From Feedback to Philosophy: The Origin Story of Nua’s Zero Irritation Promise

When Nua announced its Zero Irritation Promise as the official tagline for its pads, it wasn’t just another marketing claim. It was a culmination of deep listening, a whole lot of introspection, and a very real understanding of what women go through on their periods.

We sat down with Nameeta Saigal, Head of Marketing at Nua, to trace the story of how zero irritation went from a recurring phrase in customer reviews (more on that here) to a full-blown brand philosophy, one that’s now embedded into everything from packaging to product design to campaign strategy.

What followed was a conversation that was honest, personal, full of insight—and very, very real.

Q1. Where did the idea of the ‘Zero Irritation Promise’ even begin?

It all started when we realised there were certain gaps in our packaging. The previous packaging design compared to what you see now? It’s a world apart.

There was no clear differentiator. In our minds, we were calling it ultra-safe. But that wasn’t coming through to the consumer. The brand name wasn’t standing out enough. And from one pack to another, everything looked similar. If you saw all our pads at a store, day pads, night pads, period panties, they looked like a sea of muted colours. There was no distinction between variants.

Because of all this, the pack wasn’t competitive in a space where multiple brands sit side by side, especially on e-commerce or quick commerce. We didn’t provide a compelling reason to choose Nua unless someone already knew about us. So we said, this is not just a design issue. We need to give the consumer a strong reason to choose us. A real proposition. Let’s look into it.

Q2. After spotting those gaps, what made you land on ‘irritation’ as the space to own? What did the research show you?

We did a lot of consumer research. Online surveys with over a 100 women, face-to-face interviews with our core target groups, and shop-alongs with users in medical stores and while buying online. And two things came up again and again.

One, women don’t like being constantly reminded they’re on their period. And two, the words they used to describe their period were “irritating” and “painful”.

Now irritation meant different things to different women (find more research on period irritation here). For one, it was rashes and itchiness. Another was constantly looking over her shoulder to see if her clothes were stained. For someone else, it was that wet feeling the moment blood hits the pad. For others, it was the pad feeling bulky. These are all physical manifestations.

Then there are emotional ones—mood swings, feeling off, just not feeling like yourself. Women were using the word irritation, but they weren’t pointing to just one thing. It was an overarching theme that captured multiple truths. And that’s when it really hit me: this is the voice of the consumer.

Q3. Weren’t you worried that this made the word ‘irritation’ too broad or ambiguous?

Yeah, of course. It stood the risk of not being as pointed as something like “leakage” or “organic.” But we felt that it was also universally relevant. If you ask anyone, “Do you feel irritated on your period?” The answer is: Yes. If you ask, “Would you prefer a zero irritation pad?” The answer is: an astounding YES. Even if it means something different to each person, everyone gets it.

Everyone may define it differently, but everyone wants to avoid it. That made it powerful. So our job then became: how do we ensure our pad delivers on every aspect of irritation? All those different manifestations of irritation – rashes, wetness, leakage, bulkiness, discomfort – it had to deliver.  

We tested sharper, more specific ideas too. But Zero Irritation is what women responded to the most, it emerged as the clear winner.

Q4. Why did you choose to frame it as a promise rather than just a claim or a feature? What does the word “promise” mean to Nua?

We always wrote it as Zero Irritation Promise, right from day one. And that came from two very intentional ideas.

First, we wanted to make a bold, absolute statement. Not a half-hearted claim or  weak-footed stand, but something that feels definitive. Zero Irritation is not a cautious phrase. It’s a line in the sand. It signalled to us, and to the consumer, that we’re not here to hedge. This is what we stand for.

But equally, we wanted to say it in a warm, human way. That’s where Promise came in. It’s not just Zero Irritation Pad. That’s functional. Zero Irritation Promise sounds like something a friend would say to you. It’s softer. It’s empathetic. And that’s very core to how Nua speaks.

We had a lot of internal conversations about the tone. Should we say it flat — Zero Irritation Promise? Or with a pause — Zero Irritation, Promise? That pause makes a difference. Someone even suggested putting a heart in the ‘O’ of Promise, just to bring that warmth forward.

Eventually, we said: We are Nua. We’re not the kind of brand that says ‘four times more powerful’ or ‘ten times more absorption’. That’s marketer-speak. We’ve built this brand on empathy. This line needed to reflect that.

Finally, we landed on something simple but powerful – Zero Irritation. Promise. – with the pause. That pause is intentional. It makes it sound more human. It’s not top-down, it’s peer-to-peer. It adds relatability. It feels honest and emotionally grounded.

Q5. Why did ‘Zero’ become such a core part of the brand philosophy?

The real insight was that women never feel fully understood and are constantly making subconscious compromises around their vital wellness.

