Elysha Young
Elysha manages the Asia Pacific Mintel Trends team made up of expert analysts and trend spotters. She currently oversees content for Mintel Trends as well as client servicing for the region.
February 23rd, 2021

Nua, a women’s wellness brand, has launched self-heating patches called ‘Cramp Comfort’ for on-the-go consumers suffering from period cramps.  Users can opt for a one-time purchase or an auto-repeat plan wherein the products are delivered as per the set frequency.

This resonates well with Indian female consumers as over half say it is important to lead an active lifestyle, highlights Mintel research.

What’s innovative?

Such innovations are important especially for women in India, where periods are still a secretive subject and most working women do not feel at liberty to ask their employers for ‘period leave’ or speak about it openly. However, as menstrual health gains more focus in India, products and services that help deal with periods in a more normalised way will continue to emerge.

While using heat for relieving period cramps is an old practice, most often in the form of a hot water bottle or heat pack, they are fairly impractical and indiscreet when out of the house. Nua’s self-heating patch eliminates the issue of portability, giving users the benefit of heat therapy while carrying out daily tasks. The air-activated heat patch is self-adhesive and sticks to the skin like a band-aid. 

Mintel Trend ‘Total Wellbeing’ highlights how consumers are treating their bodies like an ecosystem and seeking solutions that complement their personal health and evolving needs. For example, In China, Yili’s premium flavoured milk brand Weikezi has partnered with 999, an over-the-counter pharmaceutical company, on a co-branded “Auntie Care Box” that aims to support women in staying warm during their periods. Online food delivery aggregator, Zomato is offering up to 10 days of ‘period leave’ per year to menstruating employees.

What we think

As consumers increasingly treat their bodies like an ecosystem, Mintel Trend Driver ‘Wellbeing’ highlights how brands will partner with consumers to create solutions that work in tandem with the body’s natural cycles.

Brands catering to women and the menstrual health space have an opportunity to design unique ways to promote menstrual health and awareness through educational videos by experts, tailored wellness products and period trackers. Non-profit organisations will continue to undertake work in encouraging adolescent girls to maintain menstrual health by providing access to hygienic products at subsidised prices.