The Menstrual Health Market pt. 2 with Jan O'Regan

To gain the trust of menstrual product consumers, we need to truly understand their needs. This starts by examining whether current products answer the consumers' concerns on safety, usability, and environmental impact of the menstrual health market. In this episode of ‘Attached to Hygiene,’ Jan O'Regan, outgoing Director of Strategic Initiatives at Cotton Incorporated, explains the different segments in the menstrual health market. She and host Jack Hughes also discuss trends such as transparency and how Cotton Incorporated is tackling innovation in its quest to become more sustainable.

The three stages of menstrual health

One way to ensure we're meeting their needs is to identify how their menstrual health evolves over time. Jan cites three stages: teenage years, young adulthood, and established adulthood. How menstruators in these three groups experience menstruation can be vastly different. This in turn can have profound effect on their disposable hygiene needs, preferences, and buying habits. While the focus for the teenager is physical, the impact for the young adult is more emotional. The mature buyer generally has established routines; however, there is still room for growth in this market.

Changing culture of menstrual health creates new opportunities

The menstrual health market continues to evolve through trends and innovation. Today’s consumers expect more transparency and want to know what is in the products they use. They are also more open about their menstruation experience with some young menstruators even hosting ‘period parties’. As the culture of menstrual health evolves, disposable hygiene manufacturers like you can take advantage of growth potential in many areas. It all comes down to listening to your consumers and finding ways to stand out in the market.

 

Go to Episode

 

Outline of the Episode

• [02:22] The three stages of menstrual health
• [03:43] How does menstruation affect young adult and established adult menstruators
• [06:40] How are brands targeting the different life stages of users?
• [11:00] The trend for transparent and informative packaging
• [13:43] Asking consumers what is in their menstrual health products
• [16:57] Evolution of regulation for products’ ingredients
• [20:15] Working with agricultural programs and industry organisations to support sustainable cotton
• [23:02] The ingredients of cotton and the cotton market
• [26:48] The biodegradability of cotton
• [29:12] What you shouldn't do with your cotton products, even if they're biodegradable

Recommended Resources

You can find Jan O'Regan on LinkedIn. (As this episode airs, Meghan Holliday will succeed Jan as Director of Nonwovens Marketing at Cotton Incorporated.)  You can contact Meghan on LinkedIn or via her email at MHolliday@CottonInc.com.

Check out Cotton Incorporated’s B2B resource hub, CottonWorks™. For more information on Cotton's efforts around sustainability, visit consumer-facing, Cotton Today or B2B site, Cotton Sustainability | CottonWorks™.

Cotton Incorporated is also on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

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Host: Jack Hughes

Music by Jonathan Boyle

Produced and edited by: Jack Hughes with help from Paul Andrews, Michele Tonkovitz, Emory Churness, Nikki Ackerman, and Green Onion Creative.