TENA Cleansing Cream — 3-in-1 No-Rinse Incontinence Cleanser

By Essity / TENA  |  Made in USA  |  Latex-Free  |  FSA/HSA Eligible  |  Rx Required

7× More Moisturizing Than Soap & Water  |  3-in-1: Cleanses, Moisturizes, Soothes  |  No-Rinse / No Water Required  |  Soap-Free & Alcohol-Free  |  pH-Balanced  |  Dermatologically Tested  |  Scented & Scent-Free Options  |  8.5 oz Tube to 33.8 oz Pump

TENA Cleansing Cream cleanses, moisturizes, and soothes fragile and incontinence-affected skin in a single no-rinse application — leaving the skin 7 times more moisturized than soap and water, and 5 times more moisturized than another leading no-rinse cleanser. The mild emollient emulsion cleanses by affinity rather than surfactant stripping, depositing conditioning lipids on the skin with each use rather than depleting the barrier. Unlike soap-and-water care, no rinse basin or water access is required — eliminating both the care steps and the cross-contamination risk from shared basins and washcloths. Soap-free. Alcohol-free. pH-balanced to maintain the skin's acid mantle. Dermatologically tested. Latex-free. Made in USA. Available in five configurations across two scent options and three sizes. 36-month shelf life; 12 months after opening. Rx required. FSA/HSA eligible. By Essity / TENA.

Available Configurations

Questions about which configuration is right for your patient or setting? Call 1-866-218-0902

Ingredients

How to Use

1. Apply a small amount of TENA Cleansing Cream directly to the skin area to be cleansed — perineal area during a brief or pad change, or any body surface for bed bathing.
2. Work the cream gently into the skin using a soft glove, cloth, or TENA CliniGuard Dry Wipe (available separately).
3. Gently wipe away soiling. Repeat as necessary until the area is clean.
4. Pat dry. No water rinsing is needed.
5. The emollient film remains on the skin, continuing to moisturize and protect until the next care event.
6. Apply a barrier cream or paste as directed for patients at elevated risk of skin breakdown.

Key Features

• 7× more moisturizing than soap and water — independent testing shows TENA Cleansing Cream leaves skin 7 times more moisturized than soap-and-water cleansing and 5 times more moisturized than another leading no-rinse cleanser; this is because the emollient-based formula deposits conditioning lipids on the skin surface during the cleansing event rather than stripping the skin's natural oils as surfactant-based soap cleansing does; repeated soap-and-water cleansing progressively depletes barrier lipids, while repeated TENA Cleansing Cream use maintains and supplements them
• No-rinse — no basin, no water, no cross-contamination — the cream cleanses and is wiped clear without rinsing; this eliminates the requirement for a wash basin, which is a documented vector for cross-contamination of microorganisms between care events; shared basins and washcloths can transfer pathogens from one patient care area to another unless disinfected between uses, a step that adds time and is frequently missed in high-volume care settings; TENA Cleansing Cream eliminates the basin entirely, reducing microbial cross-contamination risk to the level of single-use wipes
• Optimizes caregiver time — the single-step no-rinse protocol (apply, wipe, done) is substantially faster than basin-and-rinse cleansing for each incontinence episode; in facilities where a caregiver manages multiple incontinent residents, the time savings across a shift are meaningful and allow the caregiver to attend to other care needs
• Soap-free and alcohol-free — no surfactants that strip skin lipids; no alcohol that dries and stings irritated skin; appropriate for repeated daily use on the most fragile and sensitive perineal skin without risk of progressive dryness or irritation from the cleanser itself
• pH-balanced — maintains the skin's acid mantle — the formula is buffered to maintain a pH compatible with the skin's natural range of approximately 4.5 to 5.5; the acid mantle is the skin's primary chemical barrier against bacterial colonization and penetration; soap is alkaline and disrupts this mantle with each use; TENA Cleansing Cream supports the acid mantle rather than disrupting it
• Scented and scent-free options — the scented versions (64425/64430/64435) help leave skin feeling fresh and odor-free and are preferred by many patients for the sense of normal cleanliness they provide; the scent-free versions (64410/64415) are formulated without parfum, appropriate for patients with fragrance sensitivity or contact allergy and for clinical settings where fragrance-neutral products are required
• Tube and pump bottle formats — 8.5 oz tube for portable, bedside, and single-patient use; 16.9 oz and 33.8 oz pump bottles for care settings where measured single-hand dispensing, higher volume, and efficient multi-patient stocking are practical priorities
• Dermatologically tested | Latex-free | Made in USA | 36-month shelf life / 12 months after opening

Storage

• Best before: 36 months from production date (see packaging). Use within 12 months of opening.
• Recommended storage: 50°F–77°F (10°C–25°C) — room temperature, dry, well-ventilated area.
• Tolerable range: 32°F–85°F (0°C–30°C).
• Protect from freezing, direct sunlight, extreme temperature changes, and excessive heat.

