Boots is now selling its own brand of menstrual cup and plant-based applicator tampons

Boots is selling own-brand plant-based tampons and menstrual cups in store for the first time.

The high-street pharmacy has added a new sustainable range to its collection of sanitary towels, tampons and menstrual products, which are available to buy in store now.

It is the first time the chain has sold its own type of reusable menstrual cup (previously they sold Mooncup online and in some branches) as demand for sustainable options rises.

The new tampons, which cost £2.25, come with a 97 per cent plant-based applicator, making them more sustainable than the other options currently available at Boots.

The average woman will use more than 10,000 tampons during her lifetime and there is an increasing awareness of the environmental toll of disposable items, which reportedly add 200,000 tonnes of waste to landfills a year.

In a statement, a Boots spokesperson said: “Looking after the earth shouldn’t have to cost the earth. That is why Boots has launched new sustainable feminine hygiene products.”

The brand says it is using plant-based materials “wherever possible” to reduce the impact on the environment; including 40 per cent reduction in the plastic for outer wrapping of sanitary towels, removing all plastic applicators and adding a “do not flush” logo on all applicators.

It is also switching to recycled cardboard boxes, which have been approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a non-profit promoting responsible management of the world’s woodlands.

Boots is also going to start using pulp approved by FSC for its panty liners.

The menstrual cups are £17.99 (cheaper than the £21.99 Mooncup) and are available in two sizes: pre-birth and post-birth. The brand says the cups will last for up to eight years of use.

“These cost effective, durable and reusable menstrual cups are a sustainable alternative to tampons and last for up to eight years, which means dramatically less waste and less money spent on sanitary protection,” it says.

Dermatologically tested and made from 100 per cent medical grade silicone, they can hold as much as three tampons and are suitable for up to eight hours of wear.

Superdrug removed all plastic from its tampon applicators in May 2020, making it the first health and beauty retailer to do so.

A study in 2019 found women spend, on average, £5,000 in a lifetime on sanitary products. The study found a woman spends £10.24 per month, adding up to £4,916 during an average reproductive lifetime (which is roughly age 12 to 52).