Bloody good business! How India's menstruation products market is evolving

Remember the sanitary pad ads of the rsquo80s and rsquo90s which never mentioned the words menstruation or period let alone show blood Instead blue ink would seep into the lsquosanitary napkinsrsquo As a six or sevenyearold Amruta Chad would innocently repeat the taglines ldquoSoandso brand now with wingsrdquoldquoI lived in a joint family and all my relatives would give me weird looksrdquo recalls the digital marketing copywriter from Andheri ldquoI didnrsquot know what product was being advertised or what menstruation was There was no conversation about it among family or friends neither were the ads educationalmdashhow would a viewer know how to use the pads what were the wings meant for My mother took me aside to explain periods and told me to be discreet about themrdquoAmruta Chad swears by her pain relief rollon which is discreet enough to be used while shersquos out and about on her day PicsKirti Surve ParadeA few years later when Chad hit puberty there were just two brands of sanitary napkins to choose from Stayfree and Whisper They continue to dominate the Indian marketmdashProctor and Gamblersquos Whisper holds over 51 per cent share Johnson and Johnsonrsquos Stayfree 28 per cent according to a 2022 NABARD studyIt would be years before Chad discovered tampons on the Internet and with it came freedom from rashes to swim on her period from fear of leaks Five years ago she discovered menstrual or moon cups through ads on social media and was delighted to see influencers openly talk about how to use them teething troubles and their solutions Encouraged Chad tried a cup and has never looked back ldquoI saw a transformation in the way people were speaking about menstruationrdquo she says ldquoYouTubers were now casually talking about their favourite products the way they discuss favourite places to eat And there are so many new brands and products to choose from nowrdquoWith more open conversation around it not only has the taboo around menstruation blotted to a great extent at least in urban centres but the corporate sector has finally sat up and noticed that therersquos a lot of money to be made by addressing the pain points of women who make up 50 per cent of the countryrsquos population Market research firm Mordor Intelligence estimates the current Indian market to be worth R7500 crore and anticipates this will rise to R15000 crore by 2029 According to homegrown period panty brand Mahina though the market is far bigger than that ldquoThe Indian menstrual care market is estimated to reach R46000 crore by 2027 fuelled by rising awareness increasing disposable income and a growing focus on health and hygienerdquo said a company spokespersonIt was seen as a big enough source of revenue for the government to impose a tax on pads and tampons in 2017 The levy was labelled ldquolahu ka lagaanrdquo or ldquoblood taxrdquo by activists who campaigned against it for a year until the Centre withdrew it in 2018 Aditi Gupta and Laure HWith a population of about 40 crore menstruating women and each woman experiencing an average of 450 periods an average of 2250 days of her life India has been flooded by feminine hygiene brands in the last 10 years and their innovations such as biodegradable pads menstrual cups period panties pain relief products periodtracking apps and supplements to relieve symptomsItrsquos high time says Navneet Kaur Founder and CEO of FemTech India the countryrsquos first womenrsquos ecosystem for change in womenrsquos health innovation ldquoWomen control 85 per cent of consumer spending and only get 2 per cent funding Itrsquos 2024 and these are the depressing stats For a long time womenrsquos health issues especially those related to menstruation were considered taboo or simply overlooked However the increased availability of menstruation products along with a growing number of startups and established brands entering the femtech space shows a shift in the market Companies are finally seeing the value in catering to womenrsquos health needs and realising that there is not only a social responsibility but also a strong business case for doing sordquoAlso ReadOdisha announces 1day menstrual leave for govt private employeesAurovillebased Eco Femme distributes free cloth pads among girls from lowincome families while teaching them about menstruationJust a fortnight ago actor Ranveer Singhrsquos menrsquos wellness brand Bold Care launched a womenrsquos wellness brand Bloom albeit with an unusual array of menstrual products From tablets to tackle menopausal bloating to myoinositol powder to help with symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS the brand has chosen to focus on a neglected aspect of the industrymdashlife transitions and menstrual health Cofounder and CEO of Bloom Rajat Jadhav says ldquoThe reason wersquove chosen these niche categories is pretty interesting As men we can only go so far in understanding the issue But the womenled team wersquore building had an interesting insightmdashthat life transitions are never addressed by the wellness market Crucial aspects such as menopause period care PCOS and nutritional deficiencies are very specific to women For a vision as unique as this one we needed to have women at the heart of it Thatrsquos why wersquove built a strong team led by Business Head Parinita HendrerdquoSuch products are a godsend for Thaneresident Priyanka Pawar who struggled with extreme menstrual pain that was dismissed by one doctor after another She was diagnosed with PCOS but found no support from gynaecologists who are more inclined to help patients when they are trying to conceive says Pawar Where the medical fraternity failed the Internet helped The former academician found online communities of women living with PCOS and endometriosis and with their help and hours of research on the net she found relief in inositol a form of sugar naturally found in the body that when used as a supplement can greatly relieve PCOSrelated painPriyanka Pawar has recently started experimenting with heat patches to manage menstrual painWhile inositol helped with making her periods regular and menstrual cups removed some discomfort