The menstrual panties market - France (2024)

1.2 The global sanitary protection market

Worldwide, the feminine protection market is estimated to be worth **.* billion euros by **** [***]

In ****, the global menstrual panties market is one of the most dynamic segments of the sanitary protection market.

It is currently estimated at nearly $***.** million in ****, and should post a CAGR of **.*% between **** and ****, peaking at nearly $*** million in ****.

Menstrual panties market World, **** - *****, in millions of dollars Source: ****

Another market approximation is offered by Nielsen. According to the latter, sales of menstrual panties will have increased **-fold by ****, reaching a total of ***.* million euros.

As mentioned above, menstrual panties were first marketed in the USA, making it one of the world's largest markets to this day. American and Canadian sites are characterized by a high level of awareness of sustainable products that respect women's health. Consumers are also more "educated" about this type of intimate hygiene protection.

Worldwide menstrual panty market share breakdown World, ****, in Source: ****

on a global scale, the competitive landscape for menstrual panties is dynamic, with companies such as: Adira, Modibodi, Victoria Secret, Thinx...

1.3 The sanitary protection market in France

The French feminine hygiene market is estimated at ***.** million euros in ****.

The segmentation is shown below:

Feminine hygiene market segmentation France, ****, in M€ Source: ****

The market is dominated by sanitary towels, which account for almost **% of the market , or €***.** millionin value .

Sales growth by feminine hygiene segment France, **** vs. ****, in % Source: ****

Nevertheless, we can see from the graph above that growth is significant and dynamic in value terms for other segments such as ecological panty liners, for example, and in volume terms with menstrual panties on the graph below.

trends in feminine hygiene segments by volume **** vs **** France, **** vs ****, as % of sales Source: ****

In this market, menstrual panties are valued at around **.** million euros in ****, before peaking in **** with sales of **.* million euros, demonstrating the popularity of these new sanitary products.

Sales trend for menstrual panties in France France, ****-****, in €M Source: ****

Faced with new consumer trends (***), French women are increasingly turning to new types of sanitary protection, such as organic products, washable pads, menstrual cups and menstrual panties, which are proving quite popular with French women.

Menstrual panty companies are expanding not only in France, but also, on the strength of their success, internationally. The success of Eve and ...

2.1 A large target population

In France in ****, there will be almost **,***,*** women, more than half the population.

Breakdown of French female population by age group France, ****, in numbers Source: ****

In France, around **.* million French women are considered to be menstruating, corresponding to the ** to ** age group, with menopause occurring on average around age ** and the first menstrual period around age **. [***]

This figure corresponds to the target for monthly panties, given that menstruation corresponds to around *,*** days in the life of a menstruating person, i.e. almost ** years spread over an entire lifetime.

2.2 Underwear + sanitary protection purchasing habits

Menstrual briefs are positioned in two different markets:

the underwear market the sanitary protection market

Let's take a closer look at each of these two markets:

Buying habits in the underwear market:

In ****, lingerie accounted for **% of women's clothing purchases [***]with an average basket of €*** to €***. The market, after a slight decline in ****, remains rather stagnant at nearly €*.* billion in ****.

underwear market trend ****-**** by value France, ****-****, in €M Source: ****

French women's lingerie purchases are highly dependent on their age. Indeed, the chart below shows that nearly **% of women's lingerie is currently purchased by women aged ** and over, while the **-** segment, for example, accounts for just **.*% of purchases.

Breakdown of lingerie spending by age France, ****, in Source: ****

The vast majority of women buy lingerie every six months, which means they spend almost twice a year.

Frequency of lingerie purchases by women France, ****, in Source: Toute la Franchise Source: ****

Comfort, sensuality and simplicity are the criteria French women attach most importance to when buying lingerie. With this in mind, more and more brands are opting for a variety of colors and textures, such as lace, as well as undergarments without underwires, which are gentler on the skin.

Women's lingerie expectations France, ...

2.3 The menstrual insecurity of French women

A substantial budget

Hygienic protection products are considered to be essential purchases. Indeed, in ****, the tax authorities clearly proved that feminine hygiene protection products were basic necessities by reducing VAT from **% to *.*%.

According to a survey conducted by IFOP, sanitary protection is considered the last product women can do without: *% of women said they had already given up buying sanitary pads or tampons for lack of money. it should be noted that these are responses from the general public, and that this proportion rises sharply when the question is put to association beneficiaries: **% of association beneficiaries have already given up buying sanitary towels or tampons for lack of money.

