Uninhibited consumers drive change

Feminine hygiene products, once relegated to back aisles near diapers, are hidden no longer. In fact, the entire category is being treated more like a beauty business than a commodity. Some chains even cross-merchandise feminine wipes or cleansers near beauty aisles.

Once again, millennial shoppers are driving the change. They aren’t afraid to talk about periods or other feminine issues that were once unmentionable. There are blogs about waxing and menstruation, and Refinery 29 Snapchatted about how to empty a menstrual cup.

A focus on these uninhibited customers is breeding a rush of new feminine items. That’s good news for the category since overall dollar sales of sanitary napkins are up less than a meager 1%, while tampon sales are down, according to IRI data for the 52 weeks ended April 16 across multi-outlets. But, feminine needs and lubricants are up. Under the banner of feminine needs are such products as Summer’s Eve (up 5.6%), Vagisil Odor Block (growing more than 400%) and Sweet Spot from Skinfix (up 380%). Personal lubricant sales are up 3.5%.

Beyond baby wipes

The good news is that some of the subcategories, such as wipes, didn’t exist several years ago, so there is incremental growth. Goodwipes, which is entering more than 600 Walmart stores, was created by former fraternity brothers at Florida State, Charlie Siciak and Sam Nebel, who saw a need for something beyond baby wipes. After launching a men’s product, they expanded into wipes for women, too. The concept resonates with younger consumers who have grown up with wipes for everything from makeup removal to household cleansing.

Eco-friendly feminine care

There’s also interest in more natural feminine care products, and as drug chains add these options, they can gain sales from natural retailers, according to industry experts. Researcher Technavio has forecasted the global organic and natural feminine care market will grow to $2.4 billion by 2021, and will keep up a 7% per-year growth pace. Not surprisingly, younger shoppers are demanding more ecologically friendly pads, organic tampons and reusable menstrual cups. These organic hygiene products are made with such biodegradable materials as organic cotton. And applicators are made of bioplastic, a biodegradable plastic.

Jessica Alba’s Honest Company has introduced feminine hygiene products that are made using sustainable, plant-based materials and biodegradable cardboard.

The DivaCup makes a good case for being better for the globe. CVS, Whole Foods, Walgreens and Walmart are among the chains now stocking the cup and its complementary Diva Wash. Sales, according to IRI, are up 178%. For more than 15 years, women have been making the switch to the DivaCup, said Sophie Zivku, Diva International’s communications manager. “Millennials are making the switch to DivaCup because it offers them a number of benefits that make their period experience better, including 12 hours of leak-free protection, comfort and convenience, and it promotes sustainability,” Zivku said.

At chains, there is a shuffling of shelves to make way for the new SKUs. CVS, for example, has listened to consumer demands for more natural options. The company stocks Organ(y)c, a brand of organic pads, liners and tampons. The chain even has its own brand of pH-balanced tampons and an array of 100%-pure-cotton tampons and pads. Special signage is being added to call attention to the natural choices in about 6,000 CVS stores.

Pharmaca stocks Emerita and Natracare cotton tampons, and chlorine-free options from Seventh Generation. The latter posted 74% gains for the 52 weeks ended April 16 across multi-outlets, according to IRI.

Brand refresh

Summer’s Eve is credited with opening up the conversation a few years ago. The company overhauled its brand to be anything but “your mother’s douche.” The lineup now includes cleansing wash, cleansing cloths, freshening spray, body powder and douches. The website also features educational tabs and a Q&A section to help consumers identify the right products for their needs. Recently, Summer’s Eve added Simply, a “free-from” chemical extension.

Vagisil is getting more contemporary, too. It’s new ProHydrate Natural Feel Internal Vaginal Moisturizing Gel is a lubricant that contains hyaluronic acid and is meant to provide long-term benefits to vaginal skin.

White space in the market also encouraged Skinfix to give new life to a line it acquired, called SweetSpot. “I really think this is the next big thing,” said Amy Ries, Skinfix chief marketing and sales officer. SweetSpot follows in Skinfix’ natural positioning with washes and wipes now sold in Target, Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart.