The Lily Cup Compact – review of the world’s first collapsible menstrual cup

I’m a pretty big fan of menstrual cups over sanitary pads and tampons, especially when it comes to travel because they are space saving, comfortable and environmentally friendly, perfect for the active female traveller. There have been some pretty innovative ideas applied to menstrual cups over the years, like the discharge valves of the Victoria’s Love menstrual cup, so when the folks from Intimina reached out to me to send me the Lily Cup Compact, a menstrual cup that is has a curious space saving function thanks to its collapsible nature, I was curious to see how that would work.

Lily Cup Compact – the collapsible menstrual cup

The first thing you’ll notice about the Lily Cup Compact is that it comes packed in an impossibly tiny flat case. And when you take it out, it looks nothing like a menstrual cup.

Lily Cup Compact – Collapsed

But when you extend it out, it looks like a rather futuristic menstrual cup, albeit with ridged edges instead of a smooth bell curve. The designer was apparently inspired by Japanese collapsible cups, and wanted something similarly elegant. I’ve always liked that menstrual cups are generally space saving, but their bulb like shape isn’t the most compact. This takes it one step further, to make the menstrual cup small enough to easily slip into a slim purse or a pocket. You could palm it quite easily without anyone noticing either.

Lily Cup Compact – Full Extension

My review of the Lily Cup Compact

Lily Cup Compact – Size A

The collapsible nature of the Lily Cup Compact is an extremely cool function which makes this easy to pack into any bag, no matter how big or small. I carry this around with me on a daily basis just in case I forget to bring my normal menstrual cup with me.

I was a bit concerned at first that the collapsible nature would somehow make it harder to insert, but it’s not been a problem. What I really like is the material they used which is really super silky smooth medical grade silicone. It’s the nicest to touch of all the menstrual cups that I’ve used.

I’m using the smaller Size A, but you will notice that the Lily Cup Compact is much smaller in volume, so generally better for lighter flow days. I tend to use it towards the end of my period so I don’t have to empty it so much. It’s smaller nature makes it even less obtrusive – I hardly feel I’m wearing it at all, as compared to the Victoria’s Love menstrual cup.

It comes in a light pink for Size A, and a darker pink for Size B. I wish there was an option to choose colours – I personally am not a fan of pink so I avoid it when I can. The inside of the cups are a little bit stained after use that can’t be washed off, but it’s not a big deal because no one is going to be examining the inside of your menstrual cup, ever.

Where to get the Lily Cup Compact

The Lily Cup Compact has done quite well for itself, getting successfully funded on Kickstarter. It’s also currently being sold for US$39.90 here at Intimina which might seem pricey compared to pads and tampons, but think about how much time and space you’ll save from buying pads in the long run – the recommended lifespan is up to 5 years.

Check out the standard Lily Cup for heavier flow

If you prefer something that can hold more discharge, you can also check out the standard Lily Cup that holds up to 28ml as compared to the 18ml of the Compact. It doesn’t have the cool collapsible function but it does have that same lovely texture and quite an interesting shape

Menstrual Cup Lily Cup Labelled

It’s got a rather unusual lip which helps prevent spillage when you squeeze the cup while removing it. The weird cut out is also supposed to help make it easier to fold for insertion

See my other menstrual cup reviews:

• My first menstrual cup – the Lunette and how I became a menstrual cup convert
• Victoria’s Love – the menstrual cup with a discharge valve

Note that I’ve recently added some affiliate links in this post, which means no additional costs to you whatsover, but I may get a small % of any purchase you end up making through a click here. Think of it as supporting the cost of running this site.

The Lily Cup Compact and Lily Cup were sponsored by Intimina. Review and opinions are all my own.