Clinical FAQs

What does "7× more moisturizing than soap and water" mean clinically, and why does this matter for incontinence skin care?

The 7× moisturizing advantage reflects the fundamental mechanism difference between emollient-based cleansing and soap-based cleansing. When skin is washed with soap and water, the surfactant molecules in soap form micelles around skin oils, sebum, and soiling, allowing them to be rinsed away with water. This emulsification process does not distinguish between soiling and the skin's own naturally occurring surface lipids — the intercellular lipids, sebum, and natural moisturizing factors that form the stratum corneum barrier are rinsed away along with the dirt. When this process is repeated two to six or more times daily for incontinence care, the cumulative effect is progressive depletion of the barrier lipid layer, increasing transepidermal water loss, reducing barrier integrity, and leaving skin increasingly dry, fragile, and vulnerable to irritant dermatitis. TENA Cleansing Cream uses an oil-in-water emollient emulsion: the emollient lipids (glyceryl stearates, cetyl palmitate, cetearyl isononanoate) physically absorb soiling into the cream matrix through lipid affinity rather than stripping, while the glycerin humectant draws moisture into the skin and the fatty alcohol emollients deposit a conditioning film that remains after wiping. The net result of each TENA care event is a skin surface that has been cleaned and simultaneously conditioned, with a net moisture gain rather than a moisture loss. Over multiple daily care events, this accumulates to the 7× moisturizing difference measured in independent testing.

How does TENA Cleansing Cream reduce cross-contamination risk compared to basin-and-washcloth cleansing?

Basin-and-washcloth perineal cleansing involves three potential cross-contamination vectors that TENA Cleansing Cream eliminates. First, the wash basin — even when filled with clean water, a basin that has been rinsed but not disinfected between patients or between care events may harbor Gram-negative organisms from a previous soiled washcloth or from the sink faucet contact; studies of wash basins in clinical settings have consistently found bacterial contamination of varying severity. Second, the washcloth — a reusable cloth used across multiple body areas or reused for subsequent patients without laundering can transfer organisms from one site or patient to another. Third, the caregiver's hands — water-based washing requires more hand-to-surface contact during cleaning and rinsing than cream application and wiping, increasing the number of contact points where cross-transfer can occur. TENA Cleansing Cream eliminates the basin entirely — no basin means no basin contamination risk. When used with single-use dry wipes (such as TENA CliniGuard Dry Wipes), each care event is single-use and disposal-contained from application to discard, with no shared equipment contact between patients or care events. This infection control advantage is particularly significant in shared-room long-term care settings, where multi-drug-resistant organisms (MRSA, VRE, C. difficile) may be co-present in the care environment.

When should I use the scented vs. scent-free TENA Cleansing Cream, and does the parfum in the scented version cause skin reactions?

The scented TENA Cleansing Cream (64425/64430/64435) contains parfum — a fragrance blend that provides a light, fresh scent designed to help leave the skin smelling clean after incontinence care. Fragrance serves a practical and psychosocial purpose: the odor associated with incontinence can affect patient dignity, self-esteem, and social engagement; a cleanser that effectively neutralizes odor and leaves a clean scent supports the patient's sense of normalcy and cleanliness in a way that an unscented product does not. For most patients without fragrance sensitivity, the scented version is appropriate and preferred. The scent-free versions (64410/64415) are formulated without parfum — appropriate for patients with a known or suspected fragrance contact allergy, for patients with conditions such as eczema or rosacea that can be aggravated by topical fragrance, for multi-patient clinical settings where fragrance-neutral policy is in effect, or for caregivers who prefer odor-neutral products in the care environment. Regarding skin reactions to the parfum ingredient: Essity formulates TENA ProSkin products with dermatologist testing to verify gentleness and tolerability, and the parfum concentration in the scented version is calibrated for minimal reactivity on sensitive skin. However, fragrance contact allergy is one of the most common forms of contact dermatitis in adults, and no product manufacturer can guarantee that any specific fragrance blend will be tolerated by all individuals with fragrance sensitivity. For patients with known fragrance allergy or with skin that is already significantly compromised by IAD or dermatitis, the scent-free version is the conservative and appropriate choice.

Questions about TENA Cleansing Cream, variant selection, case ordering, or incontinence skin care protocol? Call our product specialists: 1-866-218-0902  |  Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 9am–3pm EST