In France, a report by theNational Assembly, published in February ****, estimated between *,*** and **,*** euros, the budget allocated by women to menstruation during all their menstrual lives. note that this estimate was based on an average of five days of menstruation per month and nearly five pads per day over ** years of menstrual life, and takes into account: the renewal of underwear and bed linen, the purchase of any painkillers, and check-ups with the gynaecologist.

Within this budget, the average cost of sanitary protection for a woman's lifetime is estimated at around *,*** euros, ...

2.4 Growing ecological awareness + increasing attention to health

The rise of ecological awareness

Hygienic protection is a real source of waste creation. In fact, ** billion tampons and sanitary pads are thrown away in Europe every year, representing almost ***,*** tonnes of waste. [***]

What's more, according to a recent estimate, each woman uses an average of **,*** disposable menstrual products in her lifetime [***]

As a result, women are increasingly turning to alternative methods of protection in response to environmental issues. The disposable issue is becoming increasingly important, and we're witnessing a natural, zero-waste trend.

A focus on health

Following the revelation of the existence of toxic shock syndrome, women are becoming increasingly attentive to their choice of sanitary protection.

Menstrual toxic shock syndrome (***) can occur when tampons or menstrual cups are used for too long. It's an infectious disease most often caused by a bacterium called "staphylococcus aureus". This bacterium can then spread to the major organs and, in the most serious cases, cause the death of the infected person.

This mistrust can be materialized by the fact that in ****, **% of women felt that at least one type of protection carries a risk (***) but few of them are aware of these risks[***].

So, faced with this mistrust, French women wanting to avoid ...

2.5 Typical profile of menstrual panty users

By analyzing current trends in sanitary protection consumption, we can attempt to draw up a portrait of menstrual panty consumers.

Current users of menstrual pants

Let's start by drawing up a portrait of current menstrual panty users, i.e. those who are convinced by the product.

We can already see that there is a disparity between users according to their socio-professional category:women in managerial positions are more likely to use menstrual panties than women in blue-collar or intermediate occupations.

Socio-professional categories of menstrual panty users France, ****, in Source: ****

And, with some correlation to the graph below, menstrual pants are adopted mainly by a more affluent category earning over €**** per month.

Current menstrual panty consumers by income level France, ****, in Source: ****

There are also geographical disparities with menstrual panties, with the majority adopted in the Paris metropolitan area, but much less so in provincial towns and rural areas.

Consumers of menstrual pants and geographical disparities France, ****, in Source: ****

Target audience for menstrual pants: "those who could".

We can already see that not all age groups are particularly ready to switch to menstrual pants. For example, women aged ** and over, who are used to a certain type of sanitary protection, are much ...

3.1 Production: made in France?

In ****, only one brand was producing menstrual panties: the American brand Thinx. Since then, the range has grown to around thirty brands in France alone[***].

Menstrual pants are an example of a market that reflects current consumer demand for products that are more respectful of the environment and women's well-being. Indeed, several brands have committed to manufacturing locally to guarantee ethical, sustainable, high-quality production.

Several French brands have chosen to base their production in France, including :

Réjeanne Elia Lingerie Petites Culottées Moodz Smoon Hannahpad Lulu Nature Fair and honest

However, not all French brands can say the same: Fempo makes its knickers in Tunisia, Blooming in Morocco, Lily Basic and Moodz in Portugal. The Smoon brand manufactures its knickers in Tunisia, using fabrics from France and Italy.

Some international players are also present on the French market: ModiBodi manufactures its knickers in China, Lunapads, a Canadian brand whose knickers are sold by French brand Miu-Cup, and Thinx, which manufactures its knickers in Sri Lanka and ships them from the USA.

What's more, in recent years we've seen a disruption in the menstrual panties market.

At first, menstrual panties were only produced by start-ups or small specialist companies, but since ...

3.2. Distribution of menstrual pants

In France, menstrual panties are distributed via a multitude of different channels.

The primary distribution channel is e-commerce sites. The vast majority of menstrual panty suppliers are start-ups, offering their products directly on their own websites. This is known as DNVB (***). This strategy cuts costs by eliminating a potential intermediary and addressing consumers directly.

Visits to menstrual panties brand websites have exploded recently: while the number of visits was nil or almost nil in ****, it is reaching record figures for some websites (***), and refers to all existing techniques used to position a website on one or more pre-identified queries.

Evolution of organic referencing for various menstrual panty brands France, ****-****, thousands of monthly visits Source: ****

However, some brands, such as Elia or Réjeanne, are available in lingerie stores or boutiques specializing in eco-friendly products. These outlets allow consumers to examine and touch the products before purchase, and for the brands to potentially reach new customers. Smoon knickers, for example, are on sale at Etam, both in physical stores and on their website. The Auchan and Monoprix supermarkets also stock Blooming panties .

pharmacies

Blooming

3.3 Menstrual panty distribution strategies

Menstrual panty brands are developing new strategies to raise their profile among French women and reach more and more users.

