FEMMYCYCLE
CLEANSER UPDATE!
By: FemmyCycle
What a year! If 2020 taught us anything, it’s the importance of accountability, the power of reflection, and how our own actions (no matter how small they may seem) can cause a large impact on the world around us.
So what on earth (pun semi-intended) are we talking about!?
Our FemmyCycle Cleanser!
More specifically, the improvements we recently made to the FemmyCycle Cleanser packaging and formula that we feel are more aligned with our values and focus on sustainability and improving the user experience.
Considered one of our flagship products, the FemmyCycle Cleanser was formulated especially for cleaning the FemmyCycle menstrual cup. Consistent with our no-chemical stance we hold for all of our products, our FemmyCycle Cleanser formula is pH-neutral, derived from plant ingredients, and contains no added detergents, parabens, or fragrances.
So what did we change? The packaging and formula.
The Bottle Switch from Plastic to Glass
Let’s face it – the environmental impact of single-use (disposable) plastics is undeniable. Plastic is easy to make, lightweight, and cheap, which has made it one of the most popular packaging materials in the world for the past 70 years. In fact, half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the past 15 years, and plastic packaging accounts for about half of the plastic waste in the world (300 million tons of plastic waste each year to be exact).
It’s no surprise that many organizations choose to use plastic when it comes to their packaging. Heck, we were one of them. But in the spirit of continuous improvement, this year we recognized it was time to start reducing our footprint and hold ourselves accountable to our own eco-friendly values and standards, which is why we’re proud to announce that our new FemmyCycle Cleanser will be sold in glass bottles, for easy recycling and reuse – woohoo!
Bottle Cap Design Updates
You asked, we listened. Our original FemmyCycle Cleanser bottle featured a disc top cap for easy pouring of the cleanser solution. However, this often resulted in excessive waste from solution that was either poured out by mistake or through accidental opening of the disc top cap.
So what did we do? We updated the bottle cap design to feature a spray cap instead, for easy cleaning of your menstrual cup and an enhanced user experience.
Cleanser Formula Updates
During this year of reflection, we reexamined our original cleanser formula and noticed the inclusion of sodium coco sulfate as an ingredient could be construed as not being entirely 100% natural. Sulfates are considered a surfactant, which is commonly used in products such as shampoo, body wash, etc. for its cleaning and foaming properties. However, sulfates can cause irritation and strip the skin of natural oils, so we explored new cleanser options that would omit the use of sulfates.
It was important for us to ensure any new formula would remain all-natural and keep you pH-balanced, so we made some minor tweaks with this in mind. We removed sodium coco sulfate from the ingredients list so that our formula is now sulfate-free (yay!), and we added a few others to make the cup cleansing experience even better: witch hazel, lemon extract, and eucalyptus extract.
We love witch hazel because it acts as an anti-inflammatory – in fact, witch hazel is a natural astringent and antiseptic that has long been used to reduce inflammation. Lemon and eucalyptus are both considered to be antimicrobial agents with an added bonus for the lemon extract, which is a natural stain fighter that helps to reduce the appearance of stains on the cup. Score!
The Journey Continues
So there you have it. We saw opportunities for improvement and jumped on it. As a public facing company, it’s our duty to source all of our materials responsibly and be as transparent as possible when it comes to explaining the why behind any of the changes we make.
We know change is incremental, and we hope one small step for our packaging and formula reflects our commitment to practice what we preach. We are on this journey together with you (yes, you) and you can play a big role in holding us responsible for our actions. Let’s make a joint commitment to leave this world a little better than we left it, with a lot more love and awareness about how our actions can impact the environment and our planet.
What sustainability initiatives are you most passionate about?
