Whose Hands are Left Bloody: Will Metalloids in Tampons Spark Industry-Wide Change?
The quote above is from “Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loids)”, a July 2024 study published by Environment International. This article revealed 16 different metalloids were found in tampons, including lead and arsenic. Research showed that all tested items contained these toxic materials, none of the samples had “consistently lower concentrations”. Assistant professor at Columbia University and co-author of this study, Kathrin Schilling, says this could “[heighten women’s] exposure [to the toxic metals by] using these products”. Naturally, this sparked an outcry with numerous news outlets sharing the abrupt findings and social media contributors wreaking havoc. For example, a CTV News article alerted readers to these chemicals disruptions of the endocrine system and other features of the study.
Researchers say the study does not reveal “enough information to definitively link the metals to negative health effects”, despite any mayhem that has arose from this study’s results. Meaning, additional research is required to fully grasp the impacts these materials have on the user. Consumers cannot definitively boycott the study’s tested products as although 14 brands, were tested, these products were not disclosed beyond being classified “top sellers”. Samples were taken from both organic and not-organic tampons, increasing the number of products that could be harmful.
Despite this objectively concerning health news, periods are not going away. Women must continue buying menstrual products, despite increased consideration when making this purchase. The tampon industry remains rather lucrative and has a tremendous reach. On average, women spend an approximate of $6,000 CAD on menstrual products throughout their lifetime. Individual consumer spending generates the global tampon market’s capitalization of nearly $5 billion USD and feminine hygiene nearing $40 billion USD, with a CAGR of 5.3%.
This news has potential to catalyze drastic changes in the menstrual products industry but, will it? In this article, the current market is explored to examine how this news could influence consumer buying habits and the industry’s most notorious stakeholders.
History of the Tampon
The model of tampon that occupies feminine hygiene aisles across the world, applicator with a removal string, was invented by Dr. Earle Haas in 1929. However, tampons, conceptually, have been in use for over 3,500 years, as written in the Papyrus Ebers. In the 1930s, Gertrude Tendrich acquired Dr. Haas’s patent, establishing a revolutionary brand, Tampax, that can still be seen at today’s leading drug-stores. Tampax has been a subsidiary of Proctor & Gamble since the late 1990s. When tampons were in the early stages of entering the market, there was a strong taboo around the product, that still lingers today. Nonetheless, societal visibility of tampons significantly increased in the 1960s, for example, TV advertisements for the product began to air, making both periods and tampons more commonplace. However, the word “period” was not spoken on TV until 1985 in a Tampax ad featuring Courteney Cox. Simultaneously, the popularity of tampons increased as women had a “desire for greater freedom and mobility during their periods”.
The Industry: Conglomerates, Demographics, and Behaviours
The United States and the United Kingdom, primary areas of Environment International’s focus, have some of the highest rates of tampon usage, 34.1 million and 4.5 million users, respectively. This correlates to approximately 10% and 6% of the nations’ populations. The age demographic for women experiencing periods is about 12 to 52 years old and UNICEF estimates that 26% of the world’s population experiences menstruation. This variety of age implies that upwards of two billion women experience periods, meaning they are in the market for menstrual products. Industry-players must have numerous strategy approaches to satisfy the diverse demographics amongst this sizeable market. For example, some companies tailor products to teenaged demographics, including, Kimberly Clark’s Kotex, that has a line of menstrual pads dubbed “for teens”. This can be interpreted as a product for younger girls who are intimidated by the sense of maturity that comes with a getting a period.
Growth rates over the next decade predict tampons will increase in popularity across markets in Asian countries, as seen in Figure 1. This does not demonstrate lessening popularity of tampons established markets but, that women in North American and European countries have already adapted to the product. Whereas, in Japan, it is estimated a mere 2.8% of women use tampons as a primary menstrual product, leaving immense room for growth.
In 2018, Proctor & Gamble had six varieties of Tampax and Playtex that created $615 million USD in sales, nearly half of this is solely attributed to Tampax Pearl, a so-called “empire”, see Figure 2. One reason that Tampax has such popularity is due to self-proclaimed constant innovation including resealable wrappers and numerous absorbencies. This evolution is vital to not only maintaining, but growing, a consumer base in a need-based market. Procter & Gamble budgeted $9.6 billion USD to marketing in 2024, which indirectly supports constant advertising campaigns.
Despite the mass-success of Tampax, other retail giants have large stakes in the tampon industry. Three of Kimberly Clark’s Kotex brands created $182.5 million USD in the same year. Other key players in the market are Kevnue’s o.b. and Edgewell Personal Care’s Carefree. These few brands have created oligopoly-like conditions within the American sector of the industry. On the contrary, private labels also have a substantial number of sales, which is complimented by the convenience in B2C e-commerce purchases with 3.1% of purchases being completed online. In this industry, three percent still accounts for over $100 million USD per annum, approximated based on market cap data.
Are Consumers Pulling the String on Tampons?
