I’m going to be honest. I didn’t know what I was putting in my body every time I used a tampon.
Of course I had my go-to brand I was so used to reaching for in the supermarket. But I had no idea what chemicals and ingredients were in them and whether they were dangerous to my body.
Until I discovered Cora Women.
A startup company that produces organic tampons, Cora’s aim is to empower women and lift the veil between consumers and feminine care brands. With personalized subscriptions delivered straight to your door every month, Cora changed the way I saw myself, my period and the products I use to care for my body.
Why organic?
Cora’s goal to be transparent with customers starts with being honest about what goes into their products. Unlike leading brands that use rayon, which can increase the risk of toxic shock syndrome, Cora uses 100 percent organic cotton in their products. That means no pesticides or insecticide traces entering your body.
“We seek to raise the bar and innovate an industry that hasn’t seen a change in decades,” Emma Sandrolini, Cora’s Product Operations Manager said.
Other companies use chlorine bleaching and formaldehyde to whiten and purify their products. Cora uses water soluble soda ash. And in case you were wondering, formaldehyde is the chemical used in glues, adhesives, industrial materials, fungicides and preservatives, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“These things are obviously not good for your body,” said Sydney Snowden, R.N. at Texas A&M Student Health Services. “I wouldn’t advise any woman to be putting that in her vagina.”
What do I get?
When you subscribe to Cora, your first monthly supply comes with a Signature Kit packaged in a Little Black Box. The sleek design of their product takes away the shame of storing tampons out in the open by the bathroom vanity or over the toilet.
Each kit includes a custom supply of tampons based on (1) how long your period lasts and (2) how heavy your flow is. You can also customize your supply’s absorbency mix if you don’t fancy the fixed sets—for example, if you really do need seven days’ worth of Super Plus, there’s no shame! You can have that!
In addition to your month’s supply, you also get a wallet-sized “clutch” made of vegan black leather that perfectly fits three tampons to stash in your purse while at work or at school.
My personal favorites are the “stowaway” lipstick tubes that discreetly hold a single tampon to rid you of the humiliation of smuggling a tampon to the bathroom whenever you’re purseless. Say goodbye to sneaking crinkly pink-plastic-wrapped tampons in the fist of a clenched hand to the movie theatre bathroom!
How much does it cost?
Each month’s supply costs between $7 and $18, depending on your subscription. A basic 36-count box of tampons from a leading brand typically costs $7—about twice the count of a monthly supply—but Cora produces the same amount with twice the impact.
For every month’s supply purchased, Cora provides a month’s supply of pads to a girl in need. Their partner in Kenya, The ZanaAfrica Foundation, has supplied 30,000 girls with feminine products and health education since 2013. Their partner in India, Aakar Innovations, is run by women, for women and reaches 150 million women and girls by producing affordable compostable pads.
“We seek to empower women by educating them about their bodies, their cycles, and their voice,” Sandrolini said.
And almost instantly, I was hooked. I fell in love with the idea that I could care for myself in a way that cared for the environment as well as other women. Not only was I sure I was making the best choice for my body, but I loved knowing my investment was going to better my health and others’ on an even larger scale.
For me, the switch to organic was an easy one. Unquestionable. And exciting to the point that I couldn’t stop talking about it. Imagine that! Being excited for your period!
But let’s be honest, woman to woman—when it comes to our bodies, we always want the best. So why not start with the basics? Essentials like feminine products should keep us happy, healthy and feeling our best. So before you run to the store, think about researching your feminine products. We as women deserve to feel peace when it comes to knowing what we’re putting in our bodies. Learning to treat myself best during that time of the month was one of the worthiest investments I could make.