Jennifer Takhar, SKEMA Business School and Anna Schneider-Kamp
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Increasing media attention on menopause is helping to mitigate taboos and promote support for women going through the change.
Food supplements, books, coaching… menopause is also becoming a lucrative market driven by actors who are influencing the way the menopausal transition is perceived.
Social media, a space where women share their experiences and offer advice, is amplifying this phenomenon.
Long relegated to the private sphere,Menopause is now the focus of unprecedented attention both in the media and commercially with a market value of 535 billion euros (600 billion US dollars). The amount of books, podcasts, documentaries, digital applications, food supplements and coaching programs is multiplying to support women in this stage of life. What was once a taboo subject has become a booming economic sector.
This evolution constitutes an important step forward: people are talking more about menopause, it is better understood and is gradually being recognised as a public health issue. But this visibility is also accompanied by bold marketing. As the topic enters the public arena, it also becomes a niche market opportunity.
This transformation raises a question at the heart of the analysis in All Change! Marketing and Consuming the Menopause Transition: does it genuinely meet women’s needs, or does it help create a new market built on their concerns, symptoms and desire for wellbeing?
The book conceptualises the emergence of menopause as a consumer market in its own right. This niche market is characterised by growing “climacteric market awareness” and by the gradual transformation of menopause into a space for commercial gain, bodily intervention and self-optimisation. (Note of the editor: The philosopher Gloria Origgi explains that “climacteric” may derive from the Greek word “klimax”, meaning step or rung. At least since the time of Pythagoras, the term referred to one of the “critical ages of life” marked by vulnerability.
Extending this perspective, a study shows that “menopause markets” (menomarkets) do not merely respond to pre-existing needs: they actively help shape how menopause is understood, experienced and managed, particularly by influencing what is defined as a menopausal problem and which forms of knowledge, care and consumption are regarded as appropriate.
Taken together, these perspectives invite us to understand commodification not merely as the commercial expansion of menopause-related products and services, but as a process through which markets help produce the meanings, needs and subjectivities associated with menopause.
Economic interest in menopause is partly explained by demographic changes. Women are living longer and now spend several decades in the postmenopausal stage. According to some estimates, more than one billion women worldwide will be menopausal by 2030.
In response to this reality, companies have identified a long-neglected consumer segment.
Today, the menopause industry includes dietary supplements, cosmetics, clothing designed to alleviate the discomfort of hot flushes, tracking apps and wellness retreats, even though many of these products or supposed “solutions” have not been shown to be effective.
It is important not to conflate these products with menopausal hormone therapy. This treatment is available by prescription and administered under the supervision of a gynaecologist. Long controversial, in France, as in many other countries, it is strictly regulated.
This increase is changing how menopause is represented. It is no longer portrayed simply as a phase of ageing, but as a period requiring specific solutions, support and products. Brands present it as a challenge to be managed via appropriate consumer choices.
At the heart of this evolution is the emerging figure of the “responsible consumer”. Women are encouraged to take an active role in their health by seeking information, monitoring their symptoms and choosing products supposedly intended to improve their quality of life.
This approach reflects a broader trend: personal responsibility for our individual health. Everyone is encouraged to take charge of their wellbeing through appropriate behaviours and informed choices. If we apply this logic to menopause, this makes women the managers of their hormonal transition. They are urged to seek information, change their eating habits, increase their physical activity or invest in solutions presented as innovative.
This emphasis on responsibility can foster autonomy and a better understanding of the body. However, it also carries risks: by focusing on individual choices, it tends to shift attention away from collective responsibilities and towards personal ones.
Menopause owes much of its current visibility to the media and social networks. Public figures, journalists and healthcare professionals have helped bring the issue out in the open.
In the United Kingdom, documentaries by Kate Muir featuring Davina McCall have played an important role.
By giving a voice to women experiencing sometimes debilitating symptoms, they have raised public awareness of a reality that had long been overlooked. Similar action in France includes a 2024 opinion piece signed by several political and cultural figures. A parliamentary report was even submitted to the French government in 2025.
Social networks have amplified this movement. Thousands of women use them to share their experiences, exchange advice and recommend solutions, thereby helping to reduce the sense of isolation associated with menopause.
Discussion spaces and communities centred on menopause are developing across social networks. They are organised around hashtags such as #Midlifewomen, #PerimenopauseProblems, #Breakthemenopausetaboo and #MyHormonesAreDrunk, among others.
However, these spaces have also become prime channels for marketing strategies. Influencers, coaches and companies promote their products there to a receptive audience. The boundary between information, personal testimony and advertising can therefore become difficult to distinguish.
Raising awareness of menopause responds to a genuine need for information. Yet it has also created favourable conditions for rapid commercial expansion.
Many companies now offer products aimed at menopausal women. Some address genuine needs and are supported by solid scientific evidence; others rely mainly on promises of wellbeing or marketing claims that are difficult to verify.
This situation has given rise to the notion of a “menopause industrial complex”: a network of economic actors seeking to profit from this growing market. The problem is not the existence of commercial solutions; some innovations can improve women’s quality of life. The central issue is the scientific validity of the claims being made.
When products are presented as capable of relieving symptoms without sufficient evidence,the risk of misinformation increases. The growth of the dietary supplement market illustrates the increasing commodification of menopause. Even though evidence of effectiveness remains limited, a study identified no fewer than 201 products on the UK market in 2026, with widely varying formulations and prices.
Women experiencing menopause may be particularly vulnerable. Sleep problems, anxiety, hormonal changes or difficulties at work can lead them to actively seek solutions.
This vulnerability can be exploited by certain marketing strategies. When symptoms are difficult, a promise of rapid or natural relief may appear particularly attractive. Incidentally not all women have the same ability to assess the claims presented to them. Medical knowledge, access to care and financial resources vary greatly between individuals.
Social inequalities therefore play a major role. Women with higher incomes have greater access to specialist medical consultations or expensive products, whereas those with fewer resources face more barriers to obtaining appropriate care.
It is important to highlight the more absurd forms of commodification. In the United Kingdom, for example, some advertisements go so far as promoting chocolates that supposedly relieve menopause symptoms.
As the menopause market expands, regulation is becoming essential. Consumers must be able to distinguish information grounded in scientific evidence from purely commercial claims.
Health authorities have an important role to play in monitoring the claims made by companies. Healthcare professionals also bear significant responsibility for helping women make informed decisions without relying solely on commercial messaging.
The challenge, therefore, is to strike a balance between innovation, information and consumer protection. Menopause deserves to be addressed as an issue of health, equality and social justice, not merely as a market to be conquered.
Ultimately, breaking the silence around menopause represents major progress.
However, care must be taken to ensure that this visibility benefits women themselves above all, rather than serving commercial interests alone.
Jennifer Takhar, Associate Professor of Consumer Culture, SKEMA Business School and Anna Schneider-Kamp, Associate Professor, SDU Business School, University of Southern Denmark
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
(The Conversation/ARC)
