UK vegan supplement brand DR.VEGAN has announced it will permanently absorb the VAT on its PMS Hero supplement, reducing the price consumers pay in response to what the company describes as an inconsistency in how period-related products are taxed in the United Kingdom.
Period products were exempted from VAT in 2021 following a lengthy campaign against the so-called “tampon tax.” Supplements formulated to address the symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle, such as fatigue, bloating, mood changes, cravings and discomfort, remain subject to the standard tax rate. DR.VEGAN says it will cover that cost itself for PMS Hero until the tax treatment changes.
CMO Jenny Chiu framed the decision in personal terms, stating, “I spent decades dealing with bad PMS and cramps. I saw my GP, I saw a gynaecologist, and nothing was ever diagnosed, so I just got on with it, the way most women do. I wish PMS Hero had existed then.
“Period products became VAT-free in 2021. The supplements that help women manage what those products can’t are still taxed as a luxury. That’s not a position we’re comfortable with, so we’re absorbing the VAT ourselves until that changes.”
What PMS Hero contains
PMS Hero is a botanically led formulation developed in-house by DR.VEGAN’s practitioner team. Ella Kaur, Registered Nutritional Therapist and Practitioner Lead at the company, described the product’s composition: “PMS Hero is a synergistic blend of botanicals, vitamins and minerals designed to support the full spectrum of PMS symptoms, hormonal, emotional and physical.
“At its core is a trio of traditional women’s botanicals: Shatavari, long used in Ayurveda to support hormonal balance and reproductive wellbeing; Dong Quai, traditionally used to help ease menstrual discomfort; and Agnus Castus, one of the most clinically researched herbs for PMS. Ashwagandha helps support the body’s response to stress, while Vitamin B6 supports mood regulation, magnesium helps support tension and cramping, and chromium helps maintain normal blood glucose levels linked to cravings and energy throughout the monthly cycle.”
Consumer data and the tax gap
According to survey data from PMS Hero users, 79% said they had never received education about PMS at school, and 91% reported that the supplement worked for them. Users also rated it as twice as effective as other supplements they had previously tried.
DR.VEGAN connects the announcement to its campaign framed around the message that premenstrual symptoms are a recurring monthly experience rather than an occasional one. Chiu noted, “Across a typical reproductive life, women spend more than a year managing premenstrual symptoms. The idea that supporting that is a luxury is one of the more quietly absurd things our category has accepted.”
