By Georgia Gums
The focus and product development to address women’s health issues have been on the rise in recent years and are poised to continue expansion. According to Silicon Valley Bank’s “Innovation in Women’s Health” report, 2024 was “the biggest year for women’s health investment yet.” The bank defines women’s health as “health tech, biopharma, diagnostics(Dx)/tools and medical device companies that address care needs for women and individuals with female biologies.”
Just last August, the Gates Foundation announced it is investing $2.5 billion by 2030 to advance R&D of 40-plus innovations to accelerate women’s health outcomes. According to Ru-fong Joanne Cheng, director of Women’s Health Innovations at the Gates Foundation, “… little health R&D funding goes toward women’s health conditions beyond cancer — less than 2% as recently as 2021, according to McKinsey and Co. The U.S. didn’t require federally funded clinical research to include women until 1993!”
In addition, Cheng said women’s health issues are “still too often misunderstood, misdiagnosed or ignored. Although women generally live longer than men, they spend 25% more of their lives in poor health.” While the Gates Foundation investment will focus on “low-resource settings, where the needs are the greatest and the gaps are most urgent,” the attention it brings to disparities in women’s health care shines a brighter light on the need for better support along the health care continuum globally, including at local retail outlets.
In the past three years (2023-2025) HRG has seen significant new product releases in multiple product types that address various aspects of women’s health: Menopause Support within vitamins & dietary supplements, and, within the feminine care category, Mixed/Miscellaneous Feminine Intimate Care, and Reusable Feminine Protection. Additionally, the product research & analysis team has made recent modifications to HRG’s Fine Line Classification System to recognize the market expansion and provide merchandising guidelines for the inclusion of these new products, as well as improve the shopping experience for the consumers seeking them.
In Menopause Support vitamins & dietary supplements, HRG data shows 10 new items were introduced, nine of them in 2025, and one in 2026 as of the end of February. Four of these new products are in HRG’s IN.store planograms for independent pharmacies, bringing the total of this product type in the vitamins & dietary supplements planograms to 11. One of the 11 is a Never Outs, which are products HRG analysts have designated as items to always have in stock because they are the top-sellers in a subcategory.
In the Mixed/Miscellaneous Feminine Intimate Care product type, there are products that address menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Overall, the Fine Line has nine IN.store planogrammed products, three of them designated as Never Outs. Since 2025, 10 new items have been added to this Fine Line.
The number of items in HRG’s master product library in the Reusable Feminine Protection Fine Line continues to grow. In 2025, 354 SKUs, and in 2026 through the end of February, 228 SKUs have been added, encompassing multiple sizes and styles of period underwear.
Tara Kaifesh, feminine care category analyst at HRG, stated, “Manufacturers are sharing that they see the feminine protection subcategory overall remaining relatively flat. That means retailers will need to pivot and think of ways to get shoppers back into the feminine care aisle.” A subcategory that can help drive customers to the department is feminine intimate care. Kaifesh noted, “There have been a number of feminine intimate care products launched — washes, wipes, and vaginal moisturizers — and a few that will launch in the near future. As always, new items can be one of the strongest drivers of sales. One of the most cost-effective ways to get the word out is to use your social media channels to let customers know when new products have been added. Take the extra time to describe the benefits of the product in a relatable way to help illustrate the solution the item is designed to provide.”
One of the modifications made in the March 2026 update to the HRG Fine Lines Classification System was to make room for postpartum products in the baby care department. Two subcategories in baby care — baby formula, nutritionals & food and baby feeding accessories — were consolidated into the new subcategory: baby feeding and nursing. The combination brings together items that are often bought together into one section for a better shopping experience. It also allowed room for the creation of the new subcategory: postpartum care. While the items that fall into the new postpartum care subcategory have dual use and placement, the assembly of them within baby care is of great convenience for new moms. Several product types were added under this subcategory to address the many needs of a postpartum mom, such as lactation support supplements, postpartum healing sprays, disposable postpartum wear, and garments such as belly support bands. Strategically placing them next to baby care items for convenience will boost the market basket when a new mom sees a product that may ease her discomfort or address a condition. This eliminates the need for a new mom to have to go out of her way to find these items when already stopping for diapers, formula, or other baby supplies.
Another category with recent new products specific to women’s health are found in home diagnostics & patient aids for daily living. Innovations include fertility tests that come with a consultation with a medical professional; ovulation tracking devices; fertility tests including supplements meant to improve fertility; and pregnancy tests that come with more than one testing method. A new Fine Line for feminine urinary tract health tests was created in the March 2025 update.
Thanks to care acts that have been passed by the IRS and HRG’s monitoring of new criteria released, the number of eligible women’s health items is increasing. Product types such as protective wear, reusable menstrual wear, and fertility monitoring devices are eligible for FSA and HSA benefits.
In the Mixed/Miscellaneous Feminine Intimate Care Fine Line, there are around 50 items eligible, while in Menstrual Cups and Reusable Feminine Protection, there are hundreds and thousands of products, respectively, that are eligible.
Retailers who want to attract these shoppers have multiple options in building their assortments to address shopper needs. Keeping up with the latest innovations and solutions being introduced will be important to ensuring you offer a broad spectrum of products that meet the needs of your customers. When you focus on meeting customer needs, loyalty will build and longevity naturally follows.
Georgia Gums is product and strategic pricing analyst at HRG.
