Social Media Drives Sanitary Napkin Brand Discovery

Executive Summary#

Social media discussion of sanitary napkins grew 85.3% YoY to 5.91 million mentions with 390M+ interactions^[1] across three major Chinese social media platforms in Jan-Oct 2024. Mentions of antibacterial demand grew nearly 800% YoY and discussion of period underwear rose 166.2%, while conversations about the category as a whole accounted for the largest share, at 24.9% of total mentions. This analysis examines how social media is changing consumer expectations, brand discovery and competition in China's feminine hygiene market.

Sustained Growth Beyond Viral Moments#

Social media discussion of sanitary napkins has moved beyond occasional viral moments into sustained growth. Monthly mentions consistently exceeded 500,000 throughout 2024, up from a range of 150,000-440,000 in 2023. We believe the rise reflects two developments, which are consumers' growing willingness to discuss menstrual health in public and the effect of brand marketing campaigns.

Sanitary napkin social mentions surged 85.3% YoY to 5.91 million, reaching 390M+ interactions

*Source: Moojing Market Intelligence; MoListening*

What Consumers Talk About Most#

Discussion of the category as a whole accounts for the largest share of social media conversation, at 24.9% of total mentions, which shows that consumers tend to talk about product types more than about specific brands. Brand discussions at 13.0% and size specifications at 11.9% complete the three most discussed topics.

Category discussions lead social media mentions at 24.9%, followed by brand and size specifications

*Source: Moojing Market Intelligence; MoListening*

Each Platform Serves a Distinct Role#

The three major platforms play complementary roles in shaping discussion of sanitary napkins:

• Xiaohongshu (小红书) is the main platform for product discovery and reviews, where detailed user-generated content, including in-depth product comparisons and ingredient analyses, encourages consumers to consider and try products.
• Douyin (抖音) builds awareness through short-video content that can reach a very large audience within hours, and it is particularly effective for launching new products and concepts such as sterilisation-grade and probiotic formulations.
• Weibo (微博) hosts broader conversations about health and social issues, where brand events and public health campaigns produce large spikes in engagement that raise the category's visibility.

Brands that engage authentically on each of the three platforms, in addition to paid advertising, are building stronger community connections that lead to brand loyalty and advocacy. freemore's probiotic positioning, which prompted wide organic debate and discussion on each platform, shows how product innovation can keep a brand in social media conversation without paid support.

Period Underwear Gains Social Buzz#

Beyond discussion of the category as a whole, the distribution of mentions across product types shows how format preferences are changing. Period underwear mentions grew 166.2% YoY to reach 17.3% of category conversation, which suggests the market's product mix may be starting to change.

Period underwear mentions grew 166% YoY while traditional pads still dominate at 69.6% share

*Source: Moojing Market Intelligence; MoListening*

Key Takeaways#

• Sanitary napkin social media mentions grew 85.3% to 5.91 million with 390M+ interactions, which reflects sustained growth in public discussion of menstrual health
• Mentions of antibacterial demand grew nearly 800% YoY, in line with sales growth of 500% for sterilisation-grade products
• Growth in discussion of period underwear (+166.2%) and panty liners (+182.3%) points to formats diversifying beyond traditional pads
• Xiaohongshu supports product discovery, Douyin builds awareness and Weibo hosts broader health conversations, so brands benefit from a presence on each of the three
• Tampon mentions fell 9.1%, which confirms domestic consumers' preference for external products and the need for international brands to adapt their portfolios to local preferences

About the Data#

This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence social listening data from MoListening, covering consumer discussions on three major Chinese social media platforms from January through October 2024. Moojing analyses brand and category performance across major Chinese e-commerce and social platforms. For full methodology and additional insights, see the complete Disposable Hygiene Products whitepaper.