Direct to consumer online sales have helped a number of female-focused startups get products to market in recent years \u2014 often pitching better designed and generally more thoughtful feminine hygiene products than mainstream staples.<\/p>\n
The lack of innovation in the mainstream market for feminine hygiene has certainly created a gap for startups to address. Examples in recent years include companies like Thinx<\/a> (absorbent panties for menstruation) and Flex<\/a> (a disc-shaped tampon alternative for wearing during sex). Or Daye \u2014 which makes CBD tampons<\/a> for simultaneously treating period cramps.<\/p>\n Even so, there still hasn\u2019t been a critical mass of product innovation in the category \u2014 to the point where alternatives can trickle down (no pun intended) and influence the trajectory of the mainstream market. The core products on shelves are, all too often, depressingly familiar \u2014 disposable pads and tampons \u2014 even if they may (sometimes) now be made of organic cotton or have some other mild design tweaks.<\/p>\n The most notable change to the available product mix is probably period pants \u2014 which have recently started to appear on mainstream shop shelves and seem to be selling well in markets like the U.K., as The Guardian<\/a> reported recently.<\/p>\n In the average drug store, the other non-disposable alternative you\u2019ll most likely see is the menstrual cup. Which is not at all new \u2014 but has finally got traction beyond its original (very) niche community of users, which is another signal that consumers are more open to trying different solutions to deal with their monthly bleeding versus the same old throwaway wadding.<\/p>\n While free bleeding<\/a> \u2014 an old movement which has also seen a bit of wider pickup in recent years \u2014 can also be seen, at least in part, as a protest against the poor quality of mainstream products for periods.<\/p>\n All of which makes this forthcoming product launch rather interesting: Meet LastPad<\/a>, a reusable (rather than disposable) sanitary towel.<\/p>\n\n Image Credits:<\/strong> LastPad<\/p>\n The first thing you\u2019ll likely notice is that the pad is black in color \u2014 which certainly rings the changes versus the usual white stick-on fodder. The company behind LastPad says it worked with an unnamed \u201cluxury lingerie manufacture\u201d on look and feel \u2014 and, well, judging by the product shots alone it shows.<\/p>\n The bigger behind-the-scenes change is that it\u2019s been designed for sustained, repeat usage. So each LastPad comes with its own fabric pouch (in a range of colors) for folding up and storing after use (and until you get a chance to pop it in the wash). The pad can also stay in its pouch for washing so there\u2019s no need for additional handling until you\u2019re getting it out of the washing machine to dry.<\/p>\n LastPad is the brainchild of Danish designer and entrepreneur Isabel Aagaard, whose company LastObject<\/a> has \u2014 for the past three years \u2014 been taking aim at the wastefulness of single-use hygiene and beauty products, designing reusable alternatives for what are unlovely but practical items \u2014 like Q-Tips and tissues*.<\/p>\n In total, LastObject has sold around 1.5 million products so far \u2014 across its existing range of beauty, hygiene and travel-focused items. But LastPad marks its first push into a really female-focused product category.<\/p>\n A reusable (washable) sanitary pad is clearly a big step up on the design challenge front versus making reusable (silicone) Q-Tips or (cotton) tissues or makeup rounds \u2014 because of the complexity involved with designing a wearable, intimate hygiene product that can handle the variable and often messy nature of periods, and keep doing so, use after use.<\/p>\n It needs to be both comfortable and reliable \u2014 as so many disposable pads actually aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n So it\u2019s not too surprising that, per Aagaard, the company has been working on designing and prototyping LastPad for two years. Now they\u2019re finally ready to bring it to market \u2014 launching the LastPad on Kickstarter<\/a> today \u2014 with a goal of shipping to early backers next February.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing amazing conversions [for the LastPad pre-campaign],\u201d she says, discussing how much demand they\u2019re expecting. \u201cThis is our sixth [crowdfunder] campaign \u2014 and it\u2019s looking really good. So I think the demand is bigger than I actually imagined. Because this is also the first product that is only for women. And we were very much in doubt that we should put it on Kickstarter because it\u2019s a very male-dominated platform but it\u2019s looking really positive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe already started working on this two years ago so it\u2019s really been a process. And also because we wanted it to be really innovative. Because right now you can see on the market there\u2019ll be pads that are more like home sewn or do it yourself \u2014 and we wanted to really make an exclusive, very, very innovative version of that \u2014 that has a lot of the benefits that the single-use version has.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> LastPad<\/p>\n Each LastPad is made up of three layers: A woven top to help keep the pad feeling dry against the skin by quickly funnelling menstrual fluids down into \u2014 layer two \u2014 a central absorbent section (made of bamboo) \u2014 which sits above a TPU base to ensure no risk of leaks.