New menopause logo for products a ‘game changer’
A NEW symbol is set to appear on thousands of products to help women alleviate the symptoms of menopause.
Designed to be instantly recognisable, the blue “M-tick” has been successfully trialled on 100 products by Boots, in store and online, since September.
Genm, which worked with the high street chemist, wants the symbol to be as ubiquitous as the Vegan and Vegetarian symbols.
It also works with Marks and Spencer, Next, Co-op, QVC and Holland and Barrett, and said all are looking to implement the scheme in the future.
Heather Jackson and cofounder Sam Simister set up Genm after struggling to find products that would help them through the menopause. Its research found only a third of affected women could easily find menopause-friendly products while shopping.
An estimated 13 million women are perimenopausal or menopausal in the UK, almost 40 per cent of the entire UK female population.
Heather said: “We were two perimenopausal women looking for products and services that could help us accommodate our symptoms. We thought it would be so easy to go to Marks and Spencer’s, nip into Boots, and find products to help us.
“And we felt completely let down – we could not find climate control bedding for our hot sweats or make up that would not run down our faces.”
She said it appeared many brands saw the menopause as a medical problem and failed to recognise that many of the 48 symptoms – including brittle nails, fatigue, night sweats and joint pain – could be alleviated by specific products or services.
She said the aim was to highlight “that the menopause, just as much as vegans, deserves its own symbol and space in society, and certainly deserves to be recognised and easy to buy for.
“If you really understand the menopausal audience, she is time poor, sleep deprived and probably has brain fog.
“How more hard can we make it for her to find the products she needs? This is why the ‘M’ tick is so game changing.
“It’s not a case of ‘to HRT or not to HRT’. This is about a life of choice and control, how to manage our lived experience without judgement.”