Cheap Menstrual Cups: Are they Safe, or Just a Good Deal?

What are the Cheapest Menstrual Cups?

We’ll get into all the details about the cheapest menstrual cups and whether or not you should buy them, but here’s a list of some of the brand names of the cheapest ones out there:

• Aneer Cup
• Athena Cup
• Beaver Dam Menstrual Cup
• Bloody Buddy
• BodyBay Cup
• Cali Cup
• Dandelion Cup
• Dutchess Cup
• Fairyfox Cup
• Goddess Cup
• Leasen Cup
• Lola Cup
• Luna Cup
• Monzare R-Cup
• OTBBA Cup
• Peachcup
• Pixie Cup
• Skinco Cup
• The Goddess Cup
• V Cups
• Vida Cup
• Viva Cup
• Zen Gina Cup
• And more

Keep on reading for some more information about whether or not you should consider one of them.

Cheap Menstrual Cups: Should you Buy Them?

A common question that many people have is whether or not they are a good buy. These ones can often be found on Amazon for $5-10.

Some of the older, more established menstrual cups such as the Moon Cup, Diva Cup or Lunette Cup can be up in the $30+ range. This seems quite expensive for a small piece of medical grade silicone!

These menstrual cups that I just mentioned are made in the UK, Canada, and Finland respectively. The high price is partly due to the manufacturing country. Of course things are more expensive to make in the Western world than in China.

But, with the Western world comes good conditions for workers, safety standards, high manufacturing expectations, and assurance of quality raw materials. These are certainly good things!

Consider this: A menstrual cup is something that you’re putting inside your vagina for up to a week each month for decades of your life. Do you really want a generic menstrual cup made with sub-par silicone?

Limited Budget: Consider a More Affordable Menstrual Cup?

However, for people looking to save some money, this can be too much, especially considering that you see them on Amazon or Ebay for $5-10, such as the

Of the examples of a cheap period cup is the Leasen Cup. It’s usually found for under $10 USD online. You can check current prices here:

It’s very typical in that it has terrible grammar and spelling on their Amazon description. Reviews aren’t great, and they make all sorts of statement that just seem factually incorrect.

But, are these cheapies  a good buy? Why would you spend $30 or more for something you can get for 10?

Some of these generic ones are even as cheap as 2 for $10.

Menstrual Cup Materials

The top cups are made from high quality silicone. This is part of the reason why the top brands are up in the $30+ range-they simply cost more to make.

The older, established companies source their materials carefully. You’ll notice that the more expensive menstrual cups have no strong smell to them when they arrive at your house. This is because of the higher quality of materials used. They also don’t take on any smell, even after years of use.

Cheap Period Cups: Not Medical Grade Silicone

However, the cheapies skimp on this part of it. They may indeed use medical grade silicone, but it certainly won’t be the good stuff that will last for years. In some cases, it’s unclear whether or not it’s medical grade.

Many companies will not though. They’ll say things like “diamond” or “platinum” silicone. But, it’s kind of unclear as to what this actually means. Our guess is that it’s not medical grade, because if it were, they’d just say that.

You’ll notice that the cheapest menstrual cups often have a very strong chemical smell to them. This is due to using such cheap, low-quality materials.

For something that you insert into your body, it’s not a great risk to take. Remember, you’ll be wearing your menstrual cup INSIDE your body for up to a week every month. Don’t you want to ensure that it’s the highest quality product you can get?

Generic Menstrual Cup: Issues with Durability

With the cheaper ones, durability will be an issue as well. You’ll likely find that you have to replace it sooner than you want to, even with careful cleaning.

The cheapest silicone just won’t stand up to use over time. Good quality ones can last for up to 10 years. Considering this, and how many boxes of tampons a single menstrual cup can replace, $30 or so isn’t that much to spend.

Check out Some Affordable Menstrual Cups

Manufacturing Country: Western World vs China

The most expensive ones are manufactured in the Western World.

This is because they usually use quality materials as well as pay their employees a living wage. However, the benefit of this is that you know exactly what you’re getting. In this case, it’s a product that is 100% safe to use.