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first layer is a woven material that is really, really fine \u2014 it has a little bit of silver in it so that the odours will disappear. It\u2019s also woven with small funnels so that the blood disappears very quickly into the middle layer \u2014 because it\u2019s so important that you\u2019re not like wet. Because that\u2019s awful. So it dries quite quickly when you\u2019re wearing it,\u201d explains Aagaard. \u201cAnd then the middle layer is 100% bamboo \u2014 it\u2019s absorbent like crazy; 40% more absorbent than, for example, cotton. And it also has anti-bacterial properties. And then the bottom layer is a TPU [Thermoplastic Polyurethane] \u2014 which is just a leakproof cover; it\u2019s comfortable, it\u2019s not like a plastic bag but it does make sure that you cannot bleed through it.\u201d<\/p>\n While disposable sanitary towels rely on an adhesive layer to enable the consumer fix the pad to their panties, LastPad has to do that a bit differently too given it\u2019ll be going through the wash. So the pads have wings \u2014 which wrap around the gusset of the panties and fix together underneath with a (soft) Velcro fastening.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not all: There\u2019s a (sticky) silicone strip running around the back side of the pad which helps prevent it from moving around \u2014 and, per Aagaard, will happily survive repeat washing (in fact if it\u2019s not used for a time, she says dust may temporarily reduce the stickiness \u2014 but says that immediately resolves just by wetting it again).<\/p>\n \u201cWhere I felt that we really made a huge difference is that on the back side of the pad \u2014 it has wings [with] a Velcro [fastener] that\u2019s completely soft and you don\u2019t feel it; even if you\u2019re biking \u2014 that was like the big test \u2014 and then it has a silicone strip in the back and at the bottom, like a sticky silicone\u2026 so it doesn\u2019t move around in your pants.\u201d<\/p>\n Practically speaking, it won\u2019t be possible for a LastPad user to use just one LastPad to see them through their period \u2014 given the need to wash and dry them between uses. So a pack of several reusable pads will be necessary to entirely replace disposable pads and ensure there\u2019s always a clean towel available to swap out the used pad.<\/p>\n But LastObject\u2019s idea is, much like you own several pairs of socks and briefs, you\u2019ll have a set of LastPads to see you through until after laundry day.<\/p>\n The product comes in three different sizes and thicknesses to cater to different flow levels, too. So the consumer may end up owning a range of reusable LastPads \u2014 from a panty liner option to a day flow and heavier-duty night pads.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> LastPad<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t as simple as I thought it was going to be \u2014 but that\u2019s also because you have to understand the viscoses of blood, for example, compared to water,\u201d Aagaard tells TechCrunch. \u201cAnd also a flow \u2014 it\u2019s not just blood. There\u2019s a lot of other stuff that come out. So it\u2019s taking all of these things into consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been testing it for so long,\u201d she goes on. \u201cThat was our main thing with this product. A lot of the other [LastObject products] were very much about printing it, looking at it. Using it of course \u2014 but it took us long before we had it in actually a silicone form. Because that is also expensive. Whereas [LastPad] we could sew quite quickly just here at the office and [test it]\u2026 So we\u2019ve just been testing it constantly \u2014 how\u2019s the feeling? Getting it out to a lot of different women that wear different panties that have different cycles. So it\u2019s really been about testing.\u201d<\/p>\n Pricing for LastPad will be around $60 for three pads \u2014 so around $20 per pad. Which is obviously a lot more expensive than the per unit cost of disposable towels. But LastObject says it will offer packs so if a consumer buys more pads it should shrink the per pad cost a little.<\/p>\n Aagaard says the product has been tested to withstand at least 240 washes \u2014 which she suggests will mean it\u2019s able to last at least a couple of years, saving likely hundreds of disposable pads from being consumed in its stead.<\/p>\n Although it\u2019s maybe less likely to save consumers money \u2014 depending on which disposable pads you\u2019d buy and how many you\u2019d used per cycle (basic disposable pads can cost as little as ~20c each) \u2014 as LastObject recommends owning nine of its LastPads which could cost around $80 or more). But the target user is evidently someone with enough disposable income to be able to pay a premium for an eco alternative.<\/p>\n Given the price-point, it does also look more expensive than the menstrual cup \u2014 an existing and highly practical alternative to disposable menstrual products \u2014 which can cost around $30 (for one reusable cup; and you can get away with owning just one) and, typically, a cup will also last for years as it\u2019s made of silicone.<\/p>\n However the menstrual cup won\u2019t suit every woman \u2014 and does require access to clean water to rinse and sanitize \u2014 so having more non-disposable alternatives for periods is great.<\/p>\n Aagaard says she\u2019s a fan of the menstrual cup but suggests LastPad can still be useful for its users as a back-up to catch any leaks and\/or provide an added layer of reassurance.