Saalt, the period cup category leader at Target since 2019, is expanding its retail reach into department stores with a new line of leakproof underwear.
Called Saalt Wear, the size-inclusive range of underwear priced from $29 to $39 is now available online at Macy’s and Nordstrom as well at eight Bloomingdale’s stores nationwide. Also debuting at Neiman Marcus with Saalt Wear, Saalt is the luxury department store’s first-ever period care brand. Saalt Wear will be sold at J. Crew, Madewell and online lingerie store HerRoom, too.
Saalt launched in 2018 offering medical-grade silicone period cups. The brand quickly gained traction with a wide swath of forward-thinking retailers, and scored partnerships with Revolve, Anthropologie, REI and Beauty Heroes. Since introducing Saalt Wear six months ago, the company has seen its average order value increase by 63% and its rate of returning customers double from previous years. Though the brand has a focus on the wholesale channel, 54% of its revenue comes from sales on its website and Amazon storefront. For now, Saalt Wear won’t be sold on Amazon.
Saalt co-founder and CEO Cherie Hoeger
Cherie Hoeger, co-founder and CEO at Saalt, says the brand created Saalt Wear to meet the needs of its customers. “They wanted more options in the reusable space, and the underwear and cup pairing goes so well together for the user experience because it replaces liners,” she explains. “It’s replacing your pads and, then, you also have the cup that replaces tampons. It’s really ideal for anyone who wants a fully sustainable solution.”
Saalt married sustainability with style to develop period panties worthy of premium retailers like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Saalt Wear’s inaugural collection with five panty styles, including hipster, high waisted and bikini options, in three to four colors each, are the antithesis of what many consumers would consider “period underwear” and are intended to elevate the product.
“You do have companies like Thinx and Knix, and some other competitors that offer very basic styles, which are great, but we felt that we could differentiate by offering very beautiful styles,” says Hoeger. “Our underwear were designed in Paris by a French lingerie designer. They’re made of really high-quality materials. Also, leaning into our sustainability mission, the outer body fabric is made out of PCR [post-consumer recycled] plastic. So, for those who want to look beautiful on their period and also have something high performance, they can have it all with Saalt Wear.”
Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom have brought in Saalt Wear’s full collection, but they’ve varied their assortments of the collection’s products slightly. Nordstrom, which has a customer base that skews younger, is delivering more pops of color compared to retailers more interested in the black and blush options. The retailers’ and Saalt’s expansion into the period wear category represents a potentially growth-driving move.
While both the menstrual cup and period underwear segments are forecasted to expand, sales in the latter are expected to accelerate at a rate of over 40% over the next five years to reach $757 million by 2026, according to a study from 360 Research Reports. If the projection holds, period underwear sales will soon eclipse sales in menstrual cup segment, which, though bigger currently, is forecast to advance at a rate of 5.3% over the next five years, per Allied Market Research. North America is by far the largest market for the items. Saalt’s future retail goal is to enlarge its store footprint in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and European Union.
The Saalt Wear collection of period underwear is available in several different cuts and colors, and retails from $29 to $39.
Hoeger has seen consumer awareness of and openness to reusable period care products mount over time, although she acknowledges questions persist among consumers getting accustomed to the period underwear category. “‘Is it messy? Is it comfortable? How do I use it?’” she says, citing queries Saalt handles regularly. “They don’t even know exactly how to use it. We’re trying to create this behavior change, so there’s a lot of learning. We find we are very much an education company.” In addition to providing resources like tutorials, Hoeger says Saalt’s 26,000 member private Facebook group, The Saalt Cup Academy, is a safe space for customers to get their questions answered by the Saalt community.
“There’s every question you can imagine in there, but they’re doing that because we need to open up these conversations,” says Hoeger. “I can speak forever about the stigmas in this category, but we’ve lived with the stigmas for too long and, as a female founder entrenched in this menstrual care industry, I’ve seen firsthand how that has stifled innovation for women for progress in this category. So, to be able to see it growing, I think it’s a direct attribution to these open conversations that we’re finally having around periods.”
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