The Mooncup menstrual cup was created in 2002 in the UK and was the world’s first medical-grade silicone medical cup. It is latex-free, hypoallergenic, and contains no dyes, perfumes, BPA, phthalates, plastic, bleaches, or toxins. The brand Mooncup Ltd is also one of the first companies that paved the way for the larger movement of sustainable periods.

As a large portion of the period products market negatively impacts the environment, the Mooncup menstrual cup presents an alternative product choice that enables the users to reduce the waste they produce with a product that is cost efficient and designed to last for many years. The Mooncup website states that only around 5 Mooncup menstrual cups are needed in one’s lifetime compared to the around 11,000 of more conventional menstrual products. Mooncup Ltd is a trailblazer in the reusable period products industry, with its innovative advertising campaigns (which included guerrilla stickering of toilets), leading to the rise in popularity of the Mooncup menstrual cup.

The first commercial menstrual cups, made from latex rubber, were patented in 1937 by an American actress, Leona Chalmers. Rubber shortages caused by the Second World War and the taboo surrounding the subject of menstrual hygiene impacted the success of this product. The Mooncup demonstrates not only a more sustainable alternative to traditional period products, but also the design change of the menstrual cup that happened as a result of technological, social, environmental and economic factors.