In the Spring of 2022, people tagged my account, @periodnirvana, thousands of times asking for a Sunny Cup + Applicator review. The only issue was that it wasn’t a real product yet. I received my Sunny Cup in October 2023. I gave it a full-cycle test that month.
The Sunny Cup advertised their new menstrual cup applicator via TikTok and Instagram to show the cup launching effortlessly over and over and over. So, does it live up to the hype?
For a short and sweet tl:dr, jump down to the Sunny Cup FAQ at the end of this post. If you want all the details, watch the video and read the full review. I find value in showing it ALL in my reviews. Well, almost all ;)
Sunny Cup Details and Dimensions
- “One Size” with a rim diameter of 43 mm
- Made in the US
- Medical-grade silicone
- “Easy-open” rim design
- Firm: 4 on the Period Nirvana Firmness Scale
- 25 ml capacity
| Sunny Cup | |
| Material | Silicone |
| Diameter | 65 mm |
| Capacity | 25 ml |
| Total Length | 72 ml |
| Body Length | 53 ml |
| Firmness | Firm – 4/5 |
Looking for certain features?
Head over to the Menstrual Cup and Disc Finder to find your perfect fit.
Not sure what you’re looking for?
Start with the Period Nirvana Menstrual Cup and Disc Quiz.
What Makes the Sunny Cup and Applicator Unique—Overview of Features
Menstrual Cup Applicator. The Sunny Cup + Applicator are sold as a pair. The Sunny Cup is designed to fit inside of the Sunny Cup Applicator. It’s not the first cup applicator we’ve seen, but it is the first designed to fit a proprietarily designed cup snugly inside. It was heavily marketed to be a cup that inserts easily like a tampon.
One Size Fits Most? The Sunny Cup comes in one size and shape. The measurements place it in the range of size “large” cups based on the rim’s diameter.
A Firm, “Easy-Open” Rim. It has a firmness of “4” on the Period Nirvana scale, which means that the cup has a good chance of opening and sealing once it’s been ejected from the applicator.
How the Sunny Applicator Compares to Other Applicators
Before the Sunny Applicator, your options were limited to “universal” menstrual cup applicators. The Sunny Cup + Applicator system is unique because the applicator and cup are designed to work together. Previous applicators tried to work with existing cups, with almost no success. The Sunny Cup Applicator is larger than tampon applicators, but the soft walls of the Sunny Cup mean that this applicator can be smaller than the universal options.
The Sunny Applicator is made of TPU and modeled in nearly every way after tampon applicators. One modification is the shallow hole in the pusher that allows the Sunny Cup’s stem to go inside. The tip of the applicator is the same material as the barrel; it’s slightly thinner than the barrel but not as thin or flexible as plastic tampon applicators.
How Sunny Cup Compares to Other Menstrual Cups
Sunny Cup is designed around the fact that it has to fold tightly to fit inside the Sunny Applicator. This is an innovation in the space and, in my opinion, their point of pride should be the cup itself. I expect that if the brand does well, they will look at more size options to expand who can use their applicator. For now, there is only one cup size and shape available for this applicator.
Your menstrual cup has to fit you, not leak, and be comfortable. Cups are not “one size fits all,” so it’s important to first determine if the Sunny Cup is a good fit for you. The best cup size indicator is the length. A cup that is too long to fit inside your body will never work.
Additional Resource: How to Pick Your Menstrual Cup Size
I was happy that the Sunny Cup’s rim is both firm and a size that is likely to work for most users. The 43-mm diameter coupled with the firmness gives it the best chance of opening and staying in place.
The downside? Firm rims, like Sunny Cup’s, can be uncomfortable for some, as they can press on your bladder. If you’ve had this issue with other firm cups, you might encounter it with Sunny Cup as well. In my review, I couldn’t cover all the details for the sake of time, but I also noticed a slower urine stream with this cup due to its firmness.
The soft, thin walls of the body combined with the firm rim bring about other considerations. Users might find the seal harder to break by simply “pinching” the cup with a thumb and finger during removal.
The cup body can also vacuum in on itself when sealed. This was not an issue for me; blood still collected, but I was changing it a bit more often than 12 hours on my heaviest day. I didn’t get to test the capacity and what issues that might pose. My period also is not very heavy.
The texture and sound of Sunny Cup is certainly unique. The material is medical-grade silicone, but it does feel more “plastic” than other cups. Sunny Cup makes a loud and obnoxious squeaking sound when it’s folded and pushed into the applicator. I mention this because I don’t recall ever hearing this in the videos Sunny Cup shares.
Check out our Menstrual Cup + Disc Comparison Chart for more side-by-side menstrual cup comparisons.
Best Way to Insert Sunny Cup
You will have a completely different set of instructions for folding and inserting the Sunny Cup compared to other menstrual cups.
To begin, fold the cup in the Sunny Fold. This is a Punchdown fold, but then you take the extra material and fold it around itself. It takes practice and also a fair amount of hand dexterity and strength.
