It’s been over 90 years since Tampax created the first modern tampons, and the product’s design remains mostly unchanged. But the FDA just approved a new design that could change the appearance of a product that’s looked the same for decades.
The design, patented by the independent startup Sequel, has diagonal grooves that spiral down the product. The brand’s founders say the product’s helical shape better absorbs fluid, which leads to less leakage and a more reliable experience.
Before tampons can be legally sold in the US, the products must go through the FDA’s premarket review to determine that they are safe and effective. Approved products must undergo testing, including demonstrating the effect of the tampon on vaginal microflora.
This month, the FDA approved the tampon for use as a medical device. It was created by Greta Meyer and Amanda Calabrese, Stanford classmates who invented the prototype during a class project in 2018. The pair say that during their research, they frequently heard menstruators would use both tampons and pantyliners to feel totally protected.
Recent years have seen an increase in FDA approval of tampons made with various new materials like organic cotton, reusable applicators and even CBD. But the basic shape remains unchanged.
The period care industry may be resistant to development due to past scandals. In 1980, Procter & Gamble’s supposedly absorbent Rely tampons had to be removed from the market after reports of health issues among consumers, including the death of a 25-year-old woman from toxic shock syndrome.
“That’s where we see a double-edged sword, where you want to make something that is more absorbent, but you also get to safety issues,” Meyer said. “That’s a huge design constraint for us: we did not want to change the actual absorbency of a tampon.”
Period stigma also contributes to a lack of innovation in menstrual products, Chris Bobel, a professor of gender studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, previously told the Guardian.
“Our socialized priority is to conceal our menstruating bodies, and not to question the types of products that we use,” Bobel said. “It really is a perfect set-up for the industry to take advantage of us and exploit our desperation to pass as non-menstruating.”
Meyer and Calabrese are currently importing their first batch of tampons, and will start selling spiral tampons online by the end of 2023.
Meyer believes it will be an uphill battle to get consumers to change their habits. “People don’t necessarily love their tampons. They just have a system they’ve used since they first got their period.”