John Lorenzo Tugade
Danika Ang
Maxine Julia Silvino
Jeanelle Rodriguez
De La Salle University Manila
Pia Manalastas
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Aunt Flo Beauty aligns with two SDGs: namely SDG 5 (achieving gender equality and empowering all women & girls) and SDG 12 (ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns). The company empowers women about their bodies & their cycles through her informative pubs, and her content aims to create a safe community where women can feel safe learning about this information. Aligning with SDG 12, they exhibit this through the products themselves. By providing sustainable alternatives that are reusable & cost-efficient in the long run, women don’t have to worry about their monthly expenses & waste contributions from their menstrual care products.
Speaking of innovation, Aunt Flo's innovation is their product – the menstrual cup and the reusable cloth pads. Before anything, let's first discuss menstrual cups. In first-world and progressive countries, the menstrual cup is a widely available alternative as it was invented way back in the 1930s. However, probably due to the Philippines' conservative nature, the menstrual cup's availability in the market only rose in 2020. And this company was one of the first to boldly introduce this in this country.
Unlike disposable pads that absorb blood, the menstrual cup collects the blood. Feeling full? Just pour out the contents, rinse it, then pop it back in! Made with FDA medical-grade silicone that adapts to one's body heat, women can continue their day without the discomfort of full pads. Women can even swim with the cup in! When worn correctly, the cup prevents leaks and embarrassing blood-stain moments.
Scared of trying the cup? This is where the reusable pads come in. Commercial disposable pads inspire this innovation's design. Made with an undyed cotton quilt for sensitive & rash-prone skin, ladies can rely on this absorbent material. Washing the blood off won't be difficult, thanks to the cloth's micro-holes.
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Now, how did Erika Ang, the owner of Aunt Flo, stumble into this innovation? Growing up, she suffered from rashes when using disposable pads. So, upon discovering the widely available menstrual cup abroad, she saw its potential not only in solving skin issues but also in reducing women’s waste contributions & monthly expenses on menstrual products.
“I know how frustrating it is to deal with these rashes! So, providing a gentler alternative not only for the skin but also for the environment is inspiring.”
Erika's interest in sustainability started during her sustainability class at De La Salle University. Her professor is a sustainable lifestyle advocate who constantly highlights the importance of doing one’s part in living a sustainable lifestyle today. People usually associate sustainability with a large-scale project that solely involves corporations who produce much waste on a daily basis. However, her marketing professor highlighted that each one of us also have our responsibility in saving the Earth - we must all recognize the role of sustainability within our daily habits. Realizing this is the first step to opening people's minds to embrace a more conscious way of living. In light with this, Erika's professor stressed how she hopes her students (who will be future business leaders) will bring & apply her learnings with them in the real world.
Embodying her professor's teachings, she now becomes one of these future business leaders, who's responsibility is to ensure that they give back to the community, protect their resources and fellow citizens, all while collectively improving the quality of life in the nation.
With an inspired mind, Erika begins her journey as a sustainable business leader. Aunt Flo's impact goes beyond what meets the eye. With the goal of women empowerment and responsible consumption and production, Erika perseveres in continually incorporating sustainability in her business. Accounting for scientists' warning tales, she strives to contribute to reversing the trajectory of the planet's gradual degradation. During the interview, she points out the undeniable trend of creating "hype" around sustainability. However, this fad is the beginning of a young generation raised with the mindset of supporting sustainable businesses. From hereon, this shapes a new generation who care more about the environment.
To help reach Erika's goals of supporting the communities around her, the company participates in CSR projects by donating to partners. Aunt Flo sponsored the We Bleed Red Movement PH and provided meals to around 240 people in the Philippine General Hospital at the pandemic's peak. Moreover, she donated profits towards the wildfire incident in Australia.
