Lee: "Sanitary Pads Are Too Expensive"... Industry Expands Mid- to Low-Priced Lines

Yuhan-Kimberly to Launch New Product in Second Quarter

After President Lee Jaemyung pointed out that "the price of sanitary pads in Korea is excessively high compared to overseas," the household goods industry is rushing to expand its range of mid- to low-priced sanitary pad products. The aim is to make these products available at about half the price of premium items so that even vulnerable groups can use them without financial burden.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on the 20th.

According to industry sources on January 26, Yuhan-Kimberly plans to launch a new mid- to low-priced line, "Good Feel Super Long Overnight," within the second quarter of this year. Yuhan-Kimberly currently supplies three types of mid- to low-priced sanitary pads through "Good Feel Pure" and "Good Feel Kotex Overnight." With the launch of the new product, the company's mid- to low-priced lineup will expand to a total of four products.

The company also decided to strengthen offline distribution and sales of its mid- to low-priced products. Currently, "Good Feel Pure" is mainly sold on Coupang, and recently, distribution has been expanded to Gmarket, Naver Store, and the company's own online mall, MamQ. Going forward, Yuhan-Kimberly plans to work with distributors to actively expand into offline channels as well. "Good Feel Kotex Overnight" will continue to be supplied through Daiso and agency channels.

In addition, LG Unicharm will launch a basic sanitary pad in the first half of this year, priced at about half the cost of its premium products. The company is currently in the process of filing for product change approval with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and plans to officially launch the product as soon as the procedure is completed around mid-March.

Previously, on January 20, President Lee Jaemyung highlighted the high price of sanitary pads in Korea during a Cabinet meeting and instructed officials to review ways to produce low-cost sanitary pads for free distribution to vulnerable groups. In response, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is reviewing follow-up measures in cooperation with relevant ministries.