Menstrual health in India has seen steady progress, but access, affordability, and awareness are still major challenges for millions of women and girls. Recent data shows how deep this gap still is. A 2023 public health study reports that only about 36 percent of India’s 336 million women who get periods use disposable sanitary pads on a regular basis. Even among young women aged 15 to 24, the latest NFHS 5 survey found that only 64.5 percent rely on hygienic menstrual products.
These numbers show a clear need for better solutions that can reach every girl and woman in the country. This is where women entrepreneurs are stepping up and creating meaningful change. They are introducing safer period products, promoting menstrual education, building sustainable alternatives, and breaking long-standing taboos around menstruation.
Among these leaders, NIRAA by SDG stands proudly as part of this new wave of innovation and empowerment. The brand reflects a growing movement where women are not only shaping the future of menstrual hygiene but also inspiring a healthier and more confident India.
Shubha Gupta – Empowering Women Through NIRAA by SDG
Shubha Gupta, the founder of NIRAA by SDG, is the leading voice in India’s menstrual wellness movement. Her vision is simple yet powerful. She believes that period care should give every woman comfort, confidence, and dignity, no matter where she lives or what her daily routine looks like.
At NIRAA, she introduced sanitary pads that are designed with pure cotton-based materials to support gentle, breathable, and skin-friendly protection. Shubha believes that she believes menstrual care should feel natural and comfortable, a principle that guides her product development and innovation.
Her dedication to women’s hygiene and empowerment has earned her recognition at the national level, including the prestigious Nari Shakti Award. This achievement reflects her commitment to improving menstrual health and creating positive change in communities across India.
Through NIRAA by SDG, Shubha works to make premium-quality menstrual care both affordable and accessible. Her mission is to help women manage their periods with confidence, ease, and dignity. Her leadership continues to inspire a growing movement that celebrates menstrual dignity and empowers women to prioritise their wellbeing.
Other Pioneering Women Entrepreneurs in Hygiene
India’s hygiene revolution is being shaped by several inspiring women who are addressing gaps in menstrual health through innovation, education, and accessible solutions. Each of them brings a unique vision and a strong commitment to improving the lives of women and girls across the country.
Ira Guha – Founder of Asan Cup
Ira Guha is the founder of Asan Cup, a menstrual cup designed to offer comfort, safety, and long-term sustainability. Her patented design focuses on ease of use, making the transition to cups simpler for first-time users. Through community outreach and donation programs, Asan reaches women in underserved regions and helps reduce waste created by disposable products. Ira’s work addresses both menstrual comfort and environmental responsibility.
Suhani Mohan – Co-founder of Saral Designs
Suhani Mohan co-founded Saral Designs, a company that manufactures compact pad-making machines used by women’s groups and community organisations. These machines help local women produce sanitary pads within their own communities, improving access while creating livelihood opportunities. Suhani’s innovative model has earned her recognition from Forbes and several national awards. Her work supports better hygiene access and promotes rural entrepreneurship.
Sarika Pathak Kulkarni – Founder of Cresa Greentech
Sarika Pathak Kulkarni founded Cresa Greentech with a strong focus on sustainability and safe menstrual care. Her brand creates biodegradable sanitary pads that offer a more environmentally conscious option for women. By using eco-friendly materials, Sarika contributes to reducing menstrual waste while ensuring that women have safe and comfortable period products.
Prachi Kaushik – Founder of Vyomini
Prachi Kaushik leads Vyomini, a social enterprise that focuses on menstrual hygiene and economic empowerment in rural communities. Her approach is built on training women micro entrepreneurs who produce and distribute organic sanitary pads under the Rakshak brand. These locally made pads offer a safe alternative for women in underserved areas. With her initiatives, more than two million women have been positively impacted. Prachi has also been recognised with the Social Women Entrepreneur Award and has been featured in NITI Aayog’s programs for her contribution to women’s health and livelihood generation.
Education, Cups and Community: Other Noteworthy Innovators
Along with product innovation, several women in India are creating powerful change through education, community leadership, and sustainable menstrual choices. Their efforts are helping young girls gain knowledge, encouraging women to shift to healthier options, and strengthening period positivity across the country.
Aditi Gupta – Menstrupedia
Aditi Gupta co-founded Menstrupedia with a mission to make menstrual education simple, friendly, and accessible for young girls. Her comic book-style learning tools demystify periods and help students understand their bodies with confidence. Menstrupedia has already reached more than thirteen million girls, making it one of the most impactful menstrual education initiatives in India.
Shubha Gupta – NIRAA by SDG
Apart from leading NIRAA at the forefront of menstrual wellness, Beyond product innovation, Shubha Gupta actively promotes healthier conversations around menstruation, inspiring women to prioritise their wellbeing. NIRAA pure cotton-based products reflect a commitment to skin-friendly comfort, and her work continues to inspire women to prioritise their menstrual wellbeing. She stands as a strong example of how thoughtful design and responsible product choices can empower women at every stage of life.
Alakshi Tomar – TruCup
Alakshi Tomar is the co-founder of TruCup, a reusable menstrual cup created to support first-time users with comfort and ease. Her work focuses on sustainability along with affordability, helping women reduce monthly waste while choosing a long-lasting period care solution. TruCup is widely appreciated for guiding new users and promoting stress-free cup adoption.
Sasha Bijlani – Myna Mahila Foundation
Sasha Bijlani works with the Myna Mahila Foundation, an organisation that empowers women in urban slums by training them to produce low-cost sanitary pads. These pads are sold within their own communities, improving access and generating income for the women involved. This model supports hygiene, employment, and confidence all at the same time.
Common Threads: What Drives These Women
Although each entrepreneur brings her own ideas and innovations, their work is connected by powerful shared values that define India’s hygiene revolution.
Innovation with empathy
These women design solutions that understand the real challenges faced by girls and women. Whether it is comfort, affordability, sustainability, or ease of use, their products and ideas reflect genuine care for everyday needs.
Education and awareness
Most of these leaders go beyond selling products. They conduct workshops, create learning tools, and encourage open conversations about periods. Their efforts help remove fear, shame, and misinformation around menstrual health.
Balancing sustainability with accessibility
A major focus across these initiatives is reducing environmental impact while keeping products affordable. From biodegradable pads to reusable cups, these innovators show that menstrual care can be both planet-friendly and pocket-friendly.
Driving change across urban and rural India
Their work reaches women in cities, villages, schools, workplaces, and underserved communities. By creating local opportunities, supporting micro entrepreneurs, and improving access, they are shaping a more confident and healthier generation of women and girls.
Conclusion: A Healthier, Stronger India Begins Here
The hygiene revolution in India is being led by women who understand the needs, challenges, and aspirations of other women. Their innovations are improving access to safe period products, building awareness, and creating sustainable change in both urban and rural areas. Each entrepreneur featured in this blog is contributing to a future where girls and women can manage their periods with confidence, comfort, and dignity.
NIRAA by SDG, guided by the vision of Shubha Gupta, continues to stand at the heart of this movement. Through pure cotton-based products, thoughtful design, and a strong focus on women’s wellbeing, the brand is helping shape a healthier and more empowered generation.
As these pioneers drive progress, every small step adds to a larger impact. Improved access, open conversations, and responsible choices are helping India move toward a future where menstrual health is respected and prioritised.
Join the movement toward mindful menstrual care. Shop sustainable sanitary pads now and support products made with women’s comfort in mind