There are two big ideas here. One is vital wellness, your body’s basic functionality. Your cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, all the natural, biological transitions. The second is subconscious compromise, the kind that happens without you even noticing. Like choosing a pad that might irritate your skin because it’s the only one that absorbs well. Or showing up to work when your body is asking for rest. Or functioning like a zombie postpartum, because that’s what’s expected of you.

These are quiet, unspoken trade-offs. And we just make them. Automatically. No one tells us to.

So Zero Irritation became more than a product promise. It became a mindset that you shouldn’t have to choose between basic comfort and basic function. It was a much larger idea: Zero Compromise.

That is the emotional truth we’re trying to build the brand around.

Q6. What were the challenges in landing this kind of promise with consumers?

The biggest challenge was that while zero irritation felt intuitive to us, we had to ask: will it land with consumers? What does it mean for someone who isn’t thinking too deeply about her period, who’s just picking up a pack from a shelf or clicking on a quick commerce platform?

That’s where we said: we need to tell the story of zero irritation. One of the first things I felt strongly about while designing the pack was that we need to put a manifesto right there. Some might say that’s a waste of real estate, but for us it was about building a connection. Talking directly to her. Starting a conversation.

We wrote:

Let’s get real — your period can be tough. Mood swings, bloating, cramps, stains. Periods are irritating enough. Why add more to the list? That’s why we designed a pad to be the least irritating thing in your life this week. No discomfort, no rashes, no icky feeling. Zero irritation, we promise.

It’s not as pointed as some other brand claims. But this manifesto helped us explain our philosophy in the consumer’s language. Every pack now carries messaging that ties back to her life. Not generic claims, but something that feels like a one-on-one dialogue. And that’s how we’ve tried to solve for one of the biggest challenges, by making it feel human.

Q6A. How are you bringing this promise to life through your brand campaign?

The brief to our agency was really simple: bring zero irritation promise alive.

The way they distilled it creatively is by focusing on the irritants in a woman’s life. That’s the idea — we’re surrounded by irritants. Some in our workplace, some in society, some in our everyday routines. Those irritants aren’t going anywhere. But your period care? That shouldn’t be one of them.

So the campaign is about positioning Nua as the counter to all of those daily irritants. That’s how we’re building this brand promise creatively. It’s not just about the pad. It’s about a mindset shift.

As a marketer, my personal goal is that when someone thinks of irritation in the context of periods, they think, “Oh, I know a brand that talks about zero irritation. That brand is Nua.” Even if she hasn’t tried us yet. Maybe not this cycle. But if it resonates, she’ll try us in the next one.

Q7. How do you bring this promise to life in the product and packaging?

The biggest unsaid pressure on ‘Zero Irritation Promise’ is on the product itself. It’s one thing to claim it, but then the question becomes: how good is the pad really? Does it live up to this promise? 

So we broke it down. On the side of the pack, we wrote: Zero Irritation, because we give you 4X comfort.

And we listed those four comfort points:

1. Toxic-free: No harmful chemicals
2. Soft and breathable: Gentle on skin
3. Sleek design: Feels almost invisible
4. Wider back: No leaks

During research, consumers told us, “Oh, you’re not just saying zero irritation, you’re telling me how you’re giving it to me.” And they really appreciated that.

Q8. How do you see this promise evolving beyond pads?

Right now, Zero Irritation works beautifully for our flow products. But when you think of other categories — cramp comfort, pimple patches — we could say zero pain, or zero pimples. But all of it still ladders up to the emotional benefit of zero compromise.

We see ourselves as a brand that is not just making products, but building a conversation. Not just on pads but on social media, in community forums, wherever women talk about their wellness. And the heart of that conversation is: you deserve better. You deserve not to compromise.

My personal belief is that in a category where most brands stop at surface-level problems like leaks and rashes, we’re trying to go deeper. We’re not saying we can solve everything. We’re saying: we’ll make the part we can control the least irritating part of your five days.

There’s honesty in that. Humility. And I think women can sense that.

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As you’ve heard from Nameeta, Nua’s Zero Irritation Promise didn’t come from a boardroom brainstorm. It wasn’t born in a vacuum of creative ideas or marketing speak but came from the lived, layered experiences of real women, repeated to us in conversations, surveys, shop-alongs, and stories. It came from a collective sense that period irritation isn’t just a rash or a leak. It’s a hundred small discomforts, both physical and emotional, that women are expected to quietly tolerate (more on this here).

What makes this promise powerful isn’t just what it says, but what it refuses to ignore. It doesn’t gloss over the reality of periods or say it’ll be perfect. Instead it says, “let’s take the one thing we can control and make it as easy, as light, and as human as possible.” It makes a claim, yes, but it also makes space. Space for empathy. For honesty. For change.

In doing so, Nua didn’t just make a better pad. They built a promise that sounds like it was written by your best friend. One that looks you in the eye and says: We can’t fix it all, but we’ll never add to your list.

Zero irritation, promise.