Need to Know
03 : 11 : 21

UK – As personal protective equipment (PPE) becomes a regular facet of everyday life, nascent wellbeing brand Never Go Alone is expanding its offering of design-led hygiene essentials to help people travel more confidently during the inter-Covid period.

Prioritising style and safety, Never Go Alone has added a hand sanitiser to its travel hygiene range, made with natural ingredients such as aloe vera, green tea, ginseng and chamomile. The result is a lightweight formula with a subtle, unobtrusive fragrance. Taking inspiration from the natural world, the recycled plastic bottle is shaped like a stone to make it feel tactile in the hand. This is in line with Never Go Alone's wider inspiration, sandstone, known for its strength and adaptability in harsh climates, something the brand hopes its products will help users achieve as they re-navigate the world.

As global travel regulations are relaxed, health and wellness companies are following the principles of Wanderlust Beauty to create products that help consumers to feel safe. ‘Hygiene has always felt like it belongs backstage – but cleanliness doesn’t have to be boring. I want to re-imagine the world of personal wellness and create a beautiful, functional and affordable collection of products,’ explains Nga Nguyen, co-founder of Never Go Alone.

London – Sex with Cancer is an integrated sex shop, art platform and public campaign devoted to opening up conversation and confidence around its namesake. The initiative aims to provide people with cancer or in recovery, as well as their sexual partners and loved ones, with practical and creative resources focusing on pleasure and ownership of their sexual wellbeing.

Sex with Cancer’s ambitions are supported by a bright visual identity and multimedia approach. Its website showcases online performance pieces and documentaries such as Unexpired Pleasures, alongside practical advice and sexual wellness products. Co-founder Joon-Lynn Goh states: ‘I hope people come away with a sense of community, knowledge and a greater confidence to reclaim their bodies and relationships on their own terms.’

Goh’s statement highlights the underlying relationship between community, healing and physical empowerment, as explored in our Radical Relief microtrend. As a further addition to such community-led, creative and accessible platforms for people living with health conditions, Sex with Cancer bridges wellness and pleasure, while also sitting at the intersection of e-commerce, advisory and social spaces.

The majority of UK workplaces aren’t providing enough support for women experiencing menopausal symptoms. According to a study by Newson Health Research and Education, this has had a drastic impact on women’s careers.

In a poll of 3,800 women in the UK, almost all (99%) of respondents felt their perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms had led to a negative impact on their careers, with more than a third describing the impact as significant. Of those surveyed, about 59% took time off work due to symptoms and 18% were off for more than eight weeks.

Dr Louise Newson, a menopause expert and founder of Newson Health Research and Education, explains: ‘For far too long menopausal women have been faced with an impossible choice: struggle on with often debilitating symptoms or leave behind careers they have worked so hard for.’

In our interview with Dr Newson, she describes the importance of holistic menopausal wellbeing and the drivers behind her innovative menopause app Balance.