Revenue of the feminine hygiene market worldwide by country 2018

It comes as no surprise that China and India, two countries with the largest populations, are also the two largest markets for feminine hygiene the world over, with revenues of around 8 billion U.S. dollars and 4.4 billion U.S. dollars respectively. However, it is not their revenue volumes that are as important as their scope for growth, with India being a particularly interesting market. Owing to its cultural and social stigmas, especially in rural areas, India still lacks overall awareness for feminine hygiene, with some studies estimating the number of women who still do not use sanitary products to be as high as 88%. Even though this situation is appalling, it also presents an opportunity for both, global brands such as Johnson & Johnson and P&G and indigenous firms such as Emami and Pari, to push their products across this untapped market.

Interestingly, China which is a more progressive and sophisticated market as compared to India still hasn’t come to terms with the use of tampons. Among the main reasons for this is its cost as compared to a sanitary pad, low public awareness, inadequate access to sex-education and traditional taboos, especially in rural areas.