<\/p>\n While, with period pants, she says the issue she finds unpleasant is the feeling of wetness when wearing them.<\/p>\n On LastPad\u2019s environmental credentials, the washing process required to keep reusing the pad does obviously require some resources (water, soap etc.) but \u2014 as is the case with other LastObject products \u2014 the company\u2019s claim is that it\u2019s still substantially greener to wash and reuse its non-disposable products versus consuming and binning single-use items that have to be continually produced and shipped out (generating ongoing CO2). Such products can also pollute the environment after they\u2019ve been thrown away \u2014 and plastic waste is of course a huge global problem (including from thrown-away sanitary products).<\/p>\n LastObject will be publishing a third-party LCA (lifecycle assessment) for LastPad to back up its eco claims for the reusable product \u2014 comparing it to using disposable sanitary pads. But Aagaard is confident it will be substantially better when compared against most disposable alternatives.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll be putting a wash on anyway; [LastPads] don\u2019t take up that much space; you\u2019re not going to wash them just them; it is with your other laundry; and if you wash them at a cold wash I think that the LCA report will look really good,\u201d she suggests when we ask about the eco credentials.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing this with all our products where we\u2019re taking them through a third party who\u2019s testing everything and putting them up against [alternatives] and having these considerations with CO2, with water, with chemicals \u2014 with the whole pack\u2026 So we\u2019ll be doing that more specifically; right now\u2026 the alternative of a [disposable] pad \u2014 they are so differently produced. It\u2019s crazy. So I could say the worst [for comparative purposes] or I could say the best \u2014 and ours is about 12x better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we got the LCA report for the LastTissue and LastSwab they were so much better than I have imagined,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n From this year the European Union has started banning the sale of some single-use plastic items (such as Q-tips and disposable cutlery) as reducing plastic waste is one of the goals for regional lawmakers. And \u2014 globally \u2014 regulators are increasingly looking for quick wins to shrink the environmental impact of the fast moving consumer goods market\u2019s long standing love affair with plastic.<\/p>\n But some disposable product categories are simply more essential than others \u2014 which makes it hard for lawmakers to just ban plenty of wasteful, polluting products. So developing innovative, reusable alternatives is one way to help lighten the usage load.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most sustainable pad that you can ever have is actually the one that you don\u2019t produce but that would just be free bleeding \u2014 and I think that 99% of women are not ready for that,\u201d adds Aagaard. \u201cSo can we make some solutions on some of the things that we actually have to take care of?\u201d<\/p>\n While LastObject is sticking with Kickstarter to get LastPad to market, Aagaard confirms that once they see how much early adopter demand it\u2019s getting they plan to produce enough to also sell via some of the other outlets where they currently sell their products \u2014 such as e-commerce sites like Amazon and of course their own web shop.<\/p>\n So far, the U.S. has been the main market for LastObject\u2019s reusable wares, per Aagaard \u2014 which she attributes to mostly using Kickstarter to build a community of users. But she adds that the company is starting to see more traction in Europe as it\u2019s increased the number of regional distributors it works with.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s next for the company after LastPad? The product direction they\u2019ll take is an active discussion, she says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can keep going the beauty way, we can go more personal care but we have to also [not] go in too many directions. I personally have a lot of fun things I want to do in the bathroom still, because I feel like it\u2019s a space where not a lot of designers have actually really been investigating some of the products that we\u2019re using. Both in beauty but also in personal care. Like in the floss and toothbrush but also in diapers and wipes and all of that. So I think that there\u2019s some innovation that could be really fun. But\u2026 this one took two years and I\u2019m so happy about the result and I couldn\u2019t have spent two months less on it. Then we wouldn\u2019t have had the solutions that we\u2019ve gotten to. So that feels very important.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> LastPad<\/p>\n *Washable tissues are also of course not new. Indeed, Wikipedia<\/a> credits the invention of pocket squares to wipe the nose to King Richard II of England who reigned in the 14th century. But the traditional (fabric) handkerchief \u2014 which was used, laundered and reused \u2014 became yet another casualty of the switch to single-use, disposable, cheap consumer goods that\u2019s since been shown to have such high environmental costs. So perhaps reversing this damaging default will bring more \u2018historical product innovation\u2019 back into fashion as societies look to apply a modern \u2018circular economy\u2019 lens.<\/em><\/p>\n\n