Menstrual Cup Market Assessment, By Material Type [Silicone, Thermoplastic Elastomer, Others], By Cup Shape [Bell-Shaped Cups, V-Shaped Cups, Round-Shaped Cups, Ergonomic Shaped Cups], By Size [Small, Medium, Large], By Price [Below USD 50, USD 50- USD 10

Menstrual Cup Market Assessment, By Material Type [Silicone, Thermoplastic Elastomer, Others], By Cup Shape [Bell-Shaped Cups, V-Shaped Cups, Round-Shaped Cups, Ergonomic Shaped Cups], By Size [Small, Medium, Large], By Price [Below USD 50, USD 50- USD 100, USD 100- USD 200, Above USD 200], By Distribution Channel [Offline, Online], By Region, Opportunities and Forecast, 2017-2031F

Global menstrual cup market is expected to rise from USD 1051.87 million in 2023 to USD 1643.9 million in 2031, with a projected CAGR of 5.74% during the forecast period, 2024-2031. The market is expected to grow due to the rising population of women who undergo menstrual cycles, increasing awareness for personal hygiene, diversifying roles of women, and substitution of menstrual cups over other alternatives.

Menstrual cups are reusable products used for feminine hygiene, made from safe medical grade material, which provide flexibility and comfort to women during their period-flow days. Menstrual Cups come with a protective primary packaging. They are available in aesthetic and colorful packs to promote product attractiveness and brand recognition. According to the menstrual cup guidelines provided by UNFPA, UNICEF, and UNHCR, the product should accompany instructions for usage, storage, and maintenance. The manufacturer must adhere to the safety standards and compliance related to the use of chemicals and materials mentioned by the authorized regulator.

One of the major causes of increasing sales of menstrual cups is encouraging environmental welfare to reach sustainability goals by reducing plastic waste. According to a chief scientist of World Health Organization, menstrual cups reduce 99% non-biodegradable waste when compared with sanitary napkins.

Overall, menstrual cups are said to be the most environmentally safe and long-term products, which reduce costs, visits to pharmacies, odor, and period-mess due to longer wearability and sustaining healthy vaginal pH. Also, they are a great solution to global issues such as period poverty and the right to decent health related to menstrual blood and the female body.

Mitigation of Menstrual Waste to Promote the Market

Typically, a female uses around 10000-15000 sanitary pads or 9100 tampons in her lifetime, it adds to approx. 135 kg of menstrual waste, averaging 456 period cycles. It takes up to 800 years for a dispose of sanitary pad completely as it contains 90% of plastic. Generally, these products are thrown along with household waste, which leads to improper waste disposal. It in turn contributes to waste water production and marine litter, causing a significant harm to the environment. Perhaps, a menstrual cup usually has a span of 6-10 years, providing a better comparison with around 9 menstrual cups against the high number of alternative products is rising the trend of menstrual cup market.

In the campaign ‘ReuseKaroSaveKaro’, by The Good Glamm Group’s brand, Sirona highlighted the issue of menstrual waste on World Environment Day, 2023 in India. The brand aimed to encourage women to use menstrual cup-like products to reduce waste, urging towards more ecological choice-making. The campaign was held online and offline to increase participation and its outcome. Consequently, the company, backed by the brand, doubled its overall revenue by the end of the financial year 2024.

Flexibility During Menstruation to Drive the Demand

Menstruation is natural to a female body. A woman undergoes a menstrual bleeding of approximately 2-7 days, which leads to constraints in daily tasks and normalcy. Menstrual cups provide women the flexibility of activeness without worrying about leakage or uncomfortable situation. As the cup fits inside, the issues related to foul odors are addressed efficiently. Menstrual cups remove the awkwardness of stuffiness, even when worn for 6-8 hours. It leads to a positive attitude towards menstrual health, leading to the growth of the menstrual cup market. Moreover, menstrual cups are effective while swimming, yoga, or during intercourse, which is not the case with other alternatives.

In addition, menstrual cups with ergonomic shapes are in demand amongst females. These cups have easily accessible stems and design leading to more comfortable fit. For instance, Kind Cup, a brand of Wevatopia LLC, provides its patented curvature shaped cup that has flexible stem and up to 12 hours of wear. Furthermore, Lena Cup LLC launched Lena Cup Generation 3 in April 2023, made with softer silicone and with an ergonomic shape.

Silicone to Hold the Largest Market Share

Silicone material for menstrual cup manufacturing is expected to dominate the market. According to the guidelines, medical-grade silicone is the most effective material for menstrual cup production. Medical-grade silicone is reusable, comfortable, non-irritating, non-absorbing, and biocompatible. Menstrual cups made from silicone are non-toxic to the body and hypoallergic to ensure persistent use. They provide flexibility and prevent tissue damage when inserted. In 2022, Mooncup Ltd. launched its first silicone-made menstrual cup that provides a comfortable experience to the user with trimmable stem and measurement markings.

Other materials used for making menstrual cup are thermoplastic elastomer, ordinary silicone, natural rubber, and latex. Thermoplastic elastomers, however, more environment-friendly, do not have a longer span in comparison of medical grade silicone. Also, most of the key players use silicone material of manufacturing because women possess allergies to latex or rubber. If the product is not completely silicone-based, the risk of presence of plastics remains as an issue.

According to an article in Business Standard, Action Research and Training for Health reported silicone menstrual cup do not break into microplastics, hence, are considered as safe for environment as well as human body.

North America to Dominate the Market

North America is expected to dominate the global menstrual cup market. The region consists of countries, such as United States, which ranks amongst the highest disposable income. According to OECD, 67% of people between 15-64 years and 62% of women have paid jobs. High quality of living further encourages women to spend on personal care products, such as menstrual cups, leading to dominance in the market. Also, the role of women is diversifying with more outdoors participations, resulting into the rise in demand for safer and prolonging menstrual solutions. Hence, menstrual cups are considered to be safer due to eight to twelve hours of control, with flexibility and comfort, contributing to the global menstrual cups market.

Moreover, Asia-Pacific, being the fastest growing region in the world, is expected to gain higher share in the menstrual cups market during the forecast period. According to the World Bank, India has the highest number of females between 15-64 years, with around 463.28 million women, growing at a CAGR of around 1%, annually, followed by China. Increasing working women and availability of different shapes and material of menstrual cups in the region are expected to drive the size of the Asia-Pacific menstrual cup market.

Future Market Scenario

More ergonomic designs to gain popularity as there is an increase in women who are active outdoors and demand safer menstrual cups without any leakage.

AI and IoT-based menstrual cups are expected to gain popularity due to technological environment and increasing consciousness towards menstrual health monitoring. An example of such product is Emm Smart menstrual cup, launched in 2023. The cup is integrated with an application that monitors blood and cycle related data of the user.

Key Players Landscape and Outlook

The outlook of global menstrual cup market looks positive, when considered from the perspective of environment and menstrual health. Organizations such as WECF and WASH are dedicatedly working to spread awareness regarding menstrual cup usage. National and international regulations promote sales and distribution. In addition, the key players are creating more awareness through online and offline social campaigns. It promotes their sales leading to corporate social responsibility and increasing brand image.

For instance, in January 2023, HLL Healthcare launched three brands, Thinkal, Velvet, and Cool Cup, in alliance with the government of India. During the event, the company distributed menstrual cups to lower and middle-class populations, leading to awareness and period care.