Honoring Women’s History Month Across Generations

Glowing from Head to Toe

P&G Beauty’s scientific breakthroughs have a long history. The original pink beauty fluid, OLAY, was created in 1952 by South African chemist Graham Wulff. He was inspired by his wife and other women who wanted deep hydration without the thick heavy creams of the day.

Today, P&G’s team of women innovators put the “super” in OLAY’s Super Serum when they uncovered the breakthrough ingredient — activated niacinamide — a low-pH activated ingredient that boosts surface cell turnover, evening skin tone and tackling visible discoloration for radiant skin results.

OLAY also works around the globe — in North America, China, India and beyond — to close the STEM gap by providing role models to help girls see and believe that the future of STEM does look “like them.”

At P&G, innovation and impact go hand in hand. More product innovations and brand campaigns are making a meaningful impact in women’s lives, including:

• Crest and Oral-B products that create healthy and beautiful smiles, and our Oral Care brands also create opportunities for women like dental hygienist and TIME 101 honoree Amber Lovatos to make an impact every day as she works to Close the Smile Gap.
• Gillette Venus launched the My Skin, My Way campaign celebrating every woman and every type of skin, and its first ever dermaplaning skin care collection removes unwanted facial hair and provides smooth skin.
• Since it was first introduced in 1956, Secret has been helping women bring out the best in themselves. Today, Secret's Whole Body Deodorant Spray product innovation provides invisible protection from underarms to feet.

Managing Puberty and Periods with Confidence

In 1934, Gertrude Tendrich, the woman who founded Tampax bought the patent for tampons. Like other P&G period care brands such as Always/Whisper and This is L, Tampax has been on a mission to normalize period care through education and superior product innovations ever since.

Tampax recently launched its “Better Way to Period” campaign to support Gen Z. After finding in a survey that 68% of Gen Z women and girls say they received little or no period education before their period began, a number that’s even more prominent among underrepresented Gen Z communities, Tampax joined with actress and executive producer Marsai Martin, college basketball players Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson, and Dr. Nicole Sparks OB/GYN to continue its mission of equipping women to manage their periods with confidence.

Girls all over the world are missing school because of stigma, lack of education and access to products to manage their periods, but our brands are working with many partners to do something about that:

• Building on a 40+ year legacy of puberty education, Always is working to #EndPeriodPoverty — donating over 290 million products to help girls stay in school and stay confident and supporting initiatives, like non-profit partner WASH United’s annual Menstrual Hygiene Day.
• In India, Whisper’s “The Missing Chapter” education program, is teaching students about periods so that they don't drop out of school when they get their first period.

To help increase period product options and provide superior period protection, our Feminine Care brands keep introducing new innovations like:

• Tampax Compak Pearl tampon technology, which expands to fit the body and removes more easily.
• Always FlexFoam pads that provide thinness and flexibility, for comfort and leak prevention, and an Always Fit guide that helps users find their perfect fit.

Navigating the Changes of Menopause

With its deep understanding of consumers and insights into their needs, Pantene has always been at the forefront of innovation. The brand brought the first-ever 2-in-1 haircare product to market in 1986. Today, Pantene continues to find new ways to meet consumers and their needs, where they are. In Europe, Pantene’s Hair Biology Menopause products help manage the hair changes sometimes brought on by age and hormone imbalance. Shampoo, conditioner and a special mask all help to address issues such as thinning hair by moisturizing dry hair and calming the scalp, without weighing down hair volume.

A variety of different health and wellness needs often arise during menopause, so women often seek different products and new solutions they can trust. Always Discreet products support women experiencing incontinence or bladder leakage and help them keep moving through their lives. Always Discreet recently partnered with award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson to bring awareness and normalize perimenopause conversations.

From our founding many generations ago, P&G has served the everyday needs of women consumers. Our commitment to creating superior performing products for women and girls also influences innovations that benefit all consumers. P&G brands are continuously striving to meet consumers' needs at every stage of their lives.

Learn more about how women and girls inspire P&G's superior brand innovations.