While holding the cup tightly folded, you then insert it into the open menstrual cup applicator barrel. If the cup is hard to push through, you can apply lubricant in the barrel. My video review goes over this in depth.
Next, add the barrel to the applicator. This part can be tricky, so hold both pieces and use two hands. It is a balancing act since the pusher doesn’t “lock in.” I dropped the pusher at least once. Skip to the “how to insert the Sunny Cup” portion of the video for a step-by-step video guide.
Insert the tip of the applicator. You do not need to put the entire barrel into the vagina. Start with the tip, and if it’s too low after you insert it, you can experiment with inserting more of the barrel.
Like a tampon, you then use the pusher to eject the cup from the applicator barrel. After the cup has been inserted, you then need to wash the applicator and stash it away until you need it again. The Spot was a godsend this period as a drying rack for the Sunny Applicator.
Is it easy to insert the Sunny Cup?
For me? No. And it was not as easy as the video demos made it appear. But it did work. I physically struggled to push the cup through the barrel, and it would get stuck. I tried lubricant but only when I added a full bucket of lubricant to the barrel was it easy.
Pro Tip: If you are also struggling with the cup feeling stuck, push the tip of the cup out of the applicator partially. I got this tip from @TheVaginaBlog. This reduced the amount of physical force needed I needed to push the cup out of the applicator.
Best Way to Remove Sunny Cup
The Sunny Cup removes the same way as any other menstrual cup; you need to break the seal. Since the cup’s walls are super thin, this might be a challenge. Try wiggling the cup down “side-to-side” until the rim is close enough to reach. Then, push the rim in slightly to break the seal.
After the seal is broken, bring the cup down and out, dump the contents into your toilet, wash, and reinsert.
Pro Tip: Angle the rim as it exits to help reduce the diameter. This can help reduce or eliminate the discomfort of removing a cup with a wider and firm rim as it exits your body.
Sunny Cup + Applicator Personal Review
The Sunny Cup + Applicator has been my most requested and anticipated review. No pressure here. Overall, the experience had more positives than I expected. Even though this is by no means a glowing review, I promise you I anticipated it would be worse.
I am also happy to eat my words that the cup might not open. The Sunny Cup’s rim design made sure it opened with a pronounced POP. The Sunny Cup Applicator and Sunny Cup each have a thoughtful design, but this system is not without flaws.
As this company moves forward, I expect they will build on this initial product and improve the design. The menstrual product industry has always been about solving problems. When it’s a new product, there are bound to be issues, perhaps even unexpected ones, that get improved in later iterations based on feedback. The capabilities of manufacturing appear to be weighing heavily on the brand, as well.
Is the Sunny Cup + Applicator Accessible for Insertion?
I can’t test this applicator as someone who needs it for cup insertion due to issues like shorter fingers/hands, larger body size, reduced hand strength, or grip problems. I can only test it as someone who finds manual cup insertion easy. It did work for me, so I’m hopeful it can help others who previously struggled with cup insertion.
Reusable cups and discs aren’t accessible to everyone. The Flex Cup addressed this with a seal-breaking stem for easier removals; the Hello Disc addressed this with an adjustable double-loop stem for easier removals; and now Sunny Cup is trying to tackle this with their applicator. The Fillow Disc is moving closer to manufacturing its menstrual disc and applicator as well.
The Good News
The Sunny Cup opened up and sealed without leaks on three out of four days when inserted with the Sunny Applicator. I was relieved to finally find out that it didn’t need additional manual assistance to open and seal. I experienced leaks on Day 2, so it wasn’t completely without issues, but the fact that I had three leak-free days using just the applicator was a promising sign.
The cup, with the stem trimmed off completely, fit my body comfortably. I also experienced a “bug” in the insertion process that left the cup’s base caved into the cup from the applicator which became a “feature” for me. The length shortened and I found that helpful on my lower cervix days. You can opt to pull the stem or base out if it happens to you and you notice.
The Bad News
Inserting the cup using the applicator was EXTREMELY difficult without the use of a lot of water-based, menstrual cup-safe lubricant and a modification to its intended use. It was not as easy for me as the videos demonstrated it to be.
It took 1:30-3:00 minutes from start to finish for me to insert the Sunny Cup. My camera roll is proof, and I did film 100% of each insertion! Folding was also a struggle, and I often had to fold and re-fold the cup. This part got easier with practice. I am concerned that the precise tight fold needed will prevent people who struggled to fold/insert cups from using this device as well.
The Other Bad: POP. The way the Sunny Cup’s firm rim opens after it ejects from the applicator causes a major Vagina Punch. Imagine an umbrella opening up inside of a tube. It’s a good thing in some ways, because the cup opens and seals.
