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Written by Emily Stephens (she/her) for The Rising Womxn Zine
*DISCLAIMER: At The Rising Womxn, we stand behind the messaging that not everyone that menstruates identifies as female. So, we have taken a step in the right direction and have chosen to use all-inclusive pronouns for the following article. We are also proud to encourage an all-inclusive educational approach, and the purpose of this disclaimer is to allow those from different generations or backgrounds to understand the use of generic pronouns and their positive impact.
Plastic pollution is a huge problem globally, with over 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution found per mile of beach in the UK alone in 2019. Over 150 plastic bottles litter each mile of UK beaches as of 2019 statistics (SAS) and while many of us automatically think of plastic bottles and food packaging when we think of pollution, there is also another big offender that often goes unconsidered.
Single-use menstrual products are used mainly by cis-women, as well as transgender men, and non-binary individuals globally, as they are convenient and easy to use during menstruation. These include pads, liners and tampons – making them single use as there is no potential to wash and reuse them. A big-brand pack of 14 menstrual pads contains the same amount of plastic as 5 carrier bags, and people in the UK use an average of 11,000 disposable menstrual products during their reproductive lifetime – which is the equivalent to 786 plastic bags per person. A huge 4.3 billion disposable sanitary products are used in the UK every year, and around 2.5 million tampons, 1.4 million pads and 700,000 panty liners are flushed every single day. This also results in more than 200,000 tonnes of waste landfilled per year, which can take centuries to biodegrade. (Isonomia)
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| City To Sea |
A 2010 Marine Conservation Society (MCS) beach-watch survey found 23 sanitary towels and 9 tampon applicators for every kilometre of coast. Rather than taking a progressive step forward to combat this, many big brands continue to make single-use menstruation products out of plastic – which used to be made out of paper and card in the not so distant past – due to the low cost of mass production. 5.9% of all beach litter in the UK are items that have been flushed down the loo when they should have gone in the bin. (City To Sea)
With big brand, single-use menstruation products, consumers often don’t actually know what it is they are exposing their body to. Some period products include fragrances and scents, which can interfere with the balance between good and bad bacteria. Synthetic fragrances can be made from a cocktail of up to 3,900 chemicals (styrene, chloromethane, chloroethane, chloroform, acetone, among others). Some of them are identified as carcinogens, neurotoxins, irritants, hormone disruptors and reproductive toxicants. The chemicals in these products can also modify the pH balance of the individual. However, most of the time these chemicals are not disclosed on the product by the manufacturer. (Zero Waste Europe)
Many of the conventional single-use menstrual products (pads and tampons) and their packaging contain plastic and other synthetic materials like rayon, adhesives, artificial fragrances and toxic chemicals such as phthalates, bisphenol - A and petrochemical additives, which are recognised environmental pollutants and are also known to be endocrine-disrupting substances linked to some diseases, such as heart diseases, infertility and cancer. Even traces of dioxin, created when these products are bleached white, and pesticides and herbicides, including glyphosate, can be found in menstrual products. (Zero Waste Europe)
Not only are menstrual products considerably harmful to the environment, they are also leaving women out of pocket too. Menstruation products are a necessity that cost the average UK person £5,000 in their lifetime, a new study by Intimina found. When thinking of period poverty, it’s easy to think of third world countries where access to necessary products is slim, with UNESCO estimating that 50 per cent of girls (disclaimer: use of girls over people due to accuracy of UNESCO study) living in Central Africa and South and West Asia are without access to period products.
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| Samikshya Koirala. Credit: Anup Subedi. |
In fact, period poverty is also present in the UK, and the conversation around this has grown over the last few years. A poll run by Bloody Big Brunch concluded that a quarter of girls (disclaimer: use of girls over people due to accuracy of Bloody Big Brunch study) in the UK have been forced to miss work or school due to not being able to afford period products.
In March 2019 the government introduced free sanitary products into all English secondary schools. Period poverty also affects adults, with half of the 2,000 18 to 55-year-old women (disclaimer: use of women over people due to accuracy of Intimina study) surveyed reported experiencing it, with two-thirds (60%) saying they have had to budget in order to afford sanitary items and 79 per cent said they have made sacrifices or gone with less to be able to buy menstrual products.
With all the above taken into consideration, it’s hard to imagine why these products are still in use when they do so much damage across a varying number of circumstances. By switching to reusable period products, users can expect a lifetime saving of up to 94% of what they would have spent on disposables by switching to reusables. Also, every year in the UK it costs around £88 million to clear blocked drains and sewer pipes – and this money is paid directly through water bills! Reusable products can help cut this cost and have many other benefits too!
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| City To Sea |
BeYou, (https://beyouonline.co.uk) aims to make a change for people everywhere by “Celebrating Individuality Together” – ultimately showing the importance of Being You! Determined to reduce the hinderance of period pain, BeYou displays a whole range of in-demand natural products that offer stress and pain-free alternatives to help keep period pains and cramps away.
We sat down with brand founders Krutika (her/she) and Hemang (he/him) Patel (brother & sister) to find out why embracing the natural approach to menstruation is the way forward, as well as all things period positivity!
*Disclaimer: pronouns throughout interview will be in brackets as these are part of BeYou’s messaging and not The Rising Womxn’s.
