Featured Startup | Pee Safe – Breaking The Stigma Around Hygiene

Team TBH

4 years ago

In 2013, world’s fastest growing personal hygiene brand Pee Safe was founded when wife of Vikas Bagaria(Founder and Managing Director of Pee Safe) was diagnosed with acute UTI(Urinary Tract Infection), soon after using a public washroom. The idea was to develop a product that can be used to kill germs present on a toilet seat by spraying it on the surface exposed. It reduces the chances for UTI for women and increases the level of basic hygiene, and encourages them to use the public washroom as and when required.

Pee Safe Product range

Pee Safe offered a wide variety of products in categories like

Intimate Wash & Wipes
Intimate Powder
Cramp Relief Roll On
Sanitary Pads
Panty Liners
Tampons
Menstrual Cups
Sweat Pads
Disposable Bags

Products

Moskito Safe-This brand includes a product range of natural mosquito repellent to fight harmful diseases like dengue, chikungunya, malaria, etc.
Pollution Safe:- To cure the problems associated with air pollution and smog Pee Safe came up with the brand Pollution safe to fight acne, early ageing, dark spot, blemishes, etc.
Raho Safe:- They came up with the brand Raho safe containing products to fight germs and bacteria to focus on personal hygiene and boost immunity.
Palm Safe:- People have realized the importance off-late after the onset of the deadly Corona Virus. Pee safe already has a brand named palm safe, producing alcohol-free hand sanitizer to give protection against bacteria. It also keeps the tender skin from drying up.

Some facts about Pee Safe

Pee Safe’s black logo emphasizes that it kills germs effectively.
Pee Safe, Raho Safe, Mosquito Safe, Pollution Safe, and Palm Safe are all parallel brands under the parent company – Redcliffe Hygiene Pvt Ltd.
The brand is present in countries and continents such as Bhutan, Nepal, USA, UAE, Uganda, Africa, Qatar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Europe and the United Kingdom.
The 1st Feminine Cramp Relief Roll On in the Indian market.
Female condoms are named DOMINA which stands for women of rank. The name is an amalgamation of Condom and Vagina.

Approximately 60% of women in India are diagnosed with either vaginal or urinary tract infections every year because of the lack of unawareness about proper menstrual hygiene. Off the late Indian government and people have realized the importance of appropriate individual sanitation and took several initiatives to spread awareness. More focus has been laid to make them understand proper female hygiene. These steps have helped create a market for personal hygiene in India and the consumer base has been increased at a rapid pace. IMARC Group’s recent report says the Indian sanitary napkin market had reached US$ 499.8 Million in 2019. Pee Safe has successfully leveraged this opportunity and holds 95 % market share in toilet seat sanitizer spray, but in the feminine hygiene product category, a whopping 90% of market share is held by big players like P&G and J&J.

Pee safe has visibility across 70 cities, 5 countries and in over 5000 stores. Pee Safe also collaborates with various influencers to talk about their products on social media platforms. They post their public washroom experiences to raise awareness about the importance of hygiene. They are known for their bold marketing strategy along with the disruptive product line. It was one of the few brands that has shown Red blood in its campaign and it helps to create a buzz on social media. With campaigns like #OwnTheRed and #DoItTheNaturalWay, it has challenged the taboo existing in our country and tried to remove the various stigma associated with periods and the menstrual cycle. Another campaign like #HerPwr,#bleedyourway, BeSafewithPeeSafe and #TakeCareMaa has helped their cause to reach out to more women and increase the visibility. Recently, Pee Safe is listed in the Top 10 Startup list of LinkedIn in India. Pee Safe has appointed Bengali actress cum influencer Nusrat Jahan as their brand ambassador and also actress Jacqueline Fernandez for the Raho Safe range of products. The company spends around 50% of total expenses on marketing to improve its brand visibility.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths-

Increasing product portfolio-Pee Safe is able to diversify its product into various segments like surface sanitizer, face guard, eco-friendly sanitary pads, etc. Although they started with female-oriented products, later on, it came up with a male product offering.
Presence-Within a few years of its operations, the company can mark its presence in around 5000 stores and continue to increase. Also, their products are available in online stores like Flipkart and Amazon.
Breaking the stigma-Pee Safe has always strived to break the various forms of stigma and discrimination existing and develop a bold marketing strategy to exploit the same with multiple social media campaigns, ad videos, etc.

Weakness-

Less visibility in rural areas: Their products are majorly focused on millennials and urban consumers and lack visibility in rural and semi-urban areas, hence losing out to major potential customers.
Price is still not affordable. Many people still found these products as a luxurious product rather than necessary ones, and the high price also contributes further as many people cannot afford them.

Opportunities-

Expansion of product- Pee safe has the opportunity to expand in eco-friendly and ayurvedic products as it is still a niche and challenging market. The Sanitary products market is expected to reach a value of $992.8 million by 2024, and pee safe can try to get a significant share of it with its existing and upcoming products.
Changing lifestyle-With the changing lifestyle and mentality of people across the country, there is an excellent opportunity for pee safe to tap the untapped potential. They can also arrange more awareness programs for semi-urban and rural people, and once these people get educated, it will help the company further increase its market size.

Threats-

Competitors-Although Pee Safe is the boss when it comes to the market of toilet seat sanitizer spray (approx. 95% shares) but lags in the feminine hygiene product category as a whopping 90% of market share is held by big players like P&G and J&J.

Pee Safe is doing great in achieving its mission of eradicating possible health risks and launching new products across the hygiene and wellness and came up with various awareness programs and campaigns to fight the stigma associated with it. Going forward, their aim includes becoming a Rs 1,000 crore brand and global brand that dominates the conversation around hygiene and sanitation.