Kimberly-Clark says personal care brands must be present in “conversations about women’s progress”

29 Feb 2024 --- Kimberly-Clark’s period care brand, Kotex, releases data suggesting approximately 60% of women believe the speed of their progress is either stagnant or moving slowly. The research coincides with a #ProgressFeelsLike campaign to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. 

In the Kotex study, half the women polled indicated the world is a “more uncomfortable place for them than ever before,” with the sentiments seemingly stronger among the younger generation. 

The company says #ProgressFeelsLike was designed to allow women worldwide to speak to this “serious threat” and encourage them to have a voice and share their view of what progress is like in their daily lives.

Katie Moran, Personal Care regional lead, EMEA at Kimberly-Clark, tells Personal Care Insights that the presence of personal care brands in the conversation about women’s progress is crucial due to their direct connection to women’s daily lives and personal care routines. 

With significant market influence and the ability to reach broad audiences, Moran says Kotex — as well as Kimberly-Clark’s wider portfolio of products — “has a responsibility to use its voice to advocate for policy changes and raise awareness about gender inequality and access to sanitary products.” 

“Ultimately, that is why Kotex launched #ProgressFeelsLike, to encourage women around the world to have a voice — sharing their view of what progress is like in their daily lives and the world around them.”

Girls explain their insecurities surrounding periods (Image Credit: Kotex).Personal care changing period poverty
When asked how personal care brands can help move women’s progress forward, Moran tells us: “By facilitating access to education about health and hygiene, personal care brands empower women and girls to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives. Moreover, by providing essential products and resources, personal care brands can help alleviate period poverty and ensure that menstruation does not become an obstacle to progress.”

“With customers in different parts of the world, brands such as Kotex have a unique capability not only to provide vital personal care products but also to challenge societal stigmas and taboos. Our research shows that doing this for women’s health issues such as menstruation is really important, as simply having a period can hinder women’s social and economic participation.”

As part of the #ProgressFeelsLike movement, Kotex has formed a partnership with She’s the First, a non-profit organization that aims to create a world where “every girl can choose her own future.”

Kotex is donating funds to help support the organization’s mission to “make sure girls everywhere are respected, educated and heard.” 

The #ProgressFeelsLike movement and alliance with She’s the First extend Kotex’s She Can Initiative and existing work with Plan International and WASH United. The three partnerships aim to fight period stigmas and the barriers they cause by promoting access to education in schools and communities.

“Kotex’s #ProgressFeelsLike movement is a prime example of how personal care brands can leverage their influence to support and celebrate women’s achievements, address challenges and inspire action,” asserts Moran.

Film for change
Kotex just debuted a film produced by an all-female team in partnership with Capital A Creative and Rakish, led by director Jaci Judelson, “to help show the world what #ProgressFeelsLike.”Kimberly-Clark says personal care brands can have influence on female progress.

The #ProgressFeelsLike film “depicts the reality around the globe that women face bias related to inequality, their periods and other restrictions, which continue to challenge or hinder progress,” says the company.

“In a long history of advancement of women’s rights and equality, today we are reminded that progress isn’t a given,” adds Alison Lewis, chief growth officer at Kimberly-Clark. 

“Now is a crucial time for women everywhere to use their voices to inspire change, and we are pleased to offer a platform to share what #ProgressFeelsLike from their viewpoint. On International Women’s Day and every day, #ProgressFeelsLike unites us and empowers us in our pursuit of progress across every culture and every country in the world. Because period or not, She Can.”

Donations and exhibitions
Kotex encourages women worldwide to participate in its movement by using #ProgressFeelsLike in their social media posts. The period care brand is also organizing on-the-ground activations to spark conversations: 

For every tweet using #ProgressFeelsLike in Turkey, the Kotex team will make a matching product donation to non-profit women’s organizations.

In Brazil, Kotex is launching a digital art festival to depict what #ProgressFeelsLike visually, celebrate women’s achievements and question the stigmas around menstruation.

In the US, U by Kotex will donate two-period products to Alliance for Period Supplies (APS) from any U by Kotex (brand name in the US) product purchased at Walmart during March 2024. U by Kotex will also donate two additional period products to APS for each repost of its social media post for International Women’s Day to drive awareness of period poverty. This issue impacts one in three low-income women in the US.

In Vietnam, Kotex is launching a music video that calls for consumers to submit entries that speak to what #ProgressFeelsLike regarding chasing their dreams. Three winners will receive a US$5,000 scholarship.

By Sabine Waldeck