Tell us a little more about the history and ethos of BeYou!
Krutika: A couple of years ago I found myself working in a male-dominated workplace, silently battling crippling period cramps. I didn’t want to use over-the-counter pain medication but was openly called out and shamed by my colleagues for using a hot water bottle. Struggling to find any more discrete alternatives, I teamed up with Hemang, our other Co-Founder, and created my own! After months of formulating and experimenting, the Monthly Patch was born!
Along with (female) empowerment, the ethos of our brand is ‘science-backed, natural products’, which, as we have grown, we have continued to stand by as we branch into other products - all with the purpose of finding natural solutions to (women's) everyday problems.
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| BeYou |
Why is the use of natural period pain relief more beneficial than over the counter pharmaceuticals?
Krutika & Hemang: As a brand, we actually say, each to their own in terms of finding the right product for you. We don’t promise to be a miracle cure - only you know what is best for your body, which is why it’s important to experiment and find out what works best for you! We’re just here to offer a 100% natural alternative to other products which contains absolutely no added chemicals! We do know that there is sometimes scepticism about natural or herbal products vs over the counter drugs, however, there is often so much science behind natural solutions, including our own!
What is the benefit of someone purchasing a reusable menstrual cup over tampons and pads?
Hemang: The great thing about Menstrual Cups is that, if cleaned and stored correctly, they can last for a whole ten years! That’s 120 months of not buying tampons and pads - which is great for the environment in terms of waste, and also your bank balance! We have a calculator on our website which works out the saving based on your average usage - we think you’d be surprised by the amount!
*author’s note – I used the period savings calculator and I was truly shocked, not just by how much money I can save by purchasing reusable menstrual products, but also how much waste production I would contribute to from period products alone in my lifetime if I continue to purchase single-use products. You can see your own savings here. *
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| BeYou Savings Calculator |
Why is it important that society takes more steps to become period positive?
Krutika: Periods are completely natural, and stifling the conversation can be potentially very damaging, for example, in terms of young (girls) learning about adequate menstrual hygiene. We want to empower (women) to be able to talk openly about periods (if they want to). Why does everyone always talk about discreet period products? If you don’t want to talk about periods because they gross YOU out, then we’re all for it. But if you don’t talk about it because you feel like you can’t (because of what society has conditioned into us) then join the movement!
Do you think conversations around periods should be introduced and normalised as part of sex education schemes that is inclusive to all genders in primary schools?
Krutika & Hemang: Absolutely! We feel passionately that all children should be educated on (women’s) health topics such as menstruation which we feel would massively reduce the ‘taboo’ factor when it comes to the way these children approach this as an adult. For example, Kru was shamed by men for using a hot water bottle in the workplace - would this have happened if these people had grown up with talking about this being the norm?
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| BeYou |
Over the last year or so, more TV adverts have surfaced around periods – why should more companies make an effort to be period positive and normalise the discussion of menstruation?
Krutika: There has definitely been a shift in terms of advertising and there are now more companies like ours offering alternative menstrual products and not being afraid to address this in marketing. We do feel there is still a long way to go, however, but the more companies who embrace period positivity, the more we will break down the stigma!
What advice would you give to those who have never used a reusable menstrual cup before?
Krutika: When it comes to using Menstrual Cups for the first time, it can definitely be daunting as they definitely look very different to tampons and pads, but it’s important to remember that our cup is made of a soft and flexible silicone that moulds very comfortably to your body. It can take up to 3 cycles to fully get the hang of using one though, so we always say, don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t go perfectly the first time! We provide lots of tips and tricks on finding the right insertion methods for you though - practice definitely makes perfect!
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| BeYou |
Similarly, what advice would you give to those who are apprehensive into purchasing natural period pain relief?
Krutika & Hemang: Like we mentioned, we do know that there is some scepticism about using natural or herbal products, however, we would reassure them that - generally speaking, there are fewer side effects and of course, less or no chemical ingredients. While natural, all our products are also completely science backed, and dermatologically tested where relevant, so there really should be no need to worry about trying natural solutions out.
You have recently launched your CBD range – tell us more!
Krutika & Hemang: A few months after we launched our Patches, we actually did a survey of customers at the time, asking them what products they’d like to see us work on next. We have a large community of people with Endometriosis or other chronic pain conditions within our customer base, and we were overwhelmed with messages asking for CBD. Many of them had read CBD may be of use to them, however, they were confused about finding a reputable brand, whether it was safe and legal, or how much they should be taking.
We then set out to a high-quality CBD which is independently tested by a third-party laboratory which comes with clear dosage guidelines. A year later and after being very well received by customers, we have since launched a Gummy variant exclusively with Superdrug, and a new stronger dose, with more to come over the next few months.
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| BeYou |
What would you say to young people who are embarrassed about having and talking about periods?
Krutika: We would reassure them that periods are 100% natural and nothing at all to be embarrassed and ashamed of - we hope part of our future at BeYou involves becoming a destination for information and research about periods in an approachable and digestible format so no-one feels they can’t access the information they need.
To shop BeYou’s range of natural, period positive products, visit: https://beyouonline.co.uk
You can also find BeYou on Instagram @beyouperiod, Facebook on @beyouperiod, Twitter on @beyouperiod and YouTube @BeYou.
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