Former Snapchat general manager launches menopause supplements

A former Snapchat executive says waking ‘drenched in sweat’ prompted her move out of the tech world and into wellness with the launch of her Australia-based menopause supplement line.

A former Snapchat executive has launched supplements targeting menopause symptoms, after she found a lack of support and products to relieve her symptoms.

Kathryn Carter, who was the Asia Pacific general manager for Snap Inc, recently kicked off her ecommerce brand MyPause, which sells supplements specific to different concerns like lack of sleep, bone density, energy and skin.

She partnered with supplement company Tropeaka to develop the product, which is manufactured in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Ms Carter said after a GP had told her she was experiencing perimenopause, she searched for products which could relieve her symptoms.

But she found the market was “very underwhelming”.

Former Snapchat general manager Kathyrn Carter has started a business selling menopause supplements, My Pause.

“You either have large health or wellness brands who are able to offer a breadth of products that can address everything from cold and flu to low iron levels to skin issues, and then they’ll also introduce a ‘menopause tablet’.

“Or you have a menopause range which has been around for many, many years.

“There just felt like there was a real blank space as it related to a range of symptom-specific products.

“I don’t believe that there is a magic pill that can cure all of your symptoms, particularly given just how varied your symptoms can be.

“It logically feels unreasonable to expect something to be able to help with hot flushes as well as weight gain.”

Ms Carter said her journey started three years ago, when she found herself continually waking up “absolutely drenched in sweat”.

There were also other symptoms: increased anxiety, mood swings and brain fog, she said.

“I would dismiss it at the time as I must have a bug.

“’My son was in preschool, I must have picked something up, I must be running hot, or it must be Sydney humidity’ or a whole host of other things which I tried to attribute it to.

“But it just kept happening at such frequency that eventually I realised I couldn’t ignore it any longer.

“It was a tangible thing that I needed to address.”

That led her to her to seeking advice from two GPs, friends, pharmacies and other shops.

Ms Carter wasn’t alone in her search for support and products - she said data has shown searches for perimenopause on Amazon had tripled in the past two years.

Her company, MyPause, conducted an online survey of about 1,000 women in April, aged 35 to 65.

It found 51.8 per cent didn’t know what products to trust and two thirds said they wanted to see “menopause” clearly labelled on health products.

Former Snapchat general manager Kathyrn Carter has started a business selling menopause supplements, My Pause.

“There hadn’t really been a modern take of what a solution could look like for today’s woman who is experiencing these symptoms, appreciating the advancements we have in terms of e-commerce, AI, delivery and creating a brand that is built very much for the consumer,” Ms Carter said.

“When you have a look at the pharmacy or supermarket aisle, there are so few products which actually explicitly call out what it is that they’re addressing in this space, which I think you know very much is a nod to this being a taboo topic.

“This isn’t the case for other stages of women’s life, pregnancy products are very comfortable saying that they are prenatal, postnatal etc, so we wanted to ensure that we were equally presenting our products as well.”

MyPause launched to market about two months ago.

It has six products in its supplement range, claiming to help women with menopause with hormone balance, bone strength, skin, sleep, energy and hydration.

Customers are able to sign up for subscriptions with their supplements - with automatic deliveries every one or two months.

Ms Carter is aiming for a global audience and she hopes one day the products will be available in brick and mortar stores.

She added the Australian market was yet to catch up to the UK, where supermarket chain Tesco’s has introduced menopause sections in its stores.

“Our ambition is to be a global brand supporting women worldwide, created in Australia.

“[I’m] very motivated to make a success of it.”

After her tenure leading Snapchat for seven years, Ms Carter was briefly the Australian general manager for Peloton Interactive, the popular US fitness company which streamed workout programs over its equipment.

Previously, she had a career in media sales with both News Corp and Fairfax.

She said the experience of leaving behind some 20 years in corporate life and openly speaking about her experience with perimenopause was “nothing short of terrifying” but she felt validated by her customers’ feedback.

“The momentum that we’re seeing is all very encouraging.

“There is a need and it remains underserved, particularly when you have a look at how saturated other areas of women’s health or the health industry.”

Originally published as Former Snapchat general manager launches menopause supplements