Lola, Offering Safer Tampons As A Subscription, Picks Up $1.2 Million In Seed Funding

There is now a subscription service for just about anything, and feminine hygiene products are no exception. There is HelloFlo, Le Parcel, Juniper and the list goes on and on.

But scheduled deliveries does not a great service make.

Lola, a new startup that just picked up $1.2 million in seed funding, is looking to differentiate not through merely scheduling deliveries, but by enhancing the product itself.

That’s right — Lola is making a new kind of tampon.

“We start using tampons at a young age, and we’re often given our first tampon from someone we trust, like a mom or a friend,” said cofounder Jordana Kier. “Because of this, we don’t often think about what our tampons are actually made of, or if they’re healthy for us.”

So Lola has developed an all-cotton tampon.

Tampons are considered medical devices and as such, require approval from the FDA, the Lola founders tell me. But the FDA doesn’t require these companies to list all the ingredients.

“Contrary to popular belief, cotton isn’t the primary ingredient in most tampons,” said cofounder Alexandra Friedman. “Tampons are typically made from a blend of the artificial fibers, rayon and polyester, and could also include chemicals and dyes.”

And if you know anything about rayon, chances are you don’t want you or your loved ones sticking it up their hoo-ha.

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Lola’s tampons are made of 100 percent cotton, and are currently available with plastic applicators, though the team says they’re working on cardboard applicators, too.

A single box holds 18 tampons and costs around $10, and folks who order two boxes at a time get $1 off each box. Like any other subscription service, Lola sends you your desired package (which is fully customizable by size) each month in time for Aunt Flo’s visit.

For comparison, most brands of tampons cost between $6 and $11, depending on the size of the box, and obviously that doesn’t include delivery.

Friedman says that part of the challenge is around education and marketing.

“These conversations aren’t had in large venues with big communities, but rather had among close friends,” said Friedman. “We’re trying to get these micro-communities talking about their cycles, and the products they use, the same way they talk about putting healthy food in their bodies.”

Lola’s new funding comes from a host of big name investors, including BoxGroup, VaynerRSE, Andy Dunn, 14W, and Thrive Capital’s Josh Kushner and Will Gaybrick.

You can learn more about Lola here.