Who Are We Developing For?
Innovation in the period product category has experienced a boost in recent years as part of the growing interest in women’s health products. The “Big Three” period product companies, P&G, Kimberly-Clark and Edgewell, still held over 70% of the U.S. market in 2022. Will they keep that 70% share going forward or will other companies start taking from that share? Who is innovating? And what are they doing to keep ahead of competition?
That was the topic for the Hygienix Workshop “Innovations in Menstrual Care” that I led in Nashville. I was exploring not just “fluid management” but looking at several different cycles: a woman’s cycle, the lifecycle of the product, cycling cultural changes as well as the latest cycle of innovative technologies.
Disruptive brands, start-ups and the area of FemTech are key areas to watch. Collectively they are destigmatizing this category, and we can finally use the word “period” in marketing, as well as talking about the issues women deal with. Simultaneously, there has been an explosion in products in the sexual health category and a move away from outdated, reserved language. This newfound ability to discuss issues openly and clearly and, more importantly, without stigma, has allowed the category to expand, as well as pushing boundaries.
Product innovation is becoming more multifaceted. Skin care and microbiome-friendly technologies have entered this category, leading to impacts of products on the vulva and vaginal skin (a mucous membrane) being considered more carefully. Additionally, more studies are being carried out regarding periods; did you know there is a potential connection between the pain you experience as a teenager during your periods and chronic body pain in later life? Other studies show that men and women experience pain very
differently and 30 to 40% of teenagers and young women will have periods that are so painful they can’t go to school or to work. We need to change the assumption that period pain is normal. This means we need to start with fresh data. And from this, innovation will flow!
What we are really doing is growing the category, and not just taking from the existing market share. Through better consumer insights, and by driving innovation, we are growing the whole supply chain. I am truly inspired that period products are being sold in beauty stores like Ulta, via its Wellness Shop. I’ve been in this industry for a couple of decades, and that would have been unthinkable when I started!
This is all positive news – and there are other great examples of where we are helping to drive positive change through, for example, lobbying against the Tampon Tax and through providing more ingredient transparency. I am always aware that “there is no global health without menstrual health.”
Adaption in the period products sector is also underway and many different companies are looking at using period products beyond absorbing fluid. Brands like Callavid, Daye and Joii, are using period products as drug delivery systems and diagnostics. This is a hugely exciting development that will hopefully enable better diagnosis and treatment options in the future. Some of these new applications will require changes to the composition of our products. Plastic is used in many of our products, so how do we address this? It’s really about changing the way we think about innovation and not necessarily removing plastic (I’m not against plastic), it’s about selecting the right technology for the right layer for the right product.
We looked at many different types of marketed products, from the more traditional to the ones that make you do a double take (like waterproof liners for swimming). We also explored the range of disposable, single use products to reusable products and the hybrid products that combine both textiles and nonwovens.
We did a dive into exciting technologies that have been launched recently, that we should all be considering when developing our future portfolios. That includes the fibers and the nonwovens, the films and laminates, also the adhesives and the packaging, and even the latest product testing approaches – no stone was left unturned!
Our environment is a key driver, too, so we looked at how we can create a truly circular economy in period care. This could encompass recycled materials or more effective products using simply less raw materials or more sustainable fibers. Seaweed? Hemp? Wool? These are all available to us now, and more options are being either developed or made available, creating new possibilities and opportunities to be explored.
As we all know, our category is about much more than just fluid management – we look at the life cycle of the product, the woman, expectations and cultural changes and we then take all this information and insights and then pair it with the latest technologies to make the best products.
Paul Davies contributed to this article. He joined Crown Abbey in 2019, and has 30 years experience in product development working for large companies. Email him at pdavies@crownabbey.com.
Crown Abbey will be running an extended version of the “Innovations in Menstrual Care” Workshop live at IDEA, in collaboration with INDA. Sign up and join us!
