From Startup to Superdrug: The BeYou Story

Even though BeYou is a very young startup, we weren't just born overnight. It all started when I was dealing with crippling period pains while at work and I was using a hot water bottle to help ease them. My male colleagues called me unprofessional and commented that it was inappropriate in the workplace to do so. Apparently it was unprofessional of me to deal with my debilitating period pains in the office in front of my male work friends, despite it being 100% normal and natural for half of the British population.

I felt horrified, embarrassed and hopeless. Not one of my other colleagues came to defend me. 

 

Then, I had an idea. What if women could have an all-natural, easily concealed and comfy form of pain relief for irksome period pains? That’s when BeYou came to mind. Hemang, my younger brother, and I made it our mission to provide women with a product that would help them with their aches and pains so they can live and thrive on their periods. A lot of people asked me if it felt strange setting up a business selling period products with my brother. But it really wasn’t. We luckily have a really open relationship and talk about anything, even my period pains. Hemang was infuriated by what had happened to me at work and felt strongly that periods shouldn’t be something I have had to hide or be ashamed of. 

Shortly after this incident at my former workplace, I moved into a marketing role within a pharmaceutical company. This was a great opportunity for me to gain insider knowledge into what goes into women’s products and how ‘natural’ the ingredients truly are.

I found out that eucalyptus and menthol were great for numbing the body’s pain receptors and delivering extra oxygen to the inflammation surrounding the uterus.

 

Keeping the flagship product simple and natural was crucial for me, whilst being comfy and fast-acting. That’s how the BeYou Monthly Patch was born. 

Over the year it took us to nail the patch, Hemang was in contact with his friend, an Ayurvedic manufacturer, working in Northern India who helped us source the ingredients and find the goldilocks formula. We had to test stupid amounts of patches on ourselves, friends, family, doctors and pharmacists, to make sure the ingredients were balanced and also pass the licensing processes and regulations. 

But how did we juggle all that with our own 9-5 jobs? Guess what, it never felt like work. After working all day in the office, coming home to BeYou never felt like a hassle or a chore. Why? Because BeYou wasn’t just for other women, it was for me.

We had started BeYou with an intention and a purpose. An intention to help women and make a true difference in their day to day lives.

Of course, there were times when I thought it could all be too much. But having Hemang alongside me really did make a massive difference to the whole process.  

Knowing what an impact BeYou has had on the lives of women who have Endometriosis, PCOS and those who have horrific period pains, makes every challenge we face as a small business, totally worth it. We receive the most heartfelt of messages from women across the country and beyond, explaining how our little product is ‘life-saving”, “amazing” or has helped even in the smallest of ways. 

Just over 1 year on we are so proud of how far our little brand has come. We now stock a range of all-natural products, including Plant-Picked vitamins, as well as our own menstrual cup, with many more exciting projects coming up in the very near future.

BeYou will always be a female wellness brand, supporting and celebrating womankind by providing natural products that let them live their lives to the fullest. We are so happy with the journey we have been on with BeYou and we can’t wait to see where we go next. Make sure to stay along for the ride. 

All the BeYou love, 

Kru x