Nipple pads shot this M’sian biz into virality, now it aims to expand its coverage abroad

Ask any woman about bras and you’ll probably hear complaints, whether it be about the fit, comfort, material, or whatever it is.

Then there’s also the issue of some dresses and tops that simply don’t look good with a bra strap peeking out here and there, which can leave women scratching their heads about what to wear underneath.

Many turn to various alternatives to solve their problems, one of which are adhesive silicone pasties, also known as nipple covers. 

One such brand offering these bra alternatives is NIUD, a local company founded in 2021. With a couple of viral videos to its name (with one getting upwards of 10 million views), NIUD has become a recognisable nipple cover brand in Malaysia and beyond.

Peeling off the cover, here’s the story behind this silicone pasties brand. 

NIUD beginnings 

Before launching the brand, the women behind NIUD were already long-time users of silicone pasties. However, they were struggling to find quality and affordable options in the market. 

They were tired of the poor adhesive that only lasts a few uses, thick silicone that couldn’t be more obvious under tight clothing, and the risk of the covers falling due to sweat or water.

“We decided that if we can’t find something we like in the market, why not make our own?” founder Carmen Liu shared. 

Working in strategy consulting at the time, Carmen decided to launch NIUD in 2021. She attributes her confidence in starting a company to her supportive entrepreneurial friends. 

From the initial idea validation to product development as well as defining the branding and marketing strategy, Carmen was able to bounce ideas off these friends, who would help “sense-check” her ideas. 

Nowadays, she’s juggling NIUD with her full-time role at an e-commerce aggregator in APAC. 

Covering the bases

While NIUD is a Malaysian brand, the products are manufactured in China by carefully selected partners. 

Carmen shared that she was keen to work with local manufacturers, but found that for certain components, foreign manufacturers could be more competitive in terms of product innovation and costs. This helps NIUD bring quality products to consumers at a more affordable price.

So, how do these covers compare to the typical ones you can find online? Carmen believes a few factors sets NIUD apart. 

First, there’s the product design. Carmen said NIUD’s nipple covers are ultra-thin with seamless edges, allowing them to be barely noticeable under tight clothing. 

“This is a huge relief for those who want to pair their nipple covers with tighter clothing but are worried about the telltale signs of nipple cover,” Carmen said. 

The second thing that sets NIUD apart is its product colour range that’s closer to skin tones. Carmen describes it as a “wide” range, which encompasses three colours—cream, caramel, and cocoa. 

Carmen picked out those specifically tailored shades after testing samples with friends to find tones that are “suitable to the Malaysian skin tones, from light to melatonin-friendly shades”.

While three might not sound like a lot, Carmen reported that the majority of customer feedback she has received seem to be happy with the range so far. 

To withstand Southeast Asian humidity and heat, NIUD covers are also designed to be waterproof and sweatproof. 

Other than that, NIUD’s covers are reusable, making them more eco-friendly compared to single-use nipple covers. 

“With proper care and storage, it could last anywhere up to three months,” Carmen said.

But proper care and storage can be tricky, especially because of the adhesive material found on nipple pads that might end up attracting lint and dust. 

To address that, NIUD’s covers come with a rather reliable packaging. With a magnetic component and two holders that help the covers maintain their curvature, these travel-friendly and durable boxes can help keep the covers clean. 

These factors as well as the packaging might justify the RM69 price point for some. Given the fact that the covers are supposed to last up to around three months, the team believes that translates into a reasonable cost per use.

A quick google search showed that bigger brands like Cotton On and SHEIN sell their products at RM39 and RM22 respectively, with the latter also coming in various shades. 

It’s important to note that NIUD isn’t the first to offer these kinds of inclusive, seamless nipple pasties, too, especially overseas. Just look at Singaporean brand Barebodies with four inclusive shades, though it doesn’t ship to Malaysia.

Such products have also been available on platforms like Amazon and ASOS.

Getting the good kind of virality 

Going viral on social media can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Just take a look at the viral content posted on NIUD. A quick scroll through the comments show users (many of which look to be boys or men) using expletives to express confusion or disdain over the product. 

Still, overall, Carmen says that the brand has been lucky and has fostered a supportive community. 

Take a look at the comments on NIUD’s best-performing TikTok video for instance. The video starts with another person’s video, where they share that they had dropped their own nipple cover in a mall.

As a response, NIUD jumped in saying how the original poster should’ve used their product instead. As a result, many viewers complimenting the video for its smart way of leveraging the original video.

“Some of our social media posts that went viral did spark curiosity among non-users, though everyone has been pretty civil and accepting of trying new things,” Carmen said.

However, the algorithm doesn’t always agree, with platforms like TikTok occasionally flagging NIUD’s content as inappropriate.

“It can be frustrating at times especially when the content is pretty tame,” Carmen expressed. “We’ve found some workarounds, e.g. censoring sensitive words that might get us flagged.” 

Other than that detail, though, the viral content has been doing well for NIUD. On top of helping with brand awareness, the videos have even converted global viewers into customers of the Malaysian brand. 

A right market fit 

One big challenge that Carmen is facing is scaling and growing NIUD. 

“I had to rethink some of our existing processes,” she shared. “Some of which includes optimisation of warehousing and fulfilment, as well as platform scalability.” 

To overcome these issues, the 27-year-old migrated NIUD to a new platform and outsourced its fulfilment process. 

Since Carmen brought up the issue of scalability, I wondered if the niche nature of NIUD’s products would serve as a limiting factor. 

On top of the product catering to just women, nipple pads in general also aren’t suitable for every woman of every size or preference.  

However, Carmen believes that having a niche enhances the brand’s potential rather than limiting it. 

“We could launch products that are tailored to the niche, create content with non-generic messaging that’s relevant to our community, and grow our brand with our small community together,” she said. 

While sometimes this curated content finds its way to unrelated audiences, particularly with the Reels and TikToks the brand is creating, the global viewership is something that NIUD is looking to capitalise on. 

The team had previously given international orders a shot, but due to expensive last-mile delivery fees and logistics issues such as lost parcels and a long delivery time, they stopped taking such orders. 

But with the continued interest from international audiences, NIUD is looking into catering the products to global consumers down the road.

Featured Image Credit: NIUD