Pawar is ldquoconstantly on the lookout for something that will help with the pain Irsquom now trying out heat patchesrdquo She also uses a period tracking app religiously ldquoMy periods have never been regular Before I used to have to guess when theyrsquod arrive I get bad mood swings when PMSing but could never figure out why With a tracker Irsquom able to anticipate my period and it also helps me realise that if Irsquom having cranky day it might be because my period is close or Irsquom ovulating The app helps me gather data on delays or how long or heavy my flow is to show the doctorsrdquoEarlier in October Japanese feminine hygiene brand Sofy expanded its footprint in India with SOFY Club app Unlike other periodtracking apps in the market ldquoitrsquos a comprehensive menstrual cycle manager that supports users even on nonperiod daysrdquo says Ai Mizushima Senior Brand Manager ldquoThe app offers many unique features such as recording period status as well as changes in physical condition and mood and predicting the next period ovulation and PMS datesrdquoImagine an app that can predict that the user is likely going to be in a crappy mood today caused by periodrelated hormonal fluctuations ldquoIn Indiardquo says Mizushima ldquoonly a small percentage of people track and manage menstrual cycles Knowing menstrual and physical cycles can help us understand the reasons for changes in mood and physical condition and make it easier to schedule daily and special plansrdquoRevathi Srinivasan Director Singhania Schools ThaneAnother highlight of the freeofcost app is the knowledge it will provide in an attempt to reduce stigma and bust myths ldquoOne of the main challenges in India is still awareness and educationrdquo Mizushima adds ldquoWe believe that in order to melt away the taboo of menstruation we need to provide not only offline period education in schools but also online knowledge that can be accessed anytime anywhererdquoOne of the earliest indie brands to launch in this space was Sirona Hygiene cofounded by brothers Deep and Mohit Bajaj Their first product in 2014 was the countryrsquos first female urination device Pee Buddy which allowed women to urinate standing up removing contact with unhygienic public toilets and reducing exposure to UTIs ldquoI used to work in the event management industry and had noticed it was near impossible to keep public toilets clean Then my wife suffered a miscarriage due to a urinary tract infection and I decided we had to come up with a solution for womenrsquos struggle with dirty toiletsrdquo says DeepThere is now enough money and prestige attached to the feminine hygiene industry that brands can rope in celebrity endorsements such as Sara Ali Khan becoming the face of Japanese brand SofyInstead of directly locking horns with industry giants PampG and JampJ by launching pads the Bajaj brothers focused on ldquocomplementary products that would address other pain pointsrdquo For women who suffer from menstrual cramps but donrsquot want to take medication Sirona came out with a pain relief rollon for those embarrassed by the disposal of pads wrapped in newspaper the team developed sanitary disposal bags ldquoMany Pee Buddy users would tell us their problems and seek a solutionrdquo says Deep ldquoWe were two men talking about menstruation but to ensure we never lost sight of the real problems we kept talking to our wives and women friends Because of this Sirona has been the most innovative brand in this spacerdquoAlso ReadExclusive Its our responsibility to dismantle this stigma Tisca Chopra on breaking the taboo around menstruationEventually the product lineup expanded to include a menstrual cup and sanitiser period stain remover panty liners and more As one of the earliest firms in Femtech Sirona holds the highest market share for menstrual cupsmdashnearly 60 per cent as of January 2024 when Deep and Mohit stepped down from active roles in the company following its R450crore acquisition by Good Glamm GroupDeep Bajaj Cofounder SironaTherersquos plenty of potential for growth in the market says Deep and they never saw the need to compete with the legacy brands ldquoWe donrsquot think women need 100 brands offering padsrdquo he says ldquoThere should be options beyond pads Every woman and every period is different One month she may want to use pads or period panties another month she may be travelling and prefer the cup We donrsquot need to challenge what already exists but to expand the choicesrdquoPads remain the most widely used product among Indians shows the most recent National Family Health Survey 201920 where 64 per cent women said they used it Menstrual cups while more environmentfriendly were the least popular option at 03 per cent ldquoThis is likely due to cultural taboos around vaginal insertionrdquo says KaurLaunched a fortnight ago Bloom is the latest entrant in the menstrual care market in India Sirona Hygiene on the other hand is one of the oldest indie brands in this space since its establishment in 2014 PicsAshish RajeBusting myths around menstrual cups has been a mission for digital content creator Niyati Anil Mavinkurve abhiandniyu since switching to cups during the COVID19 pandemic ldquoThere are some teething issues like finding the right size and insertion technique But I keep telling my friends and followers that once yoursquove figured that out itrsquos perfectrdquo she says ldquoWomenrsquos bodies and menstruation are still taboo in India and many women are daunted by the thought of inserting anythingIronically cups are the perfect choice to beat this stigma Once you insert them no one can even tell you are on your period There is no fear of a leak or odour You can wash and reuse them immediately so there is none of the shame that comes from washing and hanging up cloth pads up to dry or the awkwardness in going to a friendrsquos house and asking where to throw a disposable padrdquoFinding the right size of menstrual cup is paramount for comfort says Niyati Anil Mavinkurve Once past that initial challenge washing and reusing them is easy she saysThe fact that they are reusable makes cups friendly to both the planet and your pocket Where one would spend an average of R350 