With the recent launch of two ready-to-drink beverages, startup The Cycle wants to offer women a moment of “joy” during menstruation and the days leading up to it – a counterintuitive concept given many women suffer cramps, fatigue and mood swings before and during their period.
“The mission is to provide real ingredients for real relief on every shelf” to women navigating symptoms from PMS and their period, which for “too long” they’ve been expected to endure with a smile or pretend to ignore, said company Founder Anastasia Sartan.
“Having a period, having PMS is normal. And yet, all we have for relief are pharmaceuticals and supplements, which just seems weird,” Sartan said, adding that she is “very health cautious” and prefers “natural” solutions, including food and beverages over pills, powders and shots.
She also wanted a solution backed by science, she added.
The Cycle’s two ready-to-drink “superfruit tea” SKUs – Period Relief and PMS Relief – check these boxes, according to Sartan, who said she chose the key ingredients based on historical use and scientific support published in reputable journals.
What is The Cycle’s beverages?
The star ingredient, coming in at 375 mg per 12 ounce can, is an omega-7 bioactive from Himalayan Holy Fruit, also known as sea buckthorn, which Sartan described as a “rare fatty acid.”
Research suggests sea buckthorn’s bioactive compounds, including Omega-7, flavonoids and carotenoids, positively influence ovarian cell function and hormone regulation, could improve mucosal integrity and hydration in post-menopausal women, reduce inflammation and lesion size in animals with endometriosis when combined with St. John’s wort and offer general health benefits across reproductive and metabolic systems.
The beverages also include a combination of adaptogens and herbs that are cold-brewed “to preserve their potency” compared to hot-brewed, Sartan said.
For example, the PMS Relief SKU includes turmeric “to support muscle and body tension and overall digestion,” parsley for extra vitamin C to “restore energy and overall mood,” ashwagandha for “overall emotional wellbeing,” dandelion root for digestion, chaste berry for “hormonal healthy” and other herbs.
The Cycle SKU Period Relief includes many of the same ingredients but also nettle, which Sartan says is a natural source of iron to replace losses during menstruation, lemon balm to support relaxation and other ingredients to support blood flow and digestion.
To experience the full relief promised by the beverages, Sartan says women should drink one to three cans a day – a quantity that could be cost prohibitive for some women given each can costs between $4.90 and $5.50. However, this price is in line with many other functional beverages. Sartan said she is working to lower the price by scaling the business and the next production run should lower the price closer to $4.50 a can.
The Cycle strives to help women ‘enjoy our periods’
Just as important as a blend of herbs for “real relief,” was creating a beverage that “tastes good” to help women “enjoy our periods,” Sartan said. “When we enjoy our periods, we are just enjoying our womanhood.”
To that end, both SKUs have a citrus flavor profile, but the PMS Relief option is a bit more “herbal,” according to Sartan.
She also notes that both SKUs are not carbonated, as she said fizzy beverages can irritate digestion during PMS and menstruation.
Sartan said she wanted to create beverages that women would crave and that they would perceive as a treat – something many women seek when they have PMS and are menstruating.
The Cycle seeks to normalize talking about women’s health
Even if women like the flavor and experience relief from the beverages, some might be turned off by their blunt names, acknowledges Sartan, but she adds her choice of language was very intentional.
“Periods are normal. PMS is normal. It is nothing bad. So, why should we call it something else? I forbid anyone on our team to use anything like ‘that time of the month,’ because this is normal and we want to normalize talking about it,” she explained.
Sartan is a frontrunner is changing the conversation around women’s health, but is far from alone.
According to NIQ research, many brands are still hesitant to talk about topics that have long been taboo, but neuroscience research conducted by NIQ BASES found women respond positively when they are empowered about their health and when they are treated as sexual – but not sexualized – beings.
Women’s health offers significant whitespace and fast growth potential
Currently, The Cycle is predominately sold DTC, but Sartan says she is talking with multiple large retailers including health and natural food store chains about distribution nationwide within six to eight months.
While this timeline is ambitious for any new product from a startup, The Cycle is tapping into one of the fastest growing and under-met markets.
According to the global AI platform Tastewise, consumer discussions around food and beverage for hormonal health increased 118% from 2022 to 2024 with ‘women’s health,’ ‘sex drive’ and ‘fertility,” in the top 10 fastest growing health claims dominating social discussions in 2024.
A handful of brands are pioneering the food and beverage industry’s response to this demand, including menopause support brands menowell, which offers snack bars formulated for menopause management and Tea Botanics, which are doctor-formulated organic teas with gamma-aminobutryic acid and other herbs that target hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog and other symptoms and side effects of menopause.
Levelle Nutrition also is leading the charge for functional foods made for women’s health, including its recently launched Cycle-Syncing Protein Powder following the positive response to its energy purees formulated and marketed to female athletes.
