New breed of feminine-care brands caters to Gen Z and millennial women, including one backed by Huda Beauty founder and another favoured by Gwyneth Paltrow

Digitally savvy young brands have entered the feminine-care market, promoting values such as transparency and authenticity to women all over the world

The market has experienced a demand for clean and ethical labels that are upfront about everything – from where they source their materials to their packaging

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A new wave of feminine care brands are hoping their innovative products and frank approach to menstruation can draw young consumers and end taboos.

Published: 8:15pm, 10 Sep 2021

Periods are not considered appropriate dinner conversation but, as cultural taboos shift and society evolves, times are finally changing. A new wave of feminine-care brands that offer innovative yet functional products have made menstruation a hot topic.

“There has been an emergence of new brands in this space,” explains Emaan Abbass, founder of newly launched sexual wellness brand Ketish, “both in the prestige and the new ‘masstige’ markets that have brought an elevated experience and formulations you can trust.

“For so long, we were used to seeing products adorned with pink and floral, this ultra-stereotypical feminine look and feel. We want to shift away from this and create a brand that feels and looks luxe, so that women are proud to talk about it or show it off on their vanity tables.”

Ketish, backed by Huda Beauty founder Huda Kattan, is one of many brands hoping to refresh the feminine-care market. According to a recent report by Euromonitor International, the sanitary protection industry is worth US$30.9 billion, and markets such as China, India and Vietnam will drive the biggest growth over the next four years.

Ketish is one of many new brands hoping to refresh the feminine care market.

While established brands such as Kotex, Always and Tampax dominate, these newer brands share the values and priorities of the customers they target – millennials and Gen Z. They are direct-to-consumer, digitally savvy brands that lead with purpose, transparency and authenticity.