feel as obvious as some of those other diapers. I found it comparable to the Abena DeltaForm M3, though not quite as absorbent.

2.1 Wet vs Dry Diaper After Capacity Test

2.2 Used vs Unused Padding After Capacity Test

"Real World" Absorbency Tests

Posture Tests

Standing-Sitting

Total Absorbed Volume: 675 ml (23.8 oz)
Total Wettings: 2 (1 standing, 1 sitting)
Leaked After Sitting: No
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 94%
Padding to Absorbency Score: 0.42 ml / cm² (0.10 oz / in²)

Standing-Sitting Rating: 3
The Carnation Adult Diaper was far from the best in terms of standing-sitting performance but not bad for one of the cheaper diapers. The first wetting while standing was fully absorbed without incident. The surface dampness stuck around for a while, but because the diaper is quite spacious and there wasn’t a lot of skin contact it was barely noticeable. No leakage was observed upon sitting, though it felt like sitting immediately after the wetting could have resulted in some leakage. The surface dampness upon sitting was also a bit less than I was expecting. On the second wetting there was moderate leakage from the rear leg gathers. During this wetting there was a bit of wicking up the front and the back of the diaper and again it felt oddly comfortable for a diaper that was saturated and leaking. This diaper will probably handle 1 moderate-to-heavy wetting during daily wear but I would recommend changing soon afterward and wouldn’t push it past that.

Lying Down

Total Absorbed Volume: 525 ml (18.5 oz)
Total Wettings: 1
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 89%
Padding to Absorbency Score: 0.33 ml / cm² (0.08 oz / in²)

Lying Down Rating: 3
The Carnation Adult Diaper wasn’t remarkable when it came to performance while lying down. It leaked on the very first wetting, albeit it was a heavy wetting and the leak was very small. Aside from a small leak out of the rear leg gathers, once the moisture was absorbed the surface didn’t feel particularly damp and it proved resistant to further pressout leakage. I feel this diaper can generally handle a single moderate-heavy wetting without leaking but I wouldn’t push it past that. The absorbency is pretty similar or perhaps slightly less than the Certainty Adult Diaper.

2.3 Pattern of Used vs Unused Padding Test Stand/Sit (right) Lying Down (left)

Daily Wear and Bedwetting

The Carnation Adult Diaper has a comfortable snug fit but is best suited for light-moderate incontinence and likely won’t hold enough for heavy bedwetting. It’s performance was comparable to the Depend Protection with Tabs and is more practical with the repositionable tapes, but also seems less leak resistant and leaks can be expected after only a single wetting while seated. It holds a little more for bedwetting with its extensive rear padding, but absorption can be slow and pooling might lead to leaks in a restless sleeper. I feel this diaper is best suited for daily wear when it can be changed regularly or with a good booster pad. Without a booster pad, expect about ½ to 1 wetting before leakage occurs. With a booster pad it could be an excellent choice, because its structure is highly durable with strong tapes. Aside from that, it provides pretty good heat distribution as far as plastic-backed diapers go though not quite as good as the Certainty diaper.

Suitability for Bowel Incontinence: 7

The Carnation Adult Diaper seems well suited for those with bowel incontinence. This diaper has an extensive area of padding up its rear and relatively high leg gathers. It has a snug fit around the waist that should help keep odors down coupled with its plastic backsheet. It isn’t the most spacious diaper but still has plenty of room at the rear to reduce skin contact.

Wear & Tear Tests

Fitting

The Carnation Adult Diaper features two tapes per side with a refastenable/repositionable landing zone in the front. The tapes can easily be detached and reattached at a different position if the first fitting isn’t right. The tapes are small but decent quality and will not come undone easily, even after several re-fastenings.

3.1 Carnation Adult Diaper Fastener

Ease-of-Use Rating: 9

The Carnation diaper has a generously sized landing zone and will easily provide a snug fit. In many regards it’s similar to the Certainty diaper; it doesn’t have the landing zone pattern but it’s easier to achieve a snug fit with this diaper. The tapes on this diaper also appear to be a bit stronger and won’t come undone as easily after multiple re-fastenings. The tapes are also easy to remove when the diaper needs a change and it should be easy to use in a care giver setting.