For example, some brands are proposing subscription systems where the aim is for consumers to receive new panties or menstrual kits on a regular basis, creating a long-term relationship with their customers and building loyalty in a way. This is the case with Loulou, for example, which offers a subscription formula where customers can receive menstrual panties at regular intervals according to their needs, and thus discover new models.

What's more, some brands create popups in major department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and Le Bon Marché, enabling them to introduce their products to a wider customer base. For example, the Réjeanne brand benefited from a pop-up at Le Bon Marché and is now distributed in nearly *** Darjeeling outlets since ****.

Finally, influencer marketing plays a key role in menstrual panty distribution. Brands often collaborate with influencers on Instagram or YouTube to promote their products. These collaborations sometimes take the form of discount codes or affiliate links, but can also develop with the creation of certain ambassadors with the creation of awareness-raising events, for example. petites Culottées in particular has ...

4.1 Innovative technology

Menstrual briefs are underwear for use during menstruation. They are specially designed to absorb blood during menstruation. Depending on the model, the panty can absorb the equivalent of * to * tampons.

The composition and manufacture of menstrual panties vary from brand to brand. But most feature a three- or four-layer anti-leak system for maximum absorption:

A first outer layer (***) in soft, breathable fabric, which drains blood into the absorbent lower parts and keeps them dry A second, intermediate layer that is ultra-absorbent, anti-bacterial, anti-moisture and anti-odour A final bottom membrane,composed of a waterproof waterproof fabric.

This triple layer makes menstrual briefs an effective means of absorbing menstrual flow.

Depending on the model, the materials used can vary from organic cotton, lycra, tencel, polyurethane, natural fibers (***).

Generally speaking, menstrual briefs must be certified by one of the following labels if they are not to be harmful to women's health:

International Coton Oeko Tex label: guarantees that the textile used does not contain products that are toxic to health. GOTS label (***): international label guaranteeing the organic quality of textile products.

Menstrual pants can be worn overnight or all day: the recommended wearing time is generally around ** hours. They should be hand-rinsed after use, ...

4.2 Different models

Menstrual pants differ according to price, shape, design, material used, absorption capacity...

The main menstrual pants available on the market can be segmented as follows:

Light-absorption panties: designed for light flow days or as complementary protection with other menstrual products. Medium-absorption panties: for medium-flow days, sufficiently absorbent to be worn alone for several hours. High-absorption panties: for heavy flow days or night-time use, these panties incorporate extra layers of absorption for maximum protection without the risk of leakage. Menstrual shorties: extra protection around the hips and thighs. Menstrual thongs: designed to be discreet under tight-fitting clothing.

Initially, brands were content to offer a limited choice of different models. Today, they are creating new, inclusive models, adapted to all morphologies, to different menstrual flows, to women's different desires: colors, materials (***), types of panties...

And to diversify, more and more brands are offering panties not just for menstruation, but also for bladder weakness, white discharge or post-delivery bleeding, as well as menstrual swimwear like Modibodi, for example.

Source: ****

5.1 Regulations

In France, following the results of a study carried out in **** on French women's sanitary protection products, new decisions have been taken concerning their regulations.

Thus, in order toimprove transparency on the composition and risks associated with the use of intimate protection products, the Decree of December **, **** framing the information to be included on packaging and instructions for use will come into force on April *ᵉʳ, ****.

Manufacturers and those responsible for placing products on the market will therefore be obliged to include the following three categories of information on the label and/or instructions for use of the products concerned:

the list of components and, for each of them, details of the substances and materials incorporated instructions and precautions for use possible undesirable effects (***) or more serious effects such as menstrual toxic shock syndrome.

Free menstrual underwear ****

The French Social Security Financing Act (***) for ****, dated December **, ****, provides for free reusable sanitary protection, including menstrual panties, subject to certain conditions. The law was published in the Journal Officiel on December **, ****.

Young people under the age of ** and beneficiaries of the complementary health protection scheme (***) will be able to benefit from free reusable sanitary protection. This concerns around *.* million people.

To benefit from free ...

6.1 Player segmentation

• Smoon
• Aglaé Lingerie
• Lily Basic
• Réjeanne
• Fempo
• Moodz
• Sisters Republic
• Elia Lingerie
• So'Cup
• Modibodi
• Dans Ma Culotte
• Wuka Wear
• Petites Culottées
• Dreamtim Blooming Rocks
• Blinx Underwear
• MÏU
• Louve
• My Bloom Story