The Woman’s Company provides organic, menstrual wellness and female hygiene products for eco-conscious consumers.
Women are the forebears of the world. Our biological responsibility keeps humanity going, but it also inflicts pain in the form of rashes, and contributes significantly to environmental damage. Fortunately, things are set to change. The Woman’s Company which provides organic, menstrual wellness and female hygiene products for eco-conscious consumers is leading the way. Founder and CEO, Anika Parashar, joins the Sunday Guardian to talk about her visionary brand. Excerpts from an edited interview:
Q. When did you begin The Woman’s Company and what was your vision for it?
A. I have a background in the healthcare sector. I launched Mamma Mia – A Mom’s World, which is now India’s first and only comprehensive holistic health chain for expectant, expecting and new mothers in seven locations across the nation. Additionally, I am the founder Trustee and Chairperson of ORGAN – Organ Giving and Receiving Awareness Network, which spreads awareness about organ donation and transplants across India. After leaving my role as the COO for Fortis La Femme hospitals, I founded RiverRock Ventures, a firm which invests in and mentors young start-ups. In March 2020, I launched The Woman’s Company (TWC), an FMCG healthcare platform which focuses on health and hygiene solutions for women.
My daughter was hitting puberty and the ‘problem’ started with her. What products were good enough for her? What products would be certifiably biodegradable, organic, soft, rash-free and enable her to continue her level of normal activity even while she was menstruating? TWC was born in trying to find solutions for the lakhs of women who felt their needs were not catered to and for those who wanted their daughters and granddaughters to have long term, viable solutions. We also had concerns about the planet we were leaving behind for future generations.
TWC entered the women’s intimate and hygiene product space with a vision to disrupt the traditional market for these products. We hope to be the leading player in the women’s hygiene industry with an omni-channel presence and an outreach of over 100 million women across the globe in the next five years.
Q. What sets your products apart?
A. Our pricing is very competitive so that we can reach the largest number of people. All our products are certified and go through multiple quality checks before reaching women. Our packaging is made of recyclable paper. We have invested in a lot of R&D to carefully identify the ingredients that are safest to touch the most sensitive and intimate parts of a woman’s body.
Our main goal is to sell biodegradable, organic menstrual hygiene intimate products that contribute to the planet’s health and the health of women by preventing rashes/allergies and avoiding the linkages that certain chemicals and dioxins have to diseases like cancer, endometriosis, PCOS, and others. Pads, tampons, panty liners, menstruation cups, urination devices, bamboo razors, and organic shaving lotions are among the products we provide. Every woman contributes 105kg of plastic waste to the planet – imagine the impact that a global population of women can have, and the impact this has on global warming, animal health, and planet health, as well as the depletion of resources.
Founded by women with over three decades of experience in building and operating healthcare and retail brands for women; we understand the needs of a woman as nobody else can – our company is for women, by women.
Q. What are the products in your line?
A. TWC offers an array of products ranging from sanitary napkins, panty liners, 100 percent organic cotton tampons, stand and pee urination devices, medical grade silicone cups, bamboo razors, razor blades and natural pain relief hot packs.
TWC pads are made with certified organic cotton, which has been grown without using chemical herbicides, fertilizers or pesticides. Perfect to avoid infections, they are hypoallergenic and completely biodegradable and do not contain perfumes or super absorbents. They are purified without chlorine or dioxin (which is a chemical component of chlorine used to make materials look white and clean). Certified by gynaecologists, these pads are customized to fit all shapes. Available in three different sizes, TWC pads come in a pack of 12 pads to make your period cycle comfortable and hassle-free.
The TWC tampon comes in two options – with and without applicators. These tampons are made from certified organic cotton with an absorbent core. Organic and natural, they are ‘bleached without chlorine’ and are made with biodegradable materials.
TWC has created specially customized urination devices to help every woman stand and pee! The TWC urination stand and pee stick is made of recyclable craft paper without plastic and lamination.
The TWC medical grade menstrual cup has an extremely high tolerance to chemicals and heat and is not impacted by body temperature. Being pliable and soft, it is the best material against the delicate skin and tissues of the vagina. These menstrual cups, available in two different sizes, are ultra-soft with eight hours of leak proof protection. One menstrual cup can hold fluid for up to three regular-sized tampons.
TWC bamboo razors are eco-friendly, sustainable, and reusable and come with a pack of ten disposable blades to enable a close and easy hair removal process. These zero-waste bamboo razors are made with grade five stainless steel! We also have a pack of 30 Razor Blades.
TWC Soothing Hot Packs offer 100 percent natural pain relief that works to soothe menstrual cramps and any sort of aches and pains. It is made of organic cotton and filled with whole wheat grains. It comes with a washable sleeve. It can be used in multiple ways – microwaved for a few minutes to make a hot pack or kept in the freezer for some time to serve as a cold pack.
We sell our products on our website as well as all major marketplaces, including Amazon, Nykaa, Zivame, Flipkart, and a few others.
Q. Please tell us about the post-miscarriage products called ‘Compassionate Pads’. What is distinctive about them?
A. Our Compassionate Pads are our post-miscarriage pads that have specially been designed to support a woman who is going through pregnancy and baby loss. These pads are not only super absorbent and extra-long for heavy bleeding, but like our other pads, are also chemical and plastic free.
What’s unique about these pads is that each one comes in a disposable sleeve that has a unique illustration with supportive messages for these women going through this traumatic phase in life. Additionally, the box has a QR code which redirects the user to a pregnancy-loss chat bot which provides them with the support they need through advice from experts and stories and experiences of other women who have suffered from pregnancy loss themselves. The Compassionate Pad along with the bot were launched in a campaign that has been supported and funded by Facebook, which is now Meta.
The interviewer pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be reached on nooranand@gmail.com.