3.2 Carnation Adult Diaper Fit

 

Comfort

Comfort Rating (dry): 9
For a relatively cheap plastic-backed adult diaper, the Carnation diaper is surprisingly comfortable when dry. It features an extensive area of soft padding and does a good job at distributing heat, reducing potential clamminess. The plastic backsheet is smooth and soft and won’t chafe against the legs. I put it at slightly less comfortable than the Certainty diaper, but may be more comfortable in some settings because it fits more snugly.

Comfort Rating (wet): 6
Don’t expect the Carnation diaper to hold more than a single wetting, but the diaper is reasonably comfortable when wet. The surface dampness doesn’t feel as uncomfortable as you might expect because the diaper does a good job at distributing heat and the wet padding doesn’t have much tendency to stick to the skin. Moreover, I didn’t notice considerable padding clumping when wet. It could be a decent daily wear diaper for those with light-moderate incontinence, but isn’t absorbent enough for those with heavy incontinence.

3.3 Carnation Adult Diaper Topsheet and Backsheet

Durability

Dry Padding Deterioration Proportion: 9.9% (topsheet), 8.9% (backsheet)
Shake Deterioration Test: 6 shakes to deterioration

Durability Rating (dry): 7
The Carnation diaper performed reasonably with respect to dry durability. Although it didn’t do so well in terms of overall deterioration performance the key areas of padding held up quite well and the diaper was still in good shape to absorb a wetting at the end of the test. So I’ve scored it a little higher than I might otherwise. For the most part the padding stayed attached to the backsheet, but there was a bit of tearing/compression with modest activity. Aside from that, the wetness indicators appear quite sensitive to light dribbles or sweat.

Durability Rating (wet): 7
The Carnation diaper performed better than expected in the wet durability shake test. It’s partly a result of its padding not carrying a ton of weight, but the padding also seemed pretty durable and didn’t easily come detached from the backsheet. This was confirmed in real world testing, where very little clumping was observed in the wet diaper. It does still suffer from some tearing like it did in its dry state but otherwise the diaper will hold up well when wet (it’s just not absorbent enough that you would expect to wear it wet for long).

3.4 Carnation Adult Diaper Dry Test Deterioration

Discretion Tests

Profile

Front Rise Above Waistline (Jeans, Sweatpants): 2.5 cm (1"), 2 cm (0.8")
Back Rise Above Waistline (Jeans, Sweatpants): 7.5 cm (3"), 6 cm (2.4")
Side Rise Above Waistline (Jeans, Sweatpants): 3.5 cm (1.4"), 3.5 cm (1.4")

Profile Discretion Rating: 7
The Carnation diaper is relatively thin but also quite big in terms of padding area. I found it similar to the Certainty diaper in terms of profile discretion. Generally it should be easy to hide under clothing but you may find it bunch up and form a diaper bulge in tight clothing. The rear of the diaper fits snugly so the problem would be more at the front.

4.1 Carnation Adult Diaper Jeans Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)

4.2 Carnation Adult Diaper Sweatpants Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)

Noise

Noise Rating: 6
The plastic in the Carnation diaper is pretty flexible but also gives off a distinctive crinkling noise. It’s not among the noisiest diapers on the market and with underwear or mesh pants it may be possible to dampen it so it wouldn’t be noticeable in most situations. However, this is a diaper that would be noticeable when walking in a quiet room.

4.3 Carnation Adult Diaper Noise Profile

Odor Reduction

Odor Reduction Rating: 7
The Carnation diaper may not have high absorbency but it is surprisingly effective when it comes to odor reduction. The padding seems somewhat resilient to odor formation despite the surface dampness. I also credit this diaper’s snug fit and plastic backsheet with assisting in reducing odors.