For years, menopause was a transition shrouded in secrecy. Unlike other bodily phases like menstruation and pregnancy, menopause remained the ‘final taboo’ with women being forced to suffer in silence.

This is beginning to change as many beauty and wellness brands realise the significant gap in the market.

One such brand to take on menopause is wellness company Phenxx. Its new campaign ‘Australia’s Hottest Woman’ is designed to shine a spotlight on menopause and take away some of the historical shame associated with it. To promote a new range of cooling bedding products, the campaign kicks off with a search for Australia’s ‘hottest’ woman.

Launched from Australia’s hottest town, Marble Bar in Western Australia, the creative concept includes a video featuring women telling their stories of transitioning through menopause and living in the hottest parts of Australia.

Through the campaign, Phenxx seeks to challenge stereotypes and have open and honest conversations about the impact of menopause on the daily lives of women. To celebrate the release of the new range, the company asks women to submit their menopause or perimenopause stories through the website for a chance to win a cooling prize pack. 

Phenxx’s product range includes cooling pillows, and mattress and pillow protectors, designed to help women experiencing side effects of perimenopause or menopause. Sheets and sleepwear are coming soon.

Menopause is hot

In October last year, Naomi Watts spoke about her experience with menopause and midlife in a SXSW panel hosted by Mamamia co-founder Mia Freedman. During the conversation, Watts revealed she was 36 years old when she found out she was close to menopause.

“I happened to go to my doctor and said, ‘Look, I’m not getting pregnant, can you explain why I’ve spent my whole life trying not to get pregnant and now suddenly, I want to get pregnant, and it’s not happening?’” she said on the panel.

“And so the doctor suggested that we take a blood panel, and the bloods suggested that I was close to menopause and so that’s where the panic came in.”

To help other women in mid-life feel more supported and less alone, Watts founded Stripes – a range of science-based products for women dealing with the symptoms of menopause. The beautifully designed products claim to be doctor-formulated, clinically proven and pro-aging. On the website, Watts shares her own experience with symptoms and her desire to provide “support, solutions, and the space to figure it all out”. 

In Australia, around 80,000 women will become premenopausal each year. Roughly 80 percent of these women will suffer from symptoms associated with the transition at some time. This could range from uncomfortable night sweats or hot flushes to mood changes and memory problems. While menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is available, many women will be looking for other products to assist with managing the difficult side effects. 

US-based brand Womaness is another beauty brand seeking to capitalise on the menopause-shaped gap in the market. The brand was co-founded by Sally Mueller and Michelle Jacobs to educate the millions of women experiencing uncomfortable side effects. The range includes supplements, skincare and products for sexual health. Similarly to Stripes, the website allows women to browse products by the symptoms they are experiencing.

Another celebrity-backed brand to enter the market is Judy Greer’s Wile. Unlike Stripes and Womaness, Wile focuses on plant-based medicine in the form of supplements, tinctures and drink mixes. 

It’s undoubtedly positive that stigmas are finally shifting and companies are providing products that could relieve bothersome menopausal symptoms, however a degree of scepticism should be maintained. In 2023, a report was published by the Jean Hailes for Women’s Health organisation after surveying 3500 women across Australia. A recommendation of the report warned against ‘catastrophising’ menopause in public discussions and especially “in the advertising of goods and services.” The authors argued such framing “could have the unintended consequences of eroding women’s resilience and stigmatising women as they approach midlife”.

Also, read about creating authentic marketing experiences that resonate with audiences.

Photography attributed to Yanapi Senaud on Unsplash.