Hydrocolloids used in wound care applications prevent the adhesive from sticking to the wound while absorbing fluids, resulting in a better healing environment and more comfort for the patient. Avery Dennison Medical’s scientists have experience in developing a variety of hydrocolloid formulations. The absorbent particles we use in our adhesives come from natural sources like pectin or carboxymethylcellulose.

Important features of hydrocolloids for medical applications

Avery Dennison Medical develops a wide range of standard and customisable hydrocolloid formulations, with varying performance in terms of adherence, absorbency, and thickness. Because of their absorbing capacity, hydrocolloid adhesives are often used for professional and consumer wound care applications.

Ostomy care

We offer a broad range of hydrocolloid stoma care products with patented technologies, as rolled materials, components, or customizable solutions.

The primary feature of hydrocolloid ostomy applications is that they adhere well to the skin, even when there is a risk of leakage (e.g.ileostomy or colostomy). Thanks to the unique capacity of the hydrocolloid particles to transform into gel, the adherence performance of the application remains intact. Our hydrocolloids designed for ostomy solutions are also skin-friendly, while offering a continuous and secure bond. Consequently, patients are reassured about the performance and comfort of the application they use every day, and often for many years.

Wound care 

Avery Dennison Medical manufactures hydrocolloid adhesives that are used in wound care solutions for light to moderate exudating wounds such as pressure or leg ulcers. As opposed to hydrocolloid stoma adhesives, wound care hydrocolloids are characterized by a slightly different formulation: these hydrocolloids do not stick to a wound when bodily fluids are absorbed within the dressing. The hydrocolloids we develop for wound care applications have the capacity to facilitate moist wound healing, resulting in a better healing process.

Moreover, by adding components to our existing core technologies, we can bring additional functionalities and more comfort to the end user.

Our material science engineers have vast experience in altering existing hydrocolloid formulations, for example hydrocolloids with wound odor control, or additives such as glycerine and Vitamin E for skin conditioning.