Fems: Championing Accessibility to Feminine Hygiene in Sri Lanka, Combating Period Poverty

Fems, the socially responsible feminine hygiene care brand by Hemas Consumer Brands, is proud to be one of three main local sanitary napkin manufacturers, meeting 92% of the total demand for sanitary napkins in Sri Lanka presently. Fems imports high quality materials to manufacture sanitary napkins in its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant which was set up at a considerable investment.  Locally manufactured sanitary napkins attract lower taxes, thereby Fems is able to offer highly affordable feminine hygiene products that are easily accessible, thereby promoting better hygiene and public health.

According to a survey conducted in 2016, nearly 50% of families have suffered from menstrual poverty and 50% of women aged between 15-47 years did not spend money on sanitary napkins in 2016. Thus, in order to make sanitary napkins affordable, Fems launched ‘Fems AYA’, a high-quality sanitary napkin at the lowest price point in the category in June 2021.

Understanding that convenient access to sanitary napkins remains an urgent issue in Sri Lanka, Fems was one of the first brands to tackle the challenge of creating a behavioural change amongst 70% of women in Sri Lanka, who do not use sanitary napkins regularly. Since then, Fems has empowered countless women and girls by making menstruation products accessible and affordable to over 300,000 households while building awareness about menstruation and feminine hygiene. Inculcating the sanitary napkin habit from a young age, Fems engineered a sanitary napkin dispenser unit, which has been strategically placed in approximately 75 locations including schools, offices and cafes across the island. Additionally, Fems has also conducted awareness sessions on feminine hygiene at more than 160 schools across the country and educated more that 250,000 females on menstrual health and hygiene.

Awareness on good menstrual health and hygiene are major issues surrounding the feminine hygiene category in Sri Lanka, paired with deep rooted taboo and social stigma. Fems is transforming age-old stigma about menstruation by becoming the first brand in the category to highlight the role of men in empowering girls to be comfortable to open up about menstruation. Fems has repeatedly strived to raise awareness and normalize conversation about menstruation, becoming the first brand in Sri Lanka to take the bold step of showing menstrual blood as red in its TV commercials.

In a culmination of its tireless initiatives to ensure an empowered future for women, Fems established the H.E.R Foundation in May 2023 with a mandate to Help, Empower and Recognize all women rise above challenges they face in whichever aspect of their lives. The Foundation has pledged to help solve period poverty, empowering women through raising the levels of education and awareness on feminine hygiene and inspiring future generations of women and girls to reach their full potential. In tandem with raising awareness about menstruation, Fems looks forward to working closely with the health authorities towards a future where feminine hygiene products are freely accessible and affordable for all women and girls in the country.