The Flex Co. is becoming a leading brand in the reusable menstrual product space. Since the study’s publication, products have seen a spike in popularity with the company’s top three products stocking out at half of Target’s locations. “The disk”, a reusable alternative to a tampon, is one of the company’s leading products, retailing for $16.49 USD. On The Flex Co.’s e-commerce platform, the disk’s ingredients are listed as: “Medical grade polymers, Mineral oil, Carbon black (for colour) [and] Antioxidants”. This short and simple list can appeal to consumers as it entails less time allocated to fact-checking the materials.
This change in consumer behaviour is a serious threat to big brands. A report by Bloomberg states that “Procter & Gamble CO. and others are spending millions to acquire startups and businesses that make alternatives”. In 2019, the organization acquired This is L., whose products are differentiated by being manufactured with “US grown organic cotton”. However, Environment International’s findings, concluded that organic cotton is not a mitigation. Moreover, Kimberly Clark marketing focus is shifting to non-tampon products, specifically liners. As discussed, Procter & Gamble and Kimberly Clark are industry leaders. Hence, these companies’ significant altercations of market presence indicates that industry-wide change is likely in the foreseeable future.
Other Factors Altering Consumer Behaviour
There is a global issue, regards women’s inability to afford menstrual products, dubbed “period poverty”. This inaccessibility results in 30% of school-aged girls being absent from classes for up-to one week a month. The approximate price per unit of menstrual products, including tampons, is $16.17 USD in 2024, and is expected to reach $18.00 USD by 2028. On average, a woman will use 22 pieces of menstrual products during a cycle, making these necessary purchase a large, yet unavoidable, personal expenditure.
Additionally, recent years have seen sustainability become a growing concern for consumers. McKinsey & Co. analysis suggests that 78% of American consumers value sustainability in their purchasing habits; with tampons having layers of single use plastics, applicator, wrapper, and the tampon itself, this product does not look appealing to the demographic. Both trends provide grounding for consumers to steer away from single-use tampons. For budgetary reasons, a menstrual cup costs, on average, $30 USD, can last up-to a year, creating significantly reduced cost per use as compared to single use products.
No Strings Attached: New and So-called Improved Industry Players
Price, environmentalism, and lifestyle all make it apparent that consumers are willing to explore alternatives to the traditional tampon. In fact, a study by Harvard’s School of Public Health indicates that approximately 20% of American women with a period use types of alternative solutions, such as menstrual cup or reusable fabric pads. But what are these other products and how do they appeal to consumers?
Like The Flex Co.’s disk, menstrual cups are an accessible substitute increasing in popularity. An editor for The Guardian calculated that using a menstrual cup, instead of pads and tampons, could decrease her spending by $230 USD annually. This market is seeing increasing variety in product, indicating looming success. The New York Times top-recommended choice is Cora’s The Easy Does It Cup, attributed to its low price, $28 USD on Amazon, and ease in use. Procter & Gamble has also entered the market with a Tampax branded menstrual cup, for $44.56 CAD.
Period panties are another product disrupting the menstrual product industry. The panties alone have a market of over $100 million USD and a CAGR of 17.4%. “[Extreme] comfort” is a selling point of the period panty as a less intimidating option, compared to the menstrual cup or disk. Kimberly Clark has a stake in the period panty market with Thinx with over 1 million consumers since its 2013 establishment . Thinx is able to differentiate through comfort and sustainability, not frugality, with panties that cost up-to $79 CAD each.
CSR: What Can Companies Do?
In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been looked at fondly by customers. However, primary research of in this field does not study if consumers view themselves as a part of this acronym. Therefore, it can be deduced that customers would have increasingly positive views of companies if responsibility was taken towards alleged harms towards their health.
Even if CSR mitigation strategy would be perceived positively, the study’s findings do not reveal what brands are included. Hence, solutions would need to be seemingly independent of this news. For example, following the Thinx hype and releasing product lines that are not associated with the controversies at hand. A public apology is not a logical response to this issue as it admits guilt through cultivation of bad-press and even fear mongering where consumers are already nervous of these products.
Despite ample consideration, CSR response to this issue may be entirely outside of strategic planning. In September 2024, it was announced that the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be launching studies and research projects to further understand the implications of Environment International’s findings. The FDA has power over regulations and classifications of tampons, being able to control how companies move forward with this information. While waiting for FDA consensus, companies should practice a decided approach to this issue instead of waiting out the clock. Menstruating women need to have informed access to related products and companies should seize this opportunity to make an impression.
Conclusion
Present-day is amid a crucial, industry-wide shift towards alternative menstrual products. Alternative entails multifaceted innovation, including both new-fashioned products and advanced takes on classics. Changing consumer behaviour allows new players, like the Flex Co. to gain prominence through responding to the needs of menstruating women. Meanwhile, major industry players are scampering to keep their prominence alive in the unprecedented menstrual product landscape.
Currently, research is unable to conclusively determine what proportion of consumers are steering away from tampons due to Environment International’s conclusions. Nonetheless, consumers are shifting away from conventional buying habits, whether they are motivated by price, sustainability, or health concerns. To conclude, there is no one reason why consumers are willing to change behaviours but, consequentially, this means there is a variety of paths companies can follow to excel throughout this change.