Andrex has teamed up with Bowel Cancer UK to encourage consumers to actually look at their poo.

The brand is leaning on the rise of digital health tracking to urge consumers to embrace the natural and free health tracker of turning around to look at the toilet bowl after doing a poo. According to Andrex’s research, 1 in 4 Brits don’t look back at the toilet bowl after doing a poo.

In a bid to change this and get more people to look at, talk about, and track their poo, Andrex has partnered with Bowel Cancer UK to encourage people to look back.

Andrex’s research reveals that as a nation, consumers are tracking-obsessed. 41% of consumers track their health, with the average Brit owning at least one health tracker, most commonly a smart watch or phone app (19% for both). Top markers to track include heart rate (45%) and sleep (43%). However, only 15% of those who track their health monitor their bowel movements.

The ‘Look Back and Track’ campaign is designed to be a cue to the nation, reminding them to look back at what’s in the toilet and on the paper, before they flush. According to the campaign team, looking at your poo is a free, effective health tracker that 12.8 million of us aren’t using.

As a parody of our obsession with health tech, Andrex has created The Really Smart Ring. This spoof creation contains absolutely no tech at all, is handmade by Albert Zubaida, a Hatton Garden jeweller, and engraved with ‘Look Back & Track.’ This has been gifted to influencers, including Abraham Bunga, to help spread the word about why looking back and tracking is so important.

According to Andrex, Gen Z is more likely to track their health with at least one device (60%), compared to 47% of Millennials and Gen X. However, when it comes to looking at their poo, they’re the ones who are the most squeamish. 35% of Gen Z don’t feel comfortable looking at their own poo, compared to 26% of Millennials and 25% of Gen Xers.

Changes in pooing habits (i.e. going more or less frequently, or having diarrhoea/ constipation that might come and go) can be signs of a bowel-related issue, yet the research shows that 15% of people wouldn’t do anything if they noticed these changes.

The campaign is designed to change this narrative, getting people to confront their embarrassment and get comfortable about going to the loo and speaking to a GP about any bowel-related concerns.

Andrex and the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity have been working with Dr Sandi Mann to debunk people's fears.

Dr Sandi Mann explains: ”There could be various reasons why people might be reluctant to look at their poo. Although it is a natural waste product, we have been conditioned to consider poo as rather gross! This is because the smell is designed to put us off, and we are only taught to express it in places that can ensure it is quickly whisked out of sight.”

He continued: “Should we then fail to do this beyond a certain age, we will meet strong societal disapproval. We might also be afraid of what we might see and what it might indicate, so it feels easier to literally look the other way. However, of course, that means we are ignoring a really important way to monitor our health, so attitudes really need to change so we can normalise looking back and tracking.”

Of the 1 in 4 Brits who rarely or never track their poo, the main reasons for not doing so were a lack of knowledge on what to look for (36%), followed by feelings of disgust (31%), and not realising that it could be informative on one’s health (18%).

Niamh Finan, Marketing Director at Andrex, added: “We are currently on a mission to break down the embarrassment barriers when it comes to the toilet and encourage the nation to ‘Get Comfortable’ with their bowel health. We have partnered with Bowel Cancer UK to change this narrative and tackle the stigma around pooing. Our joint mission is to get the nation to tackle the embarrassment around pooing and drive earlier diagnosis of bowel cancer. Encouraging people to look back and track their poo is a step towards achieving this.”

Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK, added: “We're delighted to be partnering with Andrex on this campaign to encourage people to track their poo and pooing habits. It’s important for people to know what's normal for them and watch out for anything unusual or signs of something more serious. If you're worried or feel that something's not right, it's important to speak to your GP.”

Main symptoms to watch out for when tracking your poo are: bleeding from your bottom or blood in your poo, a change in your pooing habits (you might be going more or less often, or have diarrhoea or constipation that might come and go), losing weight but you’re not sure why or feeling very tired all the time but you’re not sure why, or a pain or lump in your tummy. Having these symptoms doesn’t always mean you have bowel cancer, but it’s still important to find out what’s causing them. Even if you have just one of these, ask your GP for a simple test you can do at home.

The Look Back & Track campaign is part of a three-year partnership between Andrex and Bowel Cancer UK. The long-term partnership has included several impactful initiatives, including placing bowel cancer symptoms on the back of over 100 million packs of Andrex toilet tissue a year.