Feminine care company Callaly has developed the award-winning Tampliner to provide women with a better experience for that time of the month. Ewa Radziwon explains more to Jessica Owen.
The average woman will have around 500 periods in their lifetime – which means they are likely to use approximately 10,000 tampons overall.
With this in mind, it is no surprise that sales from the feminine hygiene product market are expected to cross US$38bn by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% between 2018 and 2026, according to Persistence Market Research.
Yet, considering that feminine hygiene products are used every day across the world, there has been little significant innovation regarding the tampon in around 80 years – this is something that the team at Callaly is determined to change.
Callaly is a relatively new British feminine care company that has developed and launched the Tampliner – a one-product alternative to using a combination of a tampon and liner.
The design has already impressed those in the hygiene and personal care market by winning the Hygienix Innovation Award at the Hygienix conference in Florida, US, in November 2018.
Inventing the Tampliner
The Tampliner was invented by Dr Alex Hooi, who is a British gynaecologist with more than 35 years’ experience. Over the course of his career, Hooi heard thousands of women talk of their frustration with femcare products and decided to do something about it.
“The choice was too limited and everything on the market seemed to be either uncomfortable, inconvenient or prone to leaks,” says Ewa Radziwon, garment technologist and co-founder of Callaly.
“More worryingly, the industry is not strongly regulated in Europe to the extent that people could be putting sheddable, unsterilised materials inside their bodies.”
Radziwon says that what Hooi found most frustrating was the lack of innovation in femcare over the past 80 years, especially given that the market is so large.
“He wanted to create a better, cleaner and more convenient option, which is why he invented the Tampliner.”
Radziwon was studying at the London College of Fashion when Hooi got in touch looking for a designer and seamstress to help make prototypes for the Tampliner.
“I thought ‘why not?’ Femcare deserves as much design innovation as fashion does, even if it is slightly less glamourous,” she adds. “There are more parallels with being a garment technologist than you might expect.”
The Tampliner baton has now been handed over to Radziwon, and Hooi continues to practise medicine in London and frequently checks in as chief medical officer to advise and assist with product development.
Design features
The Tampliner is a completely new femcare product. It is the only product that combines a tampon with a mini-liner, and it is the only product that is worn folded between the labia rather than it being attached to underwear, according to Callaly.
“The virtual applicator, which is also unique to Tampliners, protects both the finger and vagina and wraps the tampon on its way out – unlike any other period product,” adds Radziwon.
The Tampliner is a one-product alternative to the tampon and liner combination that many people use – Callaly conducted some research and found that seven out of 10 women wear a liner alongside their tampon to absorb any leaks.
“Hooi researched the design requirements with regards to the female anatomy and obviously had a lot of medical knowledge, so the foundation for the design was there before I joined the team,” explains Radziwon.
“I then helped develop and improve the design and source the best materials. We did user trials with more than 500 women and tested various designs before we settled on the materials and design. We then launched the product in 2018.”
Fabrication
The Tampliners are made in the UK from a range of high-quality materials.
The virtual applicator is made from a medical-grade, breathable membrane; the same material that is used by surgeons and in some internal devices such as catheters.
“Our tampons are made with 100% organic cotton and have a very thin protective film to stop them from shedding – some rayon tampons have been known to deposit fibres in the vagina,” says Radziwon.
“Our mini-liners are also made with 100% organic cotton and have an impermeable bio-film on the bottom to keep your underwear dry,” she adds.
Convincing others of the product
From the beginning, Callaly wanted to hold itself to the highest standards in every area. “We never settle for just good enough, which means constantly sourcing the best materials, manufacturing partners, quality systems, packaging designers, and even the ink we use to print our boxes,” says Radziwon.
What’s more, because the Tampliner is a totally new product, the company has had to build the operation up from the ground, including new machines, supply chain, packaging and so on.
“We really have had to forge the way ahead ourselves, which means there is always a lot to learn.”
Added to that is the fact that, like every start-up with a disruptive product, the company has had to convince investors, suppliers and researchers to trust and support the product.
Radziwon says that being in an industry that is still taboo to even talk about makes it twice as tricky too.
“However, we’ve secured patents all over the world, investment, and a UK government innovation loan. And, we won the Hygienix Innovation Award as well, so the challenges are certainly paying off.”
Range expansion
Callaly is currently gearing up for a further product launch in spring 2019, where the range will expand to include other organic cotton femcare products alongside Tampliners.
The team’s aim was always to add another choice to the available options, but they knew that no single product would be perfect for everyone all the time, which is why they will soon be adding pads, liners and non-applicator tampons.
Radziwon adds: “Innovation will always be at the absolute core of the company, and we invest time and resources into researching and developing new products, both in female healthcare and the medical space that serves people without periods, too.”
To find out more about the Tampliner and Callaly, visit: https://www.calla.ly/gb/home
