Challenges facing the feminine hygiene category in Germany and new opportunities for growth
Building the business case for reusable period underwear
Outline
- Tampon sales are falling, while period underwear is growing
- Consumers recognise that reusables offer better cost-per-use
- Period underwear is a growth opportunity
- Audit your category exposure now
- What to consider when sourcing period underwear
Key takeaways
Growth in the feminine hygiene category is increasingly coming from reusable period products rather than legacy single-use absorbent hygiene products (AHPs). In Germany, for example, period underwear is growing at 17.7% a year against roughly 4% for the category overall.
Now is the time to review your portfolio and make sure you are positioned for future growth.
An introduction
Tampon sales are falling in some of the world’s most established menstrual care markets, while period underwear is growing fast. In Germany, for example, 2025 shopper data shows tampon sales down 11% in a year and period underwear up 39%.
For category buyers in mass retail, pharmacy and ecommerce, that is a shift in where the growth sits in the aisle. The question is whether your range is moving with it. Category managers working from the headline growth figure alone are likely to be underestimating how much of their menstrual care range is already losing share to a format that most haven’t sourced before.
The pricing squeeze facing single-use AHPs
Shoppers are paying more for single-use absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) and buying fewer of them. In the US, Circana data shows the average price of menstrual products rose nearly 40% between 2020 and early 2026, from about US$5.37 to US$7.43 per unit. Price sensitivity is just as clear in other markets. YouGov Shopper Panel data from 2025 found 55% of German women think period products cost too much, rising to 70% of women aged 18–34.
And every time the price of a pack of disposables rises, it’s easier for a consumer to justify the purchase of a reusable product that lasts for many cycles.
How consumer behaviour is shifting
The clearest example of a wider shift comes from Germany, where YouGov’s market report shows tampon revenue falling 11% from EUR 92.4 million to EUR 82.2 million between August 2024 and July 2025, while period underwear revenue rose 39% from EUR 11.8 million to EUR 16.4 million over the same period. Unit volumes follow the same pattern, with tampon packs down 9%, and period underwear packs up 37%. The reusable period underwear segment was worth EUR 6.9 million in 2022 and is projected to surpass EUR 25 million by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 17.7%.
Age and motivation data from the same research help explain who is driving this. Nineteen percent of women aged 18 to 34 have already used period underwear, against 6% of women aged 55 and over. Among the stated reasons for switching, 72% of women say it matters that period products are free of harmful substances, and 43% want them to be environmentally friendly.
The same direction shows up in other major markets. In the United States, NielsenIQ data reported by Bloomberg in July 2024 showed annual tampon sales down 16% since 2020, while in the United Kingdom, Mintel’s 2026 report notes falling tampon usage and fewer tampon launches.
For a category manager, the practical reading of this data is that the shopper buying period underwear today is likely to be a tampon shopper who has switched format, rather than a new customer added to the category. Category value is moving between formats rather than growing across all of them, which is why the range decision here carries more weight than a typical new product trial.
Why period underwear belongs in your portfolio
Period underwear delivers a growth opportunity in a category where the disposable segment is shrinking in key markets. Here’s why it deserves a place in your portfolio:
- It’s where the growth is: Period underwear sales are growing, while single-use products decline.
- There is room to run: In Germany, 57% of women know about period underwear, against 87% for tampons. That gap is headroom.
- It brings in younger shoppers: The 18–34 age group is the one moving away from tampons and the one most open to reusables.
- It’s a higher-value basket: A pair of period underwear sells for more than a pack of disposables, and it lifts the average spend in the aisle.
- It supports your sustainability commitments: Every pair in use keeps single-use plastic-based products out of the waste stream.
- It can carry your own brand: Sourcing from a manufacturer that makes for retail and brand partners lets you build the category under your own label rather than ceding it to direct-to-consumer brands.
What to consider when sourcing period underwear
Period underwear is a technical product, not just a garment. These are the questions worth asking any supplier:
- How is absorbency built in? There is a vast difference in performance between a product designed around proprietary absorbency technology and a garment with an absorbent layer added. Ask how the core is made and what protects it.
- How is performance tested? Ask for absorbency and leakage results to a documented protocol, ideally with an independent lab.
- How does it hold up in the wash? Shoppers will machine wash and tumble dry. Ask for performance data after repeated wash and dry cycles.
- What is in the materials? Ask for chemical compliance documentation for every market you sell in, including how the supplier manages PFAS and other restricted substances.
- Can the supplier support claims in each market? Labelling and environmental claims rules differ between the EU, UK and US, and are tightening. Your supplier should help you substantiate what goes on pack.
- Who controls production? Owned facilities give tighter control over quality, consistency and capacity than layers of subcontracting.
- Can the range grow with you? Look for a choice of absorbency levels, sizes and styles, and a route into adjacent categories such as incontinence and maternity.
Next steps
Before your next range review, three questions are worth answering. What proportion of current menstrual care value sits in formats that are flat or declining, and how much of that decline maps to growth in period underwear? And for any reusable line already on shelf or in development, what are the considerations around sourcing period underwear that will deliver an excellent consumer experience while protecting your margins.
Answering these questions now, while reusables still make up a small share of most private label ranges, gives buying teams time to build the sourcing model this format needs before it becomes a larger part of the category plan.
The next blog in this series discusses the questions to ask when choosing a period underwear manufacturer and how to build a defensible business case around the inclusion of reusable AHPs in your portfolio.
About the author
Frantisek Riha-Scott, Founder and CEO, Confitex Technology
As the tech leader in reusable personal hygiene since 2013, Confitex designs and manufactures award-winning washable period and incontinence products for leading retail, pharmacy and healthcare brands worldwide. Frantisek has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of fashion design, textile engineering and absorbent hygiene manufacturing, and has worked directly with independent laboratories to shape emerging industry performance standards for reusable absorbent hygiene. His perspective on the French menstrual equity and waste reduction scheme is grounded in detailed working knowledge of the certifications required to trade under Decree 2026-288 and in active conversations with organisations preparing for the September 2026 launch. He writes to help pharmacy category managers, hygiene buyers, purchasing directors and procurement leaders cut through the regulatory complexity and make supplier decisions with confidence. Connect with Frantisek on LinkedIn.
