Menstrual Cup Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Menstrual Cup Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The menstrual cup market is projected to register a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period (2022-2027).

In 2020, during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the difficulty in accessing sanitary products increased. As the global supply chains were disrupted and local vendors ceased to trade, the deliveries of menstrual products have slowed, specifically in remote areas. Women faced challenges in managing their menstruation due to the shortages of menstrual hygiene products, rising costs, and job losses. According to the article published by the Society for Women’s Health Research in May 2020, titled “Women Struggle to Access Menstrual Products During COVID-19 Pandemic”, panic buying led to shortages in tampons and sanitary pads all over the world. For instance, Amazon in United States and Walmart.com were out of stock on major tampon brands during March 2020, and the workers worked overtime to keep up with demands. With these shortages of menstrual products and price hikes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in demand for alternative menstrual care brands and product options such as menstrual cups. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dive International offered high-quality and affordable menstrual care items to its consumers through Online Stores worldwide. Also, it donates thousands of menstrual cups to the countries where women struggle to afford period products. Thus, there has been a significant impact of COVID-19 on the market.

The menstrual cups are sustainable and eco-friendly. They have minimal impact on the environment compared to sanitary pads and tampons and protect the environment from plastic wastage, as the menstrual cups are reusable for at least six months to one year. The report from several Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) published by Life Cycle Initiative in November 2021 stated that reusable menstrual products have a lower environmental impact than single-use menstrual products. Since the women use more than 11,000 disposable menstrual products in their lifetime (based on the average of 38 years of menstruation using 22 items of sanitary products per cycle, 13 cycles per year), it generates the tones of wastage every year. According to the Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacturers Association (AHPMA), in 2020, in United Kingdom, about 4.3 billion items are used per year, and the disposal of single-use menstrual products such as sanitary pads, tampons, and applicators generates about 200,000 tones of waste every year. Hence, menstrual cups will contribute to the decline of plastic waste pollution from disposable sanitary products and greatly contributes to the Government initiatives to boost the development & adoption of eco-friendly products to reduce the disposal of solid waste. This is expected to increase the adoption of menstrual cups in the industry, thereby driving market growth.

However, the availability of affordable and sustainable alternative menstrual products is a major factor hindering the menstrual cup market's growth.

The reusable menstrual cups are small, flexible cups that are inserted into the vagina for the collection of menstrual fluid. It comes in 3 different sizes: Mini, Size 1, and Size 2. Mini reusable cups are ideal for first-time users or light to medium flow, size 1 cups are ideal for medium flow, and size 2 are ideal for post-birth or heavy flow. Additionally, these are durable and can last six to 10 years with proper care, thereby generating less solid waste. Whereas the most popular product around the world- the sanitary pad, contains up to 90% plastic, an average woman may use up to 10,000 of these products in her lifetime and generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually in the world.

Researchers have found that a reusable menstrual cup can save a lot of money throughout just three cycles. According to the Center for Development Economics and Policy (CDEP), in June 2020, the cost of menstrual cups for 1000 girls is estimated at USD 2,730 per year, compared to USD 22,420 for sanitary pads. Thus, economic benefits associated with the use of menstrual cups are anticipated to increase the demand for the products. This is expected to drive the segment growth.

Furthermore, a rise in product launches is likely to propel the growth of the reusable segment over the forecast period. For instance, in June 2021, Flex Co. launched its newest product innovation, Softcup, and it is available for sale at United States retailers, including CVS and Amazon. Additionally, in March 2021, Essity AB launched Libresse V-Cup, a reusable menstrual cup, in the Nordic region (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) and expanded its range of feminine hygiene products. Thus, the reusable segment is expected to grow substantially in the forecast period.

North America is expected to dominate the market owing to the rising adoption of menstrual cups, driven by several factors such as greater emphasis on menstruation management, a higher focus on utilization of eco-friendly products, availability of the products, and government initiatives in the region. For instance, on 28th May 2021, Menstrual Hygiene Day, United States Representative Grace Meng introduced the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021. Under this Act, equitable access to period supplies would ensure that millions of women can work, learn, and participate in society efficiently.

Moreover, the increase in women’s population in the region would increase the demand for menstrual products, including menstrual cups. For instance, as per the World Bank Group, the women population was growing at an average annual rate of 3.3% in United States from 2015-2020 and increased to 167.47 million persons in 2020. Thus, due to the above-mentioned factors, the North American region is expected to have significant growth over the forecast period of the study.

The menstrual cup market is highly fragmented and consists of several major players. In terms of market share, a few of the major players are currently dominating the market. Some of the companies which are currently dominating the market are Diva International Inc., Mooncup Ltd, Me Luna GmbH. Lena Cup LLC, The Flex Company, LYV Life Inc. (Cora), Blossom Cup, Fleurcup, LELOi AB (Intimina), Lune Group Oy Ltd, Essity AB, and Invent Medic.

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