Photo by Susi Vetter and Marta Pucci
Clue Reviews: The Lunette Menstrual Cup
Menstrual products are a world apart from what was available even only twenty years ago. But it can be difficult to determine which product is right for you—a decision that may be influenced by lifestyle, physical activity, comfort, fit, cost, and many other factors.
That’s why we’re publishing a series of menstrual product reviews, written by the staff here at Clue (and a few of our loved ones) to show you how we used these products, and how they worked for us. Check out the reviews here.
Full disclosure—many of these products were sent to us free of charge, for the purpose of reviews. These are the unbiased opinions of the folks who used the products.
The Lunette Cup
31.89€/$39.99USD
Made in Finland
“My flow is monsoon level heavy, so I went with cup size 2.”
My flow is: A massive, horrific, bloody nightmare
I’m looking for: An environmentally sustainable way of managing my period
I’ve been a lifelong user of disposable pads. When I went to college, a tampon seemed like a radical idea, so I’m really interested in trying the new menstrual products that have hit the market in the last five years or so. Menstrual cups seem like an especially environmentally friendly way to manage my period, so I was excited to try the Lunette Cup. At first sight, I was relieved to come across a menstrual cup that offered different cup sizes based on flow—most normally offer size differences based on whether or not the person has experienced a vaginal birth. My flow is monsoon level heavy, so I went with cup size 2.
A small booklet in the box offered instructions on how to sterilize, clean, and insert the cup, which was detailed and helpful. I used the “punchdown method”, because that made inserting the cup easier for me (though I had to get a little more creative with my standing/squatting/lying flat on my back with my legs spread eagle positioning). There’s also a great tutorial video on their website that shows you how to do this. Their website also gives a comprehensive breakdown of their products, values, and how-to methods that are super useful for any menstrual cup novices (like me).
After inserting it, __I could feel it opening up inside of me like it was meant to, and barely noticed it while I went about my day. __
Unfortunately, the cup did leak a bit. I’m not sure if this is because I didn’t insert it far enough, or because I wore it for too long (I wore it all day, then emptied it and re-inserted it at night). I think I need to practice a bit more, but because I used period panties as a backup, it didn’t seem like a big deal. I still think it’s a much better way of managing my period than using disposable products, and I’ll definitely use it again.
— Jennifer, Content Manager at Clue
“This wasn’t the right size for me at the beginning of my period.”
My flow is: Regular
I’m looking for: Something that I don’t have to change often, and that’s also good for my yoga practice
Lunette’s packaging is very appealing, with clear information accessible on the outside of the package. The little pouch is useful too, although not really gender neutral because it’s decorated with flowery patterns (like Lunette’s logo). I think this might alienate some people, like transgender men. On their website I really appreciate the use of gender neutral language i.e. “people with uteruses”, though they sometimes say women. I would like more consistency in using gender inclusive language. I’d also like to see more people of color on their website to be consistent with their inclusive values, but I do love the body positive illustrations on their blog.
The product packaging reassured me the cup is vegan, BPA free and latex-free. It was easy to insert and it fit perfectly. Once I inserted it, I forgot about it. I used the size 1 menstrual cup, which is for moderate to light flows, but this wasn’t the right size for me at the beginning of my period. I used the Lunette Cup on the first night of my period, and it was leaking when I woke up. On the second day of my period, when I would normally use 3 to 4 large tampons throughout the day, I was pleasantly surprised. After 7 hours of use, the cup wasn’t full and there were no leaks.
I found the cleansing wash very practical, and I would appreciate a smaller “travel size” version of the wash as well.
Before playing sports, I always emptied the cup, and added an extra layer of protection—like menstrual panties or a pad—to guard against leaks. I will definitely use my Lunette cup again, but I would like to try the larger size (size 2) so that I could use the cup for the duration of my cycle without worrying about leaks.
—Silvia, Support Agent at Clue
“Insertion and removal was painless but I had some leaks.”
My flow is: Normal (2 days heavy, 3 days light)
I'm looking for: Menstrual products that are environmentally-sustainable
As someone who has been using a menstrual cup for 8 years now, I was excited to try a new brand and see if there were any differences. I was super excited about the bright violet color—love it! I’ve only ever had clear silicone cups before which tend to discolor after a while, so I was hoping this cup would keep its beautiful vibrant color for years to come. The cup I got was the light-to-moderate flow size (size 1) which I thought would work for me. My period is very average.
The cup itself is very soft/bendable. The stem is flat with ridges, which allows for easy gripping during removal, but since it’s so bendy, it was very comfortable to wear—__I couldn’t feel the stem after I inserted the cup. I even wore it during a spin class and it didn’t bother me at all! __Another point for the stem: it’s flat, so there is no hollow space for blood to get stuck, which would have made cleaning more tedious (this is a problem I’ve had with other cups I’ve used).
Since the cup was softer and smaller than my other cups, insertion was smooth and painless. So was removal.
Sadly, this cup didn’t perform as well as I’d hoped, even though I inserted it, corrected it, and even rotated on insertion to “lock” it into place. I still had leaks. For heavy days, I felt like the Lunette cup held about 80% of my menstrual fluid, with the other 20% ending up in my period underwear. Even when I emptied the cup every 4 hours, there was still leakage on my heavier days. On my lighter days, leakage was not as bad, but I estimate I still had about 20% leakage.
Overall, I really enjoyed all the aspects about the Lunette cup (look, shape, feel) but it did lack a bit on the performance side. Perhaps the size 2 would be better for me. I think I’ll still continue to use my Lunette cup, but probably not on heavier days and definitely with a pantyliner or with a pair of period underwear for backup.
—Nicole, Science Content Producer and Writer at Clue
“Removing the cup was hard.”
My flow is: Medium-to-heavy.
I’m looking for: Something that will replace my disposable pads
Lunette’s packaging is neat and everything is written in a friendly and empowering tone, including the instructions.
There are two cup models: Model 1 is for a light to moderate flow, while the one that I tried, Model 2, is for a normal to heavy flow. There was initial difficulty in folding the cup, because it’s made of a firmer silicone, but insertion was easy and I could feel the cup opening in my vagina like the instructions said. Once inserted, I didn’t feel it inside me at all. I still have to figure out the right way to insert and remove the cup, as well as the correct positioning, because it leaked noticeably after five hours. Removing the cup was hard, because I needed to pinch the base of the cup, and the firm silicone didn’t make this easy. I don’t think I would use the cup again: the leaks and the difficulty in removing it made me realize that it’s not suited for me.
—Ilaria, Support Agent at Clue
“I laughed, my lover laughed, my sextoys laughed.”
__My period is: __Four days (heavy, heavy, medium, light)
I’m looking for: Comfort, efficiency and something gender-neutral or funny
During my periods I usually use a similar shaped cup. This one came in transparent blue, and further colours are available. I found the package smart: thanks to plastic windows, I could see the entire cup without opening the box. The whole item is rather gender neutral, except for the pouch, which has a flowered pattern.
On the cover of the instruction guide is written “Your vagina’s new best friend”. I laughed, my lover laughed, my sextoys laughed. The cup itself is made of very soft silicone, and it made inserting and removing the cup very comfortable. I wore it on the first day of my period, which is the heaviest day. It didn’t leak, even when I went to sport training, but I had to empty it every 4 hours. To clean it, I used the supplied biodegradable alcohol travel wipes.
—Salomé, the lucky partner of someone who works at Clue
If you're interested in period underwear instead, then check out what Clue had to say about Rael period underwear next. You can read all about this and the rest of Clue’s period product reviews here.
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