I get the question all the time - the Keeper is such a great idea, why wasn't it thought of sooner? The answer is - it was! Back in the 1930s a rubber menstrual cup was offered, however it did not sell well. Likely reasons for its demise was the fact that the tampon was also introduced in the 1930s and disposable pads were also relatively new - the need for healthy and environmentally sound alternatives was not really recognised at that time.

In the 1960s and 1970s other versions of menstrual cups appeared. However the makers of these products did not succeed in selling enough cups to continue in business. Reasons cited were marketing problems, and the reluctance of the media to carry ads for the cups. I would also question whether the mindset of the day would have provided the incentive to use a reusable cup - in the 1960s and 1970s society seemed to glorify disposable products; as well the environmental movement was seen as a fringe "hippie" fad.

In the late 1980s the Keeper was introduced. It has been successful for several reasons (in my opinion) - it hit the market at the right time in that the environmental and health concerns associated with disposable products was becoming more widely known and accepted; as well, the Keeper has been marketed on a low key, low cost way, without any glitzy media campaigns, and much of the "marketing" has simply been word of mouth of users.

So the Keeper is not really a new idea, it is simply an idea who's time has come.

Interested in the history of pads - try here.

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