During a semester examination in September last year, two students of Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Delhi came face to face with the agony girls through during their periods. The duo tried to console their friend who could not perform well in the paper due to menstrual cramps and soon realised that instead of looking for words, they should find a solution to ease this pain. This is how Sanfe pain relief roll-on was conceived by 3rd year B.Tech students Harry Sehrawat and Archit Agarwal and a faculty member Prof Dr Srinivasan Venkataraman. It was launched by the team at the IIT-D campus here on Friday to mark Women’s Day.

The roll-on contains an oil-based formula that when applied, relieves periods pain and ease out the mood swings faced by women during menstruation cycle. The product contains active natural essential oils -- eucalyptus, menthol and wintergreen, and have been medically tested besides being approved by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA).

“When we saw our friend crying outside the examination hall, it hit us how menstrual pain forces so many women to alter their lifestyle for those few days and so we decided to develop something that empowers women and liberate them from the pain faced during periods. We spent around seven months working in labs at IIT Delhi where we developed 100% natural Sanfe Period Pain Relief Roll On.”

While developing the oil, the team with the help of Prof JB Sharma who teaches gynaecology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, took samples of oral medication used to relieve abdominal pain during menstruation. They studied the formulations of the tablet and found out that methyl salicylate, also known as ‘wintergreen oil’, can be used topically with some other essential oils, including eucalyptus oil, satva pudina, rosemary and lavender.

The formulation helps in giving cooling effect followed by a long heating effect, which is reverse to most of the topical pain relievers in the market, which give strong heating effect first. The natural oil then treats muscle spasms in the gastrointestinal tract which helps relax them.

“It is important that women focus on their menstrual health regardless of the society considering periods a taboo. When we go to market them, we interact with girls and encourage them to come forward with their mood swings and physical pain. This is nothing to be ashamed of,” Sehrawat says. The roll on which is available across all e-commerce platforms is also cost-effective, priced at Rs 169 for one pack of 10 ml and lasts up to three months.