The POP always made me say “fuck!” because it was somewhat unpredictable. And if it has a delayed pop minutes after insertion, it’s even more of a shock to your system. I don’t know if this is a sensation I can ever get used to. I appreciated my menstrual disc more and more after each insertion of the Sunny Cup.
A Note About This Review
I have to review this based on my experience alone. There were some positives, but also enough negatives that it’s not exactly a glowing review. However, it seems I am in the minority of people who found this hard to use.
I’ve tried my best to highlight ways this applicator can still be useful for people who have trouble inserting cups manually. While I found it physically difficult to insert, reviews on the Sunny Cup website are overwhelmingly positive. This TikTok reviewer gave it a 10/10.
The hype and expectations around this product are extremely high. I desperately hoped it would get easier for me. Only with a ludicrous amount of lubricant and pushing the cup partially through the tip was it relatively effortless.
The entire selling feature of this cup is how easy it is, so I have to hold it to the standards and expectations the company set. Once again I stress that the cup itself MUST fit and be comfortable. If the cup doesn’t work or it isn’t comfortable, that is not a success. I find inserting menstrual cups with my hands faster and easier, but I hope that those who truly need an applicator can use this product successfully and easily.
The Compromise
Using an applicator involves compromises. It adds extra steps and time compared to inserting a menstrual cup manually. Some people can’t insert a cup manually, so in those cases, the trade-offs are worthwhile.
Others might simply want to try this for their own reasons. The additional logistics of washing a second item and remembering to bring the applicator when leaving home during your period can complicate things. I never remembered to pack tampons.
The ease of always having my cup or disc in nature’s purse has been one of the best perks of switching. If you’re considering using a cup applicator and it’s not a necessity, these are important factors to consider.
If you can use your hands for cup insertion, this product is probably not necessary. The fact that it exists is valuable because not everyone can insert cups by hand. Inserting cups by hand requires practice, but I found that this applicator has a learning curve, too. I am certain many of those most excited for the Sunny Cup found out the hard way that inserting cups was hard or impossible for them. I am crossing my fingers that this is the device that helps them succeed.
Speaking to everyone who can do so, I believe manual insertion offers more benefits over using an applicator. It provides more freedom during your period, a better sense of touch for precise placement, reduces washing and packing, helps promote anatomy awareness, and allows you to choose a cup that suits your anatomy best. My bias may show here, but I genuinely believe using your hands is easier and simpler if you can. I also understand that it’s a privilege to do so.
One Last Thing
Ending on a positive note, Sunny Period’s online videos about the Sunny Cup + Applicator have raised awareness among a younger audience about menstrual cups and discs. Their passion for menstrual cups is evident, and the industry can benefit from fresh eyes. I’m excited to see what Sunny Period does next after their ambitious first product.
Final Score
My ratings are based on using Sunny Cup for my period and “dry run” insertion tests. “Ease of Insertion” is based only on using the applicator with the Sunny Cup.
Overall grade 🩸🩸🩸
Ease of insertion 🩸🩸
Ease of removal 🩸🩸🩸
Leak factor 🩸🩸🩸🩸
Comfort factor 🩸🩸🩸🩸
Sunny Cup + Applicator FAQ
This review of the Sunny Cup is quite lengthy, so I’ve taken the liberty of addressing questions I see asked the most below.
Q: Can I use the Sunny Applicator with any menstrual cup?
A: No. The Sunny Applicator only fits the Sunny Cup.
Q: Can I use the Sunny Applicator with a menstrual disc?
A: Maybe. Smaller diameter menstrual discs like the Saalt Disc Small will fit inside the barrel and appear to work. “One Size” menstrual discs are too long when folded to fit entirely into the barrel and will not work.
Q: Can I insert the Sunny Cup without the applicator?
A: Maybe. You can fold the Sunny Cup like a regular menstrual cup and insert it manually. The Sunny Cup’s unique design does make it more difficult to insert it by hand since the body is extremely soft and thin, but it’s certainly possible if you need to. It works best when inserted using the applicator.
Q: How do I wash the Sunny Applicator?
A: Wash with a gentle hand soap or a menstrual cup safe cleaner after each insertion, and let it air dry or pat it dry. You can also use the Sunny Applicator when it’s still wet. Sunny Period recommends against boiling the Sunny Applicator.
Q: Can I trim the stem off my Sunny Cup?
A: Yes, the stem can be trimmed shorter or cut off for comfort. Feel for the base of the cup and trim below this to make sure you don’t trim too far and cut a hole in the cup. It will still work without a stem in the Sunny Applicator.
Q: Can I use lubricant with Sunny Cup?
A: Water-based lubricants are menstrual cup-safe. You can use this to help the Sunny Cup move through the applicator easier if needed, and/or apply to the applicator on the outside for a more comfortable and easier insertion into your body.
Where to Find Sunny Cup
Sunny Period is only taking pre-orders while they continue to catch up with their backlog. They’re doing a good job of providing estimated delivery dates now that manufacturing has started.
