opinion

A Holistic Approach to Overcoming the Frustrations, Complications of Period Sex

A Holistic Approach to Overcoming the Frustrations, Complications of Period Sex

I'm proud to introduce the Fun Cup menstrual cup, the latest addition to our sexual wellness category. Fun Factory has always taken a holistic approach to sexual health and pleasure. We want to challenge the separation of sex and wellness, bringing more health education into our own industry and sexuality into more mainstream conversations about wellness. When people feel healthy, relaxed and confident, they usually have better sex, so a product that addresses a lot of period-related anxieties and frustrations while promoting sexual health is an ideal addition to our line.

Although tampons are many customers’ go-to choice for period protection, they’re not always the best for sexual wellness. Since they cause dryness and microabrasions and disrupt the vagina’s pH balance, they can leave consumers more susceptible to common infections like yeast infections or bacterial vaginosis as well as STIs. The Fun Cup’s medical-grade German silicone, on the other hand, won’t interrupt the body’s natural processes, leaving customers ready for great sex and a more comfortable month overall.

We want to challenge the separation of sex and wellness, bringing more health education into our own industry and sexuality into more mainstream conversations about wellness.

Of course, coming from Fun Factory, the Fun Cup is the menstrual cup that helps people have better sex. Its unique shape makes it foreplay-friendly, letting it disappear into the action during fingering, cunnilingus and even shallow penetration with fingers or a toy. Since the cup isn’t absorbent, it lets the body lubricate naturally; customers can take the cup out and be immediately ready for penetrative sex without discomfort or additional risk.

The shape is a big part of what makes the Fun Cup special. Our engineers spent a long time developing a cup that’s a better fit for most people’s bodies. Product testers have reported that the curved shape is more comfortable than the standard symmetrical cup. Additionally, our silicone is thinner and more body-forming than that of other cups, doing away with uncomfortable pressure. The Fun Cup also features a firm, tapered tip that makes the cup easy to adjust, without the poking that many customers experience from cups designed with longer stems.

Sizing is the No. 1 customer complaint when it comes to menstrual cups, and we were eager to address those concerns. Current sizing standards are antiquated, and many customers aren’t sure which size to buy and become frustrated if they purchase one that doesn’t fit well. Our materials emphasize that there is no hard-and-fast rule for who should wear a larger or a smaller cup; in fact, most of our testers preferred to use a smaller cup for lighter days and a larger cup for heavier days. Every Fun Cup package comes with two cups, and customers can even choose the Explore Kit, which has one smaller Size A and one larger Size B. That way, customers can find their perfect size or decide which size is best for them that day. Putting two cups in each package offers the consumer better value, with one cup to keep at home and another to take on the go.

As a progressive company, it was also important to us to make a menstrual product that people of all gender identities and expressions can feel comfortable using. When it comes to periods, a lot of companies use ultra-feminine branding, which can make some customers feel frustrated or unwelcome. We’ve been very conscious about using gender-inclusive language in our marketing materials and offering a variety of colors other than pink as well as a storage bag in our signature Fun Factory champagne, rather than the usual floral.

I'm very excited about this storage bag. Made of anti-microbial Tyvek, this sturdy, lint-free bag is a cut above the drawstring bags that other companies offer.

Apart from all that, the Fun Cup is a convenient and eco-friendly option that saves customers money. What’s not to love?

Unlike tampons, which need to be changed every four to six hours, menstrual cups offer up to 12 hours of period protection at a time — a full day of not thinking about your period!

Someone who uses disposable products spends over $100 per year on menstrual supplies and creates 250-300 pounds of waste over their lifetime. Comparatively, the Fun Cup costs $40 for a package of two, can be washed and reused safely for years, and is virtually waste-free!

We’ve focused a lot of our marketing approach on reminding the consumers of the everyday hassles that come with using tampons and the freedom that comes with using a Fun Cup instead. No more late-night trips to the drugstore when they realize that they’ve run out. No more asking strangers or coworkers to slip them a tampon. No more checking their bathing suit to make sure their tampon string isn’t sticking out. No more fear of using a bathroom without a wastebasket—or worse, coming home to find that their dog has gotten into their garbage and spread shredded menstrual products all over the house.

