How Lemme Be is Providing Menstruators an Honest and Free Choice
How Lemme Be is Providing Menstruators an Honest and Free Choice

Lemme Be, an inclusive period care brand provides an honest and free choice for menstruators to have comfortable and safe periods. 

While there were numerous instances that inspired Devidutta Dash to start Lemme Be, one such instance that pushed the idea was that during its initial days of research, the team had come across an insight from a schoolgirl. The girl stated, that carrying pads and changing them at school creates chatter amongst fellow students leading to embarrassment. 

“While this scenario might seem regular, at Lemme Be we take such small problem statements seriously and work on offering solutions through our innovative product range. We have designed a reusable period panty that is leakproof for over 12 hours to tackle the said problem allowing young menstruators to go on with their life as usual even when on a period,” said Devidutta Dash, Founder, and CEO, Lemme Be. 

In a world where menstruation is considered taboo and everyone has an opinion on how to behave, what to wear, and what not to do, the brand aims to empower menstruators to live their period their way. 

The Initial Idea

During her formative days, the founder was an active volunteer and it was during her time volunteering for the Red Cross that she worked with teams dealing with Period Poverty, Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM), and Safe Sanitation and Hygiene.

It further helped her get a nuanced perspective about the struggles faced by many, which eventually paved the way for Lemme Be, which works primarily on improving the period care standards in India and across the world. 

“Periods are natural, healthy, and important but due to a lack of awareness about proper menstrual care many suffer from problems including rashes, leaks, stains, odor, and discomfort; which, if not taken care of, can lead to severe health issues,” stated Dash. 

Since its launch in November 2020, the brand has focused on rigorous and thorough research to design and provide a variety of menstrual products that suit its customers’ choices. 

Product Portfolio

With its current focus only on period care, the brand aims to cater to every product required by menstruators during the entire 28-day cycle to have a healthy period. This majorly includes period merchandise, creams, or pills focussing on period care. 

“We abide by design, coming up with strategies for new product development, and are determined to solve unique problems for our consumers while creating a plan for content and marketing for product adoption,” added Devidutta Dash. 

With its growth strategy reliant on its products, design, availability, and content, the brand is constantly upgrading its product portfolio based on customer feedback. 

How Lemme Be is Providing Menstruators an Honest and Free Choice

The USP

Lemme Be has a varied range of products. The pads, tampons, and pantyliners, and all products are made of GOTS-approved 100 percent organically certified cotton, oxo-biodegradable, super skinny with perforated top covers, which are without any chemical, bleach, or fragrance. 

Designed in different sizes, Lemme Be’s products aim to ensure smooth and comfortable periods.

“Our revolutionary menstrual disc - Lemme Be Z Disc, is first of its kind in the Indian market. It is a period care solution made of medical-grade silicone with a petal-smooth flat-fit body that can be squeezed as thin as a tampon, having an enhanced capacity of 55ml and can last up to 8-12 hours without any hassle of rashes. It is a sustainable and reusable product that can be used for 3 to 5 years,” asserted Dash.  

Along with individual products the brand has curated period kits that can be chosen as per everyday period requirements. Moreover, the brand provides subscription plans for the convenience of its customers, delivering products every month to their doorstep.

Marketing Focus 2022-23

Since its inception, the brand has been focused on offering affordable, sustainable, and innovative products. However, Lemme Be this year is focussing to strengthen its product range. 

“This year we are looking at launching ‘Basic Cup’, a highly affordable menstrual cup that is made of medical grade silicone and is sustainable. Moreover, we are also looking at launching a new range of body wash that is MD-approved. The product is created with the right pH level to ensure that it can be used as an intimate wash for body and hand as well as for menstrual cups,” added Devidutta Dash.

With over 30 content creators and writers on board to work extensively on educating its audience, the brand focuses on building a community that has an open conversation around a woman's body. Present across numerous social media platforms including Quora, Instagram, and Pinterest, the brand intends to create more awareness and open conversation about period care and alternative options available.

Retail and Marketing

Focussing majorly on engaging with consumers through its in-store branding, the brand is currently present across 1,000 stores in India, with over 500 stores in Hyderabad and the rest across Mumbai, Karnataka, Delhi, and Goa. 
Launched amidst the pandemic, the brand faced restricted scope of retail exposure making D2C the correct fit for it to reach its target audience which then played a crucial role in building the brand to its full scale. 

Available extensively through its D2C platform, along with leading e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Nykaa, Myntra, Big Basket, etc. the brand has a mix of audiences from Tier II, III, and IV towns apart from metros. 

In order to be Omnichannel, the brand is appointing resellers and distributors to serve and address the unaddressed needs of every menstruator.

Funding, Growth, and Revenue

Since its beginning in November 2020, the brand has achieved positive growth, its contribution margin after absorbing performance marketing and branding cost is 3 percent positive and will be EBITDA positive in the coming year in Indian markets. 

Lemme Be has closed two rounds of funding; an Angel round of Rs 5 crore, and a Pre-series A round of Rs 13.5 crore. The brand has used the said funds to strengthen its long-term and short-term strategies. 

“Of the money raised, we plan to bolster our marketing activities and build a larger team to support channels and will be streamlining operations for faster deliveries, and retail presence. So far, we have invested up to one-third of the funds in product innovation and in curating new products, along with team building and development,” said the founder. 

The founder believes, choosing the right investor is extremely crucial, both its investors- Wami Capital and Multiply Ventures, have the same vision for the brand and are tuned in to the brand’s positive future growth, not just in terms of sales but overall benefits and growth of the company

She further added, “We have deployed some funds into expanding into new geographies across Dubai, Australia, and Malaysia; we are being mindful about our spend as our goal is not to burn through money but to build a robust unit scale economics.”

Future and Expansion

Having an expansive footprint across the international cities of Dubai, Melbourne, and Kuala Lumpur along with India has helped Lemme Be reach an annualized run rate of Rs 15 crore. The brand further plans to build a range dedicated to the young audience of Gen Z, while prioritizing inclusivity and innovation. 

“5 years from now we plan to further expand internationally, tapping into newer markets. We aim to challenge the current market leaders for traditional menstrual products, establishing the brand as a leader for alternative period care with a company turnover of more than 100 crores,” concluded Devidutta Dash.

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