These days, there are a few reasonably priced, but still high-quality menstrual cups coming out of the USA including the Lena Cup and the Anigan Evacup. Both of these are excellent cups that we highly recommend here, especially if you’re looking to save a bit of cash.

Made in China

The cheapest menstrual cups are often manufactured in China, although there is often a lack of information about this on the product description on Amazon, or company website (if they have one).

Resellers source products through Alibaba, ship them to the Amazon warehouse, from China, put up a description and a few pictures on Amazon and then sell to you! They often have no vested interest in women’s health, nor in selling a top-quality product at a fair price.

The reviews are are often fake, and the descriptions on Amazon are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. This is often the surest sign of a company who doesn’t care about their product. If they did, surely they’d get the sales copy on their product page right!

Customer service for these ones is usually non-existent.

Period Cup Product Reviews and Fit

The more expensive menstrual cups have been around a long time, which means that they have a lot of product reviews. In some cases, 1000 or more. This gives you a very accurate portrayal of the strengths and weaknesses of that particular period cup.

The cheap menstrual cups have only come onto the market very recently and have one of two problems:

• No reviews. It’s hard to know what the pros and cons are of that specific cup without at least 20 user reviews on Amazon. Reviews by a verified purchaser are even better.
• Lots of reviews, but most are bought/faked (too over the top). It’s usually pretty obvious which reviews are real, and which ones have been paid for.

Lack of Real Reviews

It’s hard to tell whether or not the cheaper menstrual cups are good, or not because of the lack of real reviews. My advice is to always wait another year or two until some real reviews come up and then you’ll be able to make a more informed decision.

It’s simply too early to tell right now. In that year or two, you might even realize that the cup is no longer being sold. Many of these cheap ones come and go.

High Initial Ratings

You’ll usually see that the cheap cups start out with a very high user rating of 4.7 or 4.8/5. This is because it’s easy for companies to buy reviews.

However, once real reviews start to come in, the user rating takes a nosedive. Most people aren’t happy with these very cheap cups because they’re often too flimsy to put in correctly.

Leaking is a huge problem with the vast majority of cheap menstrual cups. If it’s too thin, it’s very difficult to get the cup to open once it’s inside of you.

What’s Included with Generic Menstrual Cups?

With the more expensive menstrual cups, you’ll get a complete set of instructions for insertion and removal, tips for cleaning and also a cloth storage bag. It’ll come in a nice box too. It’s entirely suitable for giving as a gift to somebody.

I’ve read reviews about some of them where the cup came, by itself, in a vacuum packed bag. That was it! No instructions, no box, no storage bag.

Ethical Concerns for the Cheapest Menstrual Cups

I personally like to support companies who put money into research about women’s health. The Moon Cup and Diva Cup are leading the way in researching about feminine hygiene and they actively advocate for women.

They’re products that just work well! By “work,” we mean that they’re easy to insert and remove, and also that they don’t leak for most people.

One of my new favourite cups is the Ruby Cup. For every menstrual cup that they sell, in store or online, they donate one cup to a person in need. Menstrual cups in the hands of people in developing countries means fewer days or work or school missed. This in turn means great economic advantages. We wish that more of them would follow suit.

The more expensive menstrual cups are also manufactured in the Western world, which means a living wage and fair treatment for the workers.

The cheap menstrual cups made in China? You could say none of these things for them.

Sketchy Marketing Tactics

While many of the cheap menstrual cups employ some questionable marketing tactics, we’ll focus on two of them specifically, the Vida Cup and the Day + Night Cup.

The Vida Cup

The Vida Cup is clearly a rip-off of the popular and excellent Diva Cup. Notice how they just switch around the “V” and the “D.” This is clearly to confuse people. If you read the comments for the Vida Cup, you’ll notice that there were actually people who bought the Vida, thinking it was the Diva Cup.And, they were most certainly disappointed because instead of one of the best menstrual cups on the market today, they got a piece of junk.

