Awareness, Adoption and Access: Finding Your Period Care of Choice
The global culture around menstrual health is rapidly changing. One of the visible signs of this is the wider range of period products available on shelves, including pads made of organic materials, tampons and even menstrual cups.
This is great news for menstruating people in cities like Hong Kong, where products like tampons have been previously hard to find:
"I always used to bring a separate suitcase of tampons with me," says Anita, Hong Kong.
Low adoption of products like tampons is created by a number of factors, including traditional beliefs, as well as limited access to alternatives:
“I was told that tampons would stop me being a virgin,” says Amber, 24, Hong Kong. “For a long time, I was too scared to use them even though I wanted to keep swimming during my period."
“Growing up in Hong Kong, I wasn’t even aware products other than pads existed. Most of my friends were introduced to tampons while studying abroad,” says Megan, 31, Hong Kong.
That’s not to say countries where tampons are popular have provided a roadmap for product choice and education. In many of these places, the lack of product transparency means many users don't know what their tampons are made of.
“I used conventional tampons for over ten years before realising they contained synthetics that were causing my irritations. You can’t find the product ingredients on the box! I had no idea that organic cotton tampons were even a thing until I was in my thirties.” Trisha, 38, Hong Kong.
Regardless of which products we choose to use during our period, each one of us has the right to access safe period products chosen through informed decisions.
Hear from our community about how improved access to period care enhances the lives of menstruating people.
Becks, 30, is a Kiwi living in Hong Kong. She values sustainability, and is the Sales and Marketing Director at Slowood.
“Now I can find organic cotton LUÜNA tampons in stores around the city like Watsons and Slowood, I no longer have to act as a ‘tampon mule.’ No more taking orders from friends or filling a portion of my suitcase with tampons. No more worrying about the stock pile running low and having to cover a day with a ‘toilet paper pad’. Being able to freely share tampons with friends or strangers, rather than treating them like a rarity, means so much.
Moreover, I do believe if more types of products - not just tampons - are made accessible in terms of location and also price point, that more of us would feel comfortable to try all of the options available to us and that is crucial in having a truly positive period experience.”
Alison is a mother of 2, a wife and a teacher living in Hong Kong. Previously, she has taught in Cairo, Moscow, Bangkok.
“Inspired by years of ‘tampon muling’ whilst living in Egypt and Russia, I started extensively researching period products. This inspires the work I now do with young people in Primary Schools, where I ensure that students have knowledge around ethical and natural period products, as well as more traditional ones, giving them the opportunity to make an informed & educated choice when it is the right time. Alongside creating access to a wider range of products, talking openly and honestly about period care and menstruation more broadly is just so important. I look forward to these conversations with my own girls when they are older, which I know will be different to the awkward conversations I had with my family and educators. Our bodies and what they can do should be celebrated and embraced.”
Find LUÜNA Today
Today, we are proud to distribute our organic cotton tampons in major retailers, as well as in the bathrooms of hundreds of organizations across APAC, who now provide them for students and employees. Most recently, we launched our eco-friendly Bulk Buy option, ensuring our community can stock up on products they love with vastly reduced packaging waste.
If you have any more questions for our team, you can always reach out to us at hello@luuna-naturals.com.