Lola, the new direct-to-consumer tampon brand founded by two Dartmouth grads, Jordana Kier and Alexandra Friedman, is on a mission to revolutionize the feminine care category. The NYC-based startup aims to improve a professional woman’s feminine care across her reproductive cycle starting with its convenient and flexible online subscription service, tampon ingredient and design enhancements, transparent business model, and modern packaging. These innovations distinguish Lola from competitors like Tampax, Seventh Generation, and HelloFlo.
The company manufactures its own 100% hypoallergenic cotton tampons - no additives, synthetics, chemicals, or dyes - currently available with BPA-free plastic applicators. New design features include compact sizing, cotton expansion widthwise rather than lengthwise which the company claims insures superior protection, non-porous wrappers intended to keep cotton intact and unaffected by air particles, and a discreet, display-worthy box that clearly lists ingredients.
A subscriber can choose her preferred assortment of 18 light, regular, and super absorbency tampons, how many boxes she wants, and shipment frequency. She can customize her order to include 3-light/10-regular/5-super one month and the next all regular, as an example. Prices are (18-ct/box) 1 box $10 or 2 boxes $18.
Lola recently received $1.2 million in seed funding. Investors include BoxGroup, Vayner/RSE, 14W, Bonobos Co-Founder & CEO Andy Dunn and Thrive Capital.
Kier previously worked at Rent the Runway and Quidsi while earning her MBA from Columbia Business School. She graduated from Dartmouth College. Friedman worked at Flurry Analytics (acquired by Yahoo in 2014) and was a consultant at Boston Consulting Group in New York after graduating Dartmouth and earning her MBA at Wharton.
Lola Co-Founders share more:
Kristina Moore: What makes Lola a game-changer?
Jordana Kier & Alexandra Friedman: Like most women, we’ve been using the same feminine care products since we were teenagers. But when we found out that feminine care brands – the same ones we were loyal to all those years – aren’t required to disclose exactly what’s in their products, it made us wonder: what’s in our tampon? Contrary to popular belief, cotton isn’t the primary ingredient. In fact, tampons are typically made from a blend of the artificial fibers rayon and polyester. To us, it didn’t make sense. If we care about everything else we put in our bodies, this shouldn’t be any different.
LOLA is a modern approach to feminine care, providing the most seamless and convenient experience with the best product on the market. With LOLA, you can customize your absorbency assortment and delivery cadence so your tampons are completely tailored to your needs. We provide our own 100% cotton tampons in an easy to use subscription model so LOLA is there whenever you need.
“We want women to feel good about what they’re putting in their bodies and have peace of mind about... [+]
Moore: Why did you focus on tampons versus other options like sanitary napkins or menstrual cups?
Kier & Friedman: We want women to feel good about what they’re putting in their bodies and have peace of mind about what’s in their feminine care products. For us, and for a lot of women, that starts with tampons. A lot of people mistakenly assume that tampons are already made out of cotton, so it really starts with first raising awareness and educating our consumers. We’ll then apply that philosophy to all the products she needs for her menstrual health.
LOLA: 100% hypoallergenic cotton tampons in a customized box delivered directly to subscribers.... [+]
Moore: What makes Lola a better product for professional women?
Kier & Friedman: LOLA’s core customer expects more from the products she uses. The LOLA user values convenience but also cares about what she puts in her body, which is where we come in. Our 100% cotton tampons arrive in customizable assortments to give her what she needs, when she needs it, making those last-minute trips to the drugstore obsolete.
Moore: Why 100% cotton versus traditional cotton-rayon combo?
Kier & Friedman: We want to keep things simple and natural. Cotton is the most widely used natural fiber in the world for a reason: it’s breathable, comfortable, adaptable, and soft. Rayon is an artificial fiber made from cellulose. Because rayon is cheaper than cotton, it is ideal for big companies interested in profit margins and the bottom line. To us, it’s a choice between an all-natural product that we use for so many other things in our daily life, and a synthetic fiber.
Moore: How is Lola addressing the possibility of TSS?
Kier & Friedman: The scary thing is that tampons are a product category that has been very under-researched. Almost no independent research has ever investigated this topic. Without research or transparency, it's hard to make informed decisions. LOLA's mission is to start a conversation about what's in the products women use – and provide a simple and natural alternative to what’s on the market today. Our aim is to give women peace of mind about what they’re putting in their bodies each month.
Moore: How did investors react to your idea? Any advice for fellow entrepreneurs?
Kier & Friedman: Investors – of all genders – were extremely receptive to our vision. At first, we were nervous the predominantly male investor community wouldn’t be able to relate, but when we raised the issue that most women currently have no idea what’s in their tampon -- that’s a concern that can speak to any gender. We’re bringing not only a new product to market, but also a new way of thinking to market, and we found that this way of thinking appealed to our amazing group of investors, who participated in our 1.2M seed round pre-launch.
LOLA: Digital subscription service offering light, regular, and super absorbency compact all-cotton... [+]
Moore: Where do you see Lola in three years?
Kier & Friedman: Right now we’re focusing first and foremost on improving the tampon experience, but we definitely have plans to expand our product offering in the future. Overall, we want LOLA to provide a better feminine care experience in a relatable, straightforward and honest way in all areas of our customers’ reproductive lives.
Moore: What activities allow you to replenish your creativity and energy?
Kier & Friedman: During the week, we’ve both become pretty diligent about working out – I [Kier] spin and I [Friedman] swim. We also try to make each other laugh at least a hundred times a day.
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Kristina Moore is a style expert focusing on visual presentation as a dynamic professional tool. She is the founder and editor of Corporate Fashionista. Kristina welcomes your comments and questions.
