Meet Cycl, a New Menstrual Wellness Brand by Zoe Leffler
Zoe Leffler’s goal with her new brand Cycl is to make PMS symptoms a thing of the past.
The 15-year-old’s brand is launching exclusively at Target on May 1 with its PMS Symptom Relief, $25, a strawberry-flavored gummy that address typical cycle symptoms. The move fits into Target’s recent initiative to launch 1,000 new wellness products this year.
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“I got my period at a really young age, at the age of 10. I genuinely thought I was dying,” said Zoe Leffler, whose dad is Ido Leffler, beauty veteran and founder of Yes to Inc. and Yoobi. “I had very bad mood swings, period cramps and severe PMS. Being an athlete, that completely hindered my performance. On top of that, I couldn’t take pills, so I went to my dad knowing he was in the business. I was literally begging him to find something just to make it all go away.”
From there, the duo began tapping industry experts like Joanna Shinewell to create an effective, yet delicious solution. The result is a formula of lemon balm to help with mood, breast tenderness and headaches; vitamin B6 to address stress, cramps and sleep, and chasteberry extract to balance hormones. The formula also includes dong quai, an ingredient the entire Leffler family had been taking for generations due to its many benefits, including cramp and mood swing relief and better sleep.
While the product is formulated specifically for PMS relief and is most effective when taken daily, Ido Leffler joked that he sometimes sneaks a few for a mood boost.
Although periods were celebrated in the Leffler household, Zoe and her dad are looking to further destigmatize the conversation through this brand.
“What we want to do is just take the edge off of periods,” said Zoe Leffler.
Ido Leffler added: “I’ve got three daughters. Zoe’s our oldest and all three of them, it’s their brand.…We’ve even got a female dog so I’m completely outnumbered. For us, to celebrate those moments is something that’s been special. What’s been unique is partners like Target see that and they are leaning in to empowering women of all ages.”
With breaking down the taboo comes additional product. The team said there are currently four to five new stock keeping units currently under development.
The brand is also doubling down on educational period content through its website and future social media posts.
“There is this time in the month where she wouldn’t go to school or she wouldn’t go to games. That’s the type of communication that we’re going out with. We want real women telling real stories about these issues,” said Ido Leffler. “As we roll out on our website, we’ve got a platform called Ask Cycl where we put together a group of experts where any woman can ask questions about themselves, their bodies, their cycle and get real answers anonymously.”
When it comes to social media, Zoe Leffler added the team will partner with influencers and athletes to share their stories across platforms.
“Dad’s already started. He’s already taking videos of me, everything that I do,” Zoe Leffler joked.
The team is also working to make period care and education more accessible through a charitable partnership with SafiCycle. The brand will be donating 50 percent of all its proceeds to the organization, which provides reusable period underwear, hygiene materials and education to menstruators in Kenya.
“My dad was recently there on a trip.…He heard these stories about these girls as they’re walking home from school, they’re being stalked by taxi drivers or men and offered pads for sex,” said Zoe Leffler. “This is an ongoing problem in Kenya, as thousands upon thousands of girls are either getting pregnant or getting sexually transmitted diseases. Our goal is to abolish the problem.”
Given the charitable component, the brand declined to share specific sales projections.
