Women's sanitary products in a UK supermarket, including tampons, pads and menstrual cups on a crowded personal-care shelf.

A crowded UK supermarket personal-care shelf displays a wide choice of menstrual and sanitary products, including boxes of tampons, sanitary pads and reusable menstrual cups. The image shows how period care has developed from an aisle once dominated by disposable products into one where reusable alternatives compete for shelf space alongside established tampon and pad brands. Menstrual cups, including products marketed under brands such as Mooncup, are flexible reusable cups inserted internally to collect menstrual flow rather than absorb it. The NHS lists pads, tampons and menstrual cups among the main types of period product and notes that menstrual cups can be washed and reused, unlike most pads and tampons, which are discarded after use. The display illustrates choice around absorbency, size, applicator type, branding, price and reusable versus single-use products. In the UK, sanitary protection products including tampons, pads and menstrual cups have been zero-rated for VAT since 1 January 2021 following abolition of the so-called tampon tax, while reusable period underwear was added to the zero rate from January 2024. Menstrual products remain linked to debates about affordability, period poverty, access to essential hygiene products, plastic and packaging waste, and the environmental impact of disposable consumer goods. Reusable menstrual cups offer a different purchasing model: a higher initial cost than many packs of disposable products, but one designed for repeated use over time. The photograph records both an everyday supermarket health-and-beauty aisle and a changing retail market in women's menstrual care, where traditional tampons and sanitary towels now sit alongside reusable products aimed at shoppers seeking convenience, cost, comfort, sustainability and reduced reliance on disposables. It also reflects the normalisation of menstrual cups as mainstream retail products rather than specialist items sold only through pharmacies or online.