We think an adult retail environment is a great place for customers to encounter a menstrual cup for the first time. Customers are already sharing their personal lives and getting advice from our retail partners, so this is the perfect platform to introduce this possibly unfamiliar concept and challenge older ways of thinking around menstruation. Most customers won’t have come across one in such an open environment before and may feel more empowered to find out more. After all, an employee at the local sex-positive shop is more likely to be prepared to address anxieties around menstrual health than a clerk at a mainstream drugstore. Plus, the Fun Cup is the perfect expansion of a product selection that also features Kegel balls and good lube. Some retailers are even starting to branch into menstrual health education already; this year, we’ve partnered with both The Pleasure Chest and Babeland on events focused around menstruation and sex.

Fun Factory has been defining and redefining categories for more than 20 years. It’s part of our DNA and our commitment to innovation. After all, we were founded by two engineers who set out to create colorful, body-safe silicone toys when those didn’t exist in the market at the time. In the years since, we’ve brought rechargeable silicone vibrators to the market, become the first in our industry to win a mainstream design award, and debuted new product categories with our hands-free Pulsators and hybrid Battery+ toys. It was an exciting challenge to take a great concept like the menstrual cup and see how we could improve it!

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

Why BDSM Furniture and Sex Machines Make an Ideal Match

For BDSM enthusiasts and curious newbies alike, a big part of the fun is discovering and exploring exciting new sensations and scenarios. One way to level up is by combining or layering pleasures you already enjoy, and one surefire way to do that is with BDSM furniture.

Rebecca Weinberg ·
opinion

Tips for Boosting Ecommerce Revenue With Behavioral Insights

At our marketing agency, we focus on using real data to make better decisions for our clients. We believe every action a visitor takes on a website can tell us something important. This helps us shape our strategies and assist our clients in turning casual website visitors into loyal customers.

Lauren Bailey ·
opinion

A Look at the Do's and Don'ts of Gift-With-Purchase Promos

Imagine you’re at a store, deciding between two products with similar packaging, features and pricing. You’re not predisposed toward either brand and you haven’t seen any reviews — but one of them offers, “Free gift with purchase!” Does that win you over?

Vanessa Rose ·
opinion

Tips for Navigating a Completely Remote Job in Sexual Wellness

Anyone working in the sexual wellness and pleasure sector has at some point had to deal with issues like bias against the industry, as well as limited marketing and advertising options.

Bryony Lees ·
trends

Meet the 2024 Class of Up-and-Coming Pleasure Brands to Watch

With each new year that rolls in, new pleasure brands emerge, and 2024 is no exception. Already this year, a slew of new entrants are rapidly gaining traction and recognition via social media, among retailers and distributors — and most importantly, end consumers.

profile

WIA Profile: Sarah Franson

When you do what you love, they say, you’ll never work a day in your life — and when your job involves educating the masses about sex toys, it’s hard not to love what you do.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Popsi Lingerie CEO Sam Golshan Discusses Brand's Growth, Mission

Lingerie: a sexy French word for an alluring little something to spark things up in the bedroom, teasingly wear out to clubs, dress up in to celebrate a special occasion or just wear under everyday clothes to feel excited and desirable.

Kim Airs ·
profile

Honey Play Box's Joreail Armstrong Reflects on Company's Growth

Today, Armstrong serves as business development manager for boutique sex toy brand Honey Play Box, but he began his role there as a one-man marketing department, assisting CEO Shirley Wang with nearly every aspect of launching the brand.

Sofia Barrett-Ibarria ·
opinion

How Awareness Revolutionized Materials Used in Pleasure Products

Today’s manufacturers and consumers are material-savvy, giving rise to pleasure products that are safe to use, beautiful to look at, high-quality and even environmentally responsible.

Eric Lee ·
opinion

How Sex-Ed Lays the Groundwork for Well-Informed Shopping

We often do some research before making purchases, whether by delving into a company’s background, exploring specific products or simply making sure we understand how to use something before we buy it.

Nathan Hammerle ·
Show More