on a pack of 10 pads for every period a cup costs about the same and lasts up to 10 years That adds up to savings of over R40000 over the lifespan of the cup Period panties and cloth pads are more expensive ranging from R350 to R1000 but since theyrsquore reusable they still work out cheaper than traditional padsThere are other ecofriendly options as well including good old pads that now come in a biodegradable avatar like those offered by Pee Safe These still require monthly expenditure thoughldquoI think itrsquos insane that in a costconscious country like India cups are not more popular by now Women tell me theyrsquore afraid that using the cup will mean they are not virgins anymore I tell them virginity has nothing to do with cups If you find a guy who has a problem with you using it ditch the guy not the cuprdquo quips MavinkurveToday even marketing messaging and advertisements for menstruation products are speaking louder Not only do they show a more realistic simulation of blood with a red solution but they talk about periodsmdashthe good bad and the ugly Even legacy brands such as Whisper are now doing their bit to reduce the stigma The brandrsquos latest campaign Keep Girls in School shows a schoolgirl confused about a bloodstain on her uniform and wondering whether she was ill and would have to leave school The ad reveals that one of five girls in India drop out of school when they get their first periodmdashthis at a time when our girls are getting their period as early as eight years of ageAs a copywriter Chad is delighted with this change ldquoNewage ads are bolder in depiction of menstruation and more sensitive toomdashthey no longer show women running around happy as a clam Thatrsquos just false advertising no matter how good the product there will still be some discomfortrdquo she says To tackle her own discomfort with cramps Chad swears by her pain relief rollon ldquoItrsquos just about the size of a lipstick so I can use it discreetly whether in a park on the Metro or in office I donrsquot have severe pain so I donrsquot take medicationrdquo she says adding that she discovered the product through online adsAs a marketing professional whatrsquos the one thing shersquod change about how these brands present themselves ldquoI donrsquot see many placements from indie brands in mainstream mediardquo says Chad ldquoThey mostly use online advertising The products too are mostly available online with barely any presence in offline stores and pharmacies which still primarily stock only pads For better market penetration the brands should target local stores which is where most women still shoprdquoHow the products are portrayed in mainstream mediamdashbe it in movies like Akshay Kumarstarrer Pad Man or in advertisementsmdashplays a large role in how comfortable society feels about menstruation Ads have gone from a latent message of ldquohow to hide your period and reduce shamerdquo to ldquowhat will make you most comfortablerdquo ldquoThe way menstrual products are advertised and talked about in India is really helping to break the taboo around periodsrdquo says Kaur ldquoWhen brands openly promote products such as period panties menstrual cups and organic pads it sends the message that periods are natural and nothing to be ashamed of This reflection of real experiences and focus on menstrual health encourages more open conversations especially among younger people Campaigns that involve men are also very impactful as they help normalise the topic for everyonerdquoA lot of work still remains in rural regions however says Laure H social media manager for Eco Femme an Aurovillebased social enterprise that funnels profits from the sale of cloth pads in India and abroad towards menstrual education workshops in lowerincome groups across India These pads are also distributed to girls and women at these workshops A total of 35 lakh free cloth pads have been distributed by the organisation so far among rural populations where a large proportion of women and girls still use unhygienic cloth rags ldquoOur cloth pads are hygienic made from certified organic cotton Our thickest versions have eight layers with a leakproof last layer so they prevent staining It allows women to bleed with dignityrdquo she saysPeriod dignity and providing an ecofriendly reusable period equipment are among the founding principles behind the period panty brand Mahina ldquoWe believe itrsquos time to change the narrative from shame and disgust to empowerment Periods are a natural part of life and embracing your flow should be seen as an act of selfcare not something to hide Period dignity is having access to safe effective menstrual products and being able to talk about your experience without fear or embarrassmentrdquo said a spokespersonOne of Indiarsquos original menstrual educators and influencers Aditi Gupta Founder Menstrupedia says that like any other business menstrual care brands must look at women as the customer ldquoDonrsquot use fear tactics to convince her to use pads to protect her virginity or to use cups to protect the planet Why are you putting the onus of reducing plastic only on womenrdquo she says ldquoAnd women must never apologise for their choice of menstrual product I went from pads to tampons to cups and then after childbirth I felt discomfort using cups so I went back to pads When it comes to my health I will choose whatever works best for me There are plenty of brands and products for everyone to choose their best fitrdquoItrsquos about bloody timeRs 46000crEstimated Indian menstrual market by 2027Source Market research by period panty brand MahinaFor women by womenAlthough there are many womenled brands in the feminine hygiene space the more popular ones are run by men Asked about this discrepancy Navneet Kaur Founder and CEO FemTech India says ldquoI would say menstrual health brands are run by both men and women In fact 90 per cent founders in our ecosystem are women but only 2 per cent get funding We need both genders to drive growth Some male founders make significant efforts to empathise with womenrsquos experiences In India companies such as Sirona and PeeSafe founded by men have helped pave the way for other entrepreneursrdquo