Wet Strength Agent

Overview

Wet Strength Agent is a papermaking additive designed to help paper and tissue retain mechanical strength after wetting. It is useful for grades where wet tensile or wet tear performance is important, including tissue, sanitary products and packaging. The most widely used chemistry for this purpose is polyamide-epichlorohydrin (PAE) resin, which cross-links with cellulose during drying to form a permanent network, which is what allows wet-strengthened grades to retain a meaningful share of their dry strength even after prolonged soaking.