Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook are making menstrual health a lucrative market by promoting an idealized “clean period” through influencer content. A clean period is a time when you only use organic cotton pads and tampons, especially unscented hygiene products, eat womb-friendly foods, and perform certain yoga exercises to achieve a flow that is said to be free of cramps, bloating, or odor.
The marketing brings premium products and routines closer to an audience for whom menstrual products already play an important role as basic needs recurring financial burden. They are used practically one week a month, 12 weeks a year. On average, a woman should change her sanitary pad every six hours, at least for the first three days if there is heavy flow, although this varies from person to person. Assuming a woman uses three pads five days a month, an average cycle requires 15-20 pads. In India, a pack of popular brands costs between ₹6 and ₹15 per pad on average. Therefore, the monthly cost will be around ₹150 to ₹200 depending on usage and brand.
Social media platforms further enable this through algorithmic amplification, distributing wellness content more aggressively and often tying engagement to affiliate links, discount codes, and influencer partnerships.
This must be seen in comparison to the average monthly income of ₹4,907 for a self-employed woman in rural areas and ₹290 for a casual worker in rural areas 2023-24. The monthly expenditure on sanitary pads themselves accounts for a significant percentage of their income. In addition, women spend a lot of money on painkillers, heating pads and other hygiene and comfort products during their period.
FII
The Supreme Court of India has only recently recognized Menstrual hygiene as a fundamental aspect of dignity and health. However, this right often only exists on paper. Reports suggest so that despite visible progress, only around 30% of women in India have consistent access to sanitary pads. Menstrual poverty continues to impact school attendance, work participation, and overall health outcomes, particularly in rural and low-income communities.
With this in mind, when you open social media and see brands and influencers marketing tampons, menstrual cups, and sustainable organic cotton pads as essential for a “healthy” period, the inequality associated with menstrual access becomes stark and profoundly visible.
Commercial Tactics of Brands
Influencers that promote the idea of a clean period are supported by brands that have certifications like GOTS and environmentally friendly demands. You combine these with “Womb-friendly” foodssuch as seed cycling, follicular phase flaxseed and nutritional supplements, alongside yoga exercises for pain relief, the creation of subscription models and affiliate revenue streams. Visual feeds in the clean girl aesthetic showcase glossy, minimalist routines with high-quality images of these products, reinforcing trends like #PeriodTok.
Social media platforms further enable this through algorithmic amplification, distributing wellness content more aggressively and often tying engagement to affiliate links, discount codes, and influencer partnerships. Menstrual health is therefore becoming not just health advice, but a monetized lifestyle category.
A few examples will help to better understand these tactics. Like brands Natracare and Lolahave promoted organic tampons through influencer reviews and sustainability campaigns. They have promoted “chemical-free” positioning as superior, often implying that traditional options cause harm. Another trend is seed cycling and yoga routines that promise easier flows. However, many of these claims lack convincing scientific evidence and place an everyday burden on women’s lives, raising expectations that may have little to do with their actual health.
My point is not against these brands or the marketing techniques they use, but against the collateral damage they inflict on those who are not their buyers and who end up feeling deprived of basic menstrual hygiene even though they have done nothing wrong.
Impact of the Clean Period Campaign on Young Women
What these perfect feeds promote is comparison. Young women begin to feel inadequate when their periods are accompanied by cramps, blood clots, or odors. These are completely normal experiences that are now pathologized as problems that can be fixed with the “right” purchases.
There was broad discussion that some brands contain carcinogens while others claim to be carcinogen-free. It is often unclear what is verified information and what is misinformation. There is limited regulatory clarity and inconsistent scientific communication on such claims, and their target audience is genuinely scared and fearful for their health and the products they have been using for years, all for a marketing strategy.
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From a medical perspective, periods vary significantly from person to person and symptoms such as cramps, fatigue, blood clots and odor may occur completely normal. However, in wellness marketing they are increasingly portrayed as anomalies that need to be corrected through consumption.
Studies have linked heavy social media use, particularly Instagram and Snapchat, to lower self-esteem and increased anxiety in girls. These effects are amplified through curated menstrual success stories and “perfect routine” content. This pressure also needs to be seen more broadly Clean beauty and wellness trendswhere Generation Z faces fear of missing out (FOMO) and perfectionism driven by idealized digital narratives.
Exposure to such content increases anxiety, depression, and irritability, especially after menarche, when physical changes already increase shame and social withdrawal. Girls are taking notice of TikTok and Instagram more negative for well-being as boys, often on the grounds that the pressure comes from algorithms focused on appearance and behaviors seeking validation. Menstruation is no longer seen as a biological reality, but increasingly as something that needs to be controlled, optimized and presented aesthetically.
Menstruation shouldn’t become another area where women feel pressured to be perfect
It is duly acknowledged that brands are collaborating with micro and nano influencers in the women’s health space to provide relevant recommendations. For example, actress Mithila Palkar, who promotes Whisper Ultra pads through personal stories of cramps and comfort, organically reaches millions of viewers. Femtech brands like Clue and Elvie bring together influencers with celebrities like Tejasswi Prakash for Proeases #BadalKarDekho to challenge taboos and highlight product benefits like leak-proof. Promoting user-generated content through campaigns like #KeepGirlsInSchool or #HaveNoShame helps normalize conversations and build trust through diverse storytelling across all ages and backgrounds.
Have such initiatives undeniably contributed Breaking stigma, encouraging dialogue and raising awareness about menstrual health – outcomes that are important and necessary.
However, the fact remains that the fear and manufactured unease that these clean period narratives have created among young women is deeply concerning given that a significant portion of India’s population still lacks access to basic menstrual products. There is a risk that the gap between awareness and access, aspiration and affordability will widen.
The only meaningful way to ensure menstrual dignity is to expand access to hygiene products, education and healthcare, and not just by creating awareness through consumer-driven narratives. The Supreme Court of India has taken a step forward in recognizing menstrual hygiene as an integral part of dignity and health, and it is time for sustained policy action. Just as the state once prioritized nutrition through initiatives like the midday meal program, menstrual health must be treated as an equally important public health concern, with subsidized products, school distribution systems, and stricter regulation of health claims in advertising.
Menstruation shouldn’t become another area where women feel pressured to be perfect. Health cannot be reduced to aesthetics, and dignity cannot be made dependent on consumption.
Mahi Agrawal is a BA LL.B. (Hons.) Student at Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur.
