Let’s Talk Periods.
Image Credit: TOTM
The onset of female menstruation is a coming of age milestone in every woman’s life. According to the NHS, most girls will have their first period around the age of 12, and they will go on to have around 450 periods in their lifetime. Menstruation is a totally natural process and we need to empower girls and women to feel confident and comfortable during their monthly flow. However, that is easier said than done, with many girls feeling shame and fear about their period.
Periods have always been a taboo subject. Even from a marketing perspective, period care products are advertised to us as discrete and clean. This prudish language has had a massive effect on how people view periods and period care. But, the conversation around period wellness is back in the spotlight and women are demanding better. Better products, better choice and better understanding.
Changing Consumer Mindset
Thankfully, times are changing. In 2017, period care brand Bodyform released the first advert for a sanitary pad that featured red ‘blood’ in place of the usual blue liquid used to demonstrate period care products, and this spoke volumes. No longer were brands willing to sensor this natural occurrence like they had done for so long. It was time to empower women to learn about, speak about and not feel ashamed about their periods.
Additionally, in recent years we have seen a shift in how the world views menstruation, but it hasn’t been an easy journey. Last year Scotland was the first country in the world to offer free period products to girls and women in an aim to end period poverty. A short while later the UK government abolished tax on all period products, another step in the right direction. These actions are a step towards equality, as no girl or woman should miss out on her life because she is simply on her period.
Market Size
This change in attitude towards women’s wellness has lead to an increase in companies dedicated to educating and empowering women about their flow. Period subscription services like TOTM and Ohne, and tracking apps like Flo and Clue are breaking the stigma around period care and creating an inclusive environment where women can learn about their periods, and feel great during them!
This growing awareness about period care among women, coupled with the obvious need for period products, has created a huge global demand growing the global feminine hygiene market to a value of $38.18 billion in 2020, according to Fortune Business Insights, with the potential to grow to $54.52 billion by 2028. According to Mordor Intelligence at present, the global market is dominated by sanitary pads. This is followed by tampons, then menstrual cups, then ‘other’ period care products. But, this is forecast to change in years to come as the more sustainable alternatives like menstrual cups become more popular.
Shift in Distribution
According to Fortune Business Insight, in 2020 the leading distribution channel for period care products remained the supermarket. This represented 33.99% of all period care product sales. However, as period wellness becomes more mainstream and women explore their options, will online become a more popular distribution channel? Online destinations such as Cult Beauty are making period care as important as your beauty regime and have begun selling period care products like the BeYou menstrual cup on their site.
Brands to Watch
This new attitude towards feminine hygiene has brought with it a new wave of period care brands on a mission to make that time of the month a little better. There is no one size fits all when it comes to period wellness. So, when it comes to deciding which brands are doing period care best, it will always come down to personal preference. From reusable period pants to menstrual cups these are the brands we are watching, and we can’t wait to see what they do next!