The Day + Night Cup

Another company with questionable marketing is the Day and Night Cup. This isn’t their actual name, because they don’t have one. They just say things like, “MoonCup,” “Diva Cup,” or “Ruby Cup” in their title and product descriptions. I myself, who has reviewed almost 50 menstrual cups got confused and thought this one was the actual Ruby Cup. It was only when the company contacted me that I realized my mistake (Sorry!).

People most certainly buy this cup, thinking that they’re getting the good one (Ruby Cup, Diva Cup, etc.). What they get is a piece of junk.

False Claims

Some of the very cheap menstrual cups make all kind of false claims about their products. Seriously, we’ve seen it all. And we most certainly haven’t seen any science to back this stuff up.

Just a few of the things include:

• Can reduce menstrual flow.
• Can reduce menstrual cramps.
• Prevents diseases

Many of them also claim to have excellent customer service, and offer things like money-back guarantees. However, if you check the negative reviews carefully, you’ll often find that these promises don’t really pan out.

Stealing Intellectual Property

Many of the makers of generic cups steal the designs of the legit ones that have spent countless hours and a lot of money on research and development. It’s wrong, but in such an international world, it’s often easy enough to get away with.

Just say no to these rip-offs and stick with the real companies, even though their menstrual cups may be a few dollars more.

What’s the Deal with FDA Approval?

It’s an excellent question to ask when it comes to consumer safety! Is the specific brand of menstrual cup approved by the FDA in the USA? Or, approved by a similar government agency in another country?

There are only a few cups on the list of FDA approved cups while lots more are made from materials that are approved by them and have similar designs to ones that are already approved.

Cups made from FDA approved silicone (or TPE) are a good starting point. That said, lots of the makers of generic cups claim to have this designation when in fact, they do not. And Amazon isn’t exactly rigorous when it comes to testing this kind of thing out in product descriptions.

Learn more here: FDA Approved Menstrual Cups. 

Are They Worth It?

My short answer is no, cheap menstrual are most certainly not worth it. The deciding factor for me is most definitely my health! A menstrual cup is something that you wear in your vagina. I certainly wouldn’t take this kind of risk with one of the cheap period cups.

Think about it this way: Even if you spend $30 on a menstrual cup, you’ll end up saving that in less six months because you’re not buying pads and tampons. In the medium to long-term, you’re saving money so a little bit more on the initial outlay really isn’t so bad.

Aren’t Top-Quality Menstrual Cups Expensive?

For all the details about this, check out: Are Menstrual Cups Expensive? Or, we’ll give you the quick summary here.

With proper care and cleaning, most menstrual cups can last for 5-10 years. Some brands like the Diva Cup say to replace it every 1-2 years, but most people find that this isn’t necessary.

Other companies that make ones that are similar to the Diva Cup (Lunette for example) say that their cup can last for up to 10 years.

User experience shows that the best silicone cups can last for around 5 years, or even a bit longer.

If you spend $30 on a cup that lasts for 5 years, that’s around $0.50 per period. A cheap cup that costs $10 may last you for 1 year. That’s $0.83 per period. In reality, getting a cup that can last for a few years will be a better value in the end.

And when you compare this $0.50 per period for a top-quality period cup to tampons at around $5 per period, you’re coming out way ahead!

The Top Menstrual Cup Brands:

If you’re looking to buy a menstrual cup, don’t go for the cheapest one you find on Amazon. They are terrible quality, and you’ll end up buying one of the more expensive ones in the end anyway.

These cups are so flimsy that they usually leak like crazy. It won’t be a great experience at all.

Instead, consider any of the following top menstrual cup brands. They are made from the highest-quality medical grade silicone by companies who stand behind their products.

It’ll be cash well spent! You’re sure to find one that will suit your budget, taste and body type on this chart below

Check out our favourite menstrual cups brands here:

Affordable, but Top-Quality Period Cup

If you’re looking to save a few bucks on a menstrual cup, but don’t want to get a generic menstrual cup made from sub-par materials, we’ll tell you about our top pick. It’s affordable, safe to put into your body, and has some really great reviews on Amazon.

The Anigan EvaCup is made in the USA from top-quality, medical grade silicone. It has thousands of reviews on Amazon, most of them 4-5 stars. Most of the people who don’t like the Eva cup seem to not like menstrual cups in general. It’s not really because of a fault with this particular product.

