Edgewell Personal Care · March 2023

Led Ethnographic Study Uncovering Teen Barriers to Tampon Adoption

Our tampon brand was experiencing declining market share among first-time users, a critical demographic for establishing long-term brand loyalty. We lacked understanding of the specific barriers preventing teenage girls from choosing our product over competitors, which put future growth at risk in this essential entry segment. I designed and led a mixed-methods research approach to uncover these barriers. I recruited 20 teenage participants and conducted in-home ethnographic interviews, creating a safe space for candid conversations about their period care routines and anxieties surrounding tampon use. To ensure the qualitative insights were representative and actionable at scale, I also designed and executed a quantitative study that validated our initial findings across a broader sample. The research revealed two primary barriers: teens felt intimidated by the mechanics of tampon insertion and harbored significant fears about toxic shock syndrome (TSS). These insights directly informed our marketing strategy and led to the launch of a targeted TikTok video series addressing ease of insertion and actively dispelling myths about TSS. By meeting teens where they are—on social platforms—and addressing their specific concerns with empathy and education, we created a pathway to convert hesitant first-time users into confident brand adopters.