In the case of Aunt Flo, the sole founder strives for an impact that is not limited to one-time donations. She looks to remove the stigma of menstruation and help women embrace their bodies with no shame. More than that, the product in itself is beneficial for the environment. In 2021 alone, around 12.3 billion sanitary napkins led to 113,000 tons of waste that filled landfills worldwide. One reusable cloth pad goes a long way, compared to using 10-12 pads every time that "time of the month" comes.
With the advantage of being one of the first pioneer startups that provided this innovation in the Philippines, Aunt Flo has established itself as a reliable & sustainable menstrual care brand in the Philippines.
Modern-day consumers are now more conscious of how their choices affect the world they live in. Thanks to technology & E-Commerce, shoppers are becoming more knowledgeable due to the abundance of product information conveniently available. People become more aware of the environmental implications of their actions. From this, Aunt Flo optimizes their marketing through e-commerce platforms while providing transparency & information on its products. This allows the company to attract more consumers, particularly the millennial audience, and consequently gain their trust.
But trust is not the end goal for Aunt Flo - it is women empowerment. Trust is merely a byproduct of what Erika envisions for her company. The company's products allow more opportunities for innovations as the business may introduce more female personal care products and create repeat buyers as the company gains brand recognition and loyalty. Since the business sells high-quality and reusable menstrual products, its consumers would enjoy having other female care products that are innovative and sustainable. All of this aligns with her vision to guide her throughout her operations.
Additionally, this could attract lenders or investors who work for environmental or ethical principles. Currently, Aunt Flo receives partnership offers daily because of its sustainable innovations. Nevertheless, the public expects businesses to pave the path for positive socioeconomic advancements. The trend is here to stay, and start-ups like Aunt Flo are here to answer this call.
More than just the business - Aunt Flo's product line allows women to have safe, reusable, and friendly alternatives from the readily available disposable ones. As Erika emphasized in her interview,
"[...] having a reusable and safe alternative to the readily available disposable ones. When I say safe, it means that it doesn't contain chemicals that are harmful to women’s bodies, as proven by our cup’s US FDA certification."
Through their acquired certification, skeptical consumers are more reassured about the product's quality and safety. Moreover, by caring for their hygiene, they help the environment by removing non-biodegradable sanitary pads from landfills. What a win-win situation!
Nevertheless, as mentioned, what Aunt Flo offers to the market is women's empowerment. As the menstrual cycle occurs naturally to women, Erika offers its products as a message to embrace how God created their bodies and as an encouragement to take hold of one's own body and choose what is beneficial. Aunt Flo's social media pages contain pictures of the products and quotes that validate how women feel (especially during that time of the month).
The company constantly receives positive comments as customers write about their experiences using the cups. Some have even filmed a vlog convincing others to try the product out as they have used the same cup for more than a year. Launching 2019, the oldest cup user they have has been an avid supporter, reportedly using the Aunt Flo cup for three years!
If you think about it, you pay PHP 995 for a menstrual cup that lasts at least one year. On the other hand, one could be paying an average of PHP 757* a month or PHP 9084 a year for disposable cotton pads. The savings are truly incomparable! But the matter on hand is that a person doesn't only merely save more money for other expenses, but also they save the earth.
Aunt Flo's future continues to shine bright as Erika continues pushing her business forward on the sustainable path as long as she can to empower women to save the Earth.
*Estimated expense is based on this article:
Sadlier, A. (2021, September 06). New research reveals how much the average woman spends per month on menstrual products. https://swnsdigital.com/us/2019/11/new-research-reveals-how-much-the-average-woman-spends-per-month-on-menstrual-products/
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Aunt Flo Beauty empowers women’s flows by providing sustainable menstrual product alternatives for the long run. Founded by sustainability advocate Erika Ang in 2019, her vision of decreasing women’s monthly expenses AND their monthly waste contribution on menstrual care products drove her to bring this innovative product to the Philippines. Paired with her informative materials, she has a vision of empowering Filipino mothers and young women with knowledge about their monthly flows.