Anigan EvaCup

The best thing about the EvaCup is that it’s often a bit cheaper than cups like the Diva Cup or Lunette Cup for example. Of course, prices vary on Amazon, depending on the day so please take a look for yourself.

Although Anigan sells their cup as a single, you can often find them in a package of two as well. If you can find a friend to share it, it might be a cheaper way to try out a menstrual cup.

Beyond price, if you have a heavy period, you may want to consider the EvaCup as well. The large has a capacity of 37 ml, which is 7 ml more than the Diva Cup. This means that if you pair it with an overnight sanitary pad (we love cloth ones!), then you might actually be able to sleep through the night!

You can shop now for this affordable cup over on Amazon:

Cheap Diva Cup: Where to Find It

The Diva Cup, made in Canada is the most popular menstrual cup brand in the world. It’s so popular for a lot of reasons! The Diva Cup is a top-quality cup made in the Western world from the best medical grade silicone.

It’s often the first period cup that people try, and it’s so good that people often end up sticking with it for the rest of their lives. It has a nice firmness to it—not too stiff, but also not too soft. It’s for this reason that most people find it easy to put in, but also not uncomfortable.

But, it’s often among the most expensive menstrual cups, and it’s not unusual to see it for around $30 USD. Is it worth it? Are there cheap Diva Cups to be found?

If there is one menstrual cup you’re going to find in local shops, it’s probably the Diva Cup. However, prices are often quite expensive.

Despite living in Canada (the owner of this website), where the Diva Cup is manufactured, it’s ridiculously expensive, even at the “cheap” places like Walmart.

Prices on Amazon are usually better. There are a number of competing sellers, which is why you can often find a cheap Diva Cup there. Shipping is free with Amazon Prime, so it usually ends up being quite affordable.

Check prices on the Diva Cup here:

Diva Cup Review

What’s the Deal With the Fairyfox Cup?

Let’s look more closely at the FairyFox Cup and see why we consider it one of the cheaper cups that should probably be given a miss.

Lack of Information for the FairyFox Menstrual Cup

We scoured the Internet trying to find information about the sizing of the Fairyfox, but were unable to find it. The most we could get is that the small size if for someone who hasn’t given birth vaginally, while the large size if for someone who has.

The small size has a capacity of 15-20 ml, while the large has a capacity of 15-25. The huge range seems quite strange, and no other menstrual cup company offers this. Capacity is an objective measure—you pour liquid into the cup until it’s full and that’s it. It’s quite simple, so we don’t understand why there is a range for this.

No Official Company Website for the Fairyfox Cup Menstrual Cup

Fairyfox Cup does not have an official company website for their product. ALL the top-quality menstrual cup companies have this, with lots of information about their products, manufacturing, sizing, and a blog with general information about feminine hygiene.

Poor Quality of English on the Amazon Description for the FairyFox Cup

Poor English on Amazon is almost always an indication of a cheap menstrual cup. Here’s some details from the FairyFox Cup:

“You like it better because it’s slightly thinner silicone so it fits more comfortably, for you.”

“Get rid of the troubles of the sanitary napkin”

“Packing includ:”

FairyFox Cup: Why 2 Cups?

Here’s what Fairyfox Cup says:

“2 menstrual cups, one pulled out, and the other must be inserted immediately.”

This is almost the strangest thing we have ever heard, and we’ve been reviewing menstrual cups for years! There is no reason that anyone really needs two menstrual cups.

In general, you take out your cup, empty it into the sink or toilet, wash it with warm water and soap (or something like the DivaWash), and then put it back in. Unless you have the most serious period, then you should be fine for that 30 second window when you’re washing your cup, and won’t need two of them.

Cheap Menstrual Cups: Have your Say!

What do you think about the cheap menstrual cups you can find on Amazon?

Are these generic menstrual cups a buy? Or, are you willing to spend a bit more on a top-quality menstrual cup? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts. Also be sure to share this article on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

 

Last update on 2021-04-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API