Women personal hygiene mkt size pegged at Rs 2,000 cr by 2018

According to the Deloitte study, less than 10% Indian women in reproductive age group are aware of menstrual hygiene

India's total personal hygiene market for women, spurred by a Government campaign to promote sanitary napkins among adolescent girls, is expected to reach Rs 2,000 crore by 2018, says a study.

According to the study conducted by audit firm Deloitte India, less than 10 per cent of Indian females in the reproductive age group are aware of menstrual hygiene or even basics such as use of sanitary napkins.

The study was deliberated upon in a panel discussion here by Johnson & Johnson's Stayfree on topic 'Menstruation', where actress and activist Gul Panag took part along with others to mark World Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed today.

As per the study, 70 per cent of Indian women cannot afford to buy sanitary napkins and more than 20 per cent of adolescent girls drop out of school because of menstrual issues. Only 12 per cent out of 355 million women in the menstrual period use sanitary napkins, while remaining 88 per cent would choose rags as substitute.