Talking Natural Women’s Health Products with Smart Girl Meika Hollender from Sustain Natural
It can be awkward and uncomfortable to discuss periods and women’s reproductive health. But why? It’s something that so many of us deal with, yet discussions about vaginal health and hygiene are often taboo. Meika Hollender, co-founder and co-CEO of Sustain Natural, knows that talking about vaginal health can sometimes be uncomfortable — but is very important:
“Our vaginas are one of the most absorbent parts of our bodies, so what you put in them matters. Conventional brands use everything from rayon, to fragrances to chlorine bleach. The crazy part? The FDA doesn’t even require tampon and pad manufacturers to list their ingredients.”
Sustain Natural’s products are different. They create products that are not only healthier but also better for the environment. Sustain Natural seeks to address the lack of natural health items for women — for everything from condoms to tampons, empowering women to take control of their health. Plus, they give 10% of profits to help improve access to women’s health services in the United States for the 20 million women that lack access. All-around, Sustain Natural is helping to improve the lives and options of women when it comes to reproductive health.
We spoke with Meika Hollender via e-mail about co-founding Sustain Natural, how to encourage conversations about women’s reproductive health, and improving access to tampons for women who need them.
Smart Girls: What inspired you to start Sustain Natural?
Meika Hollender: About four years ago when I was finishing up business school at NYU, my dad approached me with an idea he’d had many years prior: a natural, vagina-friendly condom company. To many, a family condom business can sound a bit shocking, but my family has deep roots creating sustainable products. Over 30 years ago, my parents founded Seventh Generation.
When I started talking about starting this business a lot of people asked me, ‘Why Condoms?’ Here’s why: Oddly, the manufacture of and ingredients used in intimate products, from condoms to tampons to lubricants, can harm rather than help bodies. I saw an important opportunity to create better, safer products.
I saw two major opportunities — first, in all other categories, women were demanding safer products, from food to cosmetics, but for the most intimate of products, the ones going inside of our vaginas, there weren’t safer more natural options. Additionally, sexual wellness products have been forever made by men and marketed to men. What about women? Women buy 40% of condoms but have been completely neglected by the category.
I founded Sustain to change all this. To empower women to take control of their sexual and reproductive health with better, more natural products.
SG: What challenges did you face in starting your own business and what did you learn from them?
MH: I was head down during the first year of building Sustain, getting the product made and securing distribution, and I didn’t really take a step back to think about what it meant to be a young woman launching a condom company.
Right before officially launching Sustain, we got our first piece of press on a major media site! The minute I got the link from our PR agency, I clicked through to the article and excitement flooded over me. Sustain was launched into the world! I scrolled down to the bottom of the article and started reading through the comments…the first comment was someone slut-shaming me. As you can(‘t) see, I have a huge freckle on my lower lip. I started reading the first comment and my stomach flipped when I read, “What’s that on her lower lip…is that an STD? Clearly she should be using condoms, not selling them!”
I was devastated in the moment, but over time it became a huge validation for what we were doing, and it solidified my commitment to our mission. Women should no longer feel ashamed for being sexual. I want women not only buying, carrying, and using condoms (and organic tampons and lubricant!), but I want them to feel GOOD about it!
SG: A lot of us grow up not being taught about reproductive health or just having terribly awkward discussions about periods. How can we open up the dialog so that these important issues can be discussed without shame?
MH: Start talking! To your friends, your family, your doctor, start having conversations about masturbation, infertility, period cramps — I promise you won’t regret it. All vagina-havers in this world deal with so many of the same issues, and the best way to break these taboos is to start opening up about them. Don’t over think it, just do it.
SG: You’ve been working on making tampons and pads free of sales tax. Why is the issue so important and what can we all do to help make it happen?
MH: In 37 states, tampons and pads are taxed as luxury, non-essential items. Since when is dealing with our period — one of the most natural bodily functions — considered a luxury? Aside from food which isn’t taxed, I can’t think of a more essential item for women. Rogaine and men’s razors aren’t even taxed, yet again, an example of gender inequality playing out in politics. The most disturbing reality is that low-income women can’t use food stamps to buy period products. It’s the most requested and least donated item in homeless shelters. Consumers spend approximately $100 on tampons a year — where does this leave low-income women and families? After learning these facts, I felt compelled to do something about it. So, for the first 30 days of our period product launch, we will match the dollars we collect in sales tax on tampons and pads with a donation to the organization Girls Helping Girls. Period.
SG: You recently launched a new line and are working to support Girls Helping Girls. Period. You’re also working with Period Equity. How did you get involved with these organizations and why is their work important to you?
MH: At Sustain, we put your body first, which means everything from sourcing fair trade latex for our condoms, to 100% organic cotton for our tampons and pads. We also disclose every single ingredient in all of our products. I’m proud of the work that we do but that’s not enough. As a business leader in this industry, it’s my responsibility to lead the charge for change and to be part of this movement to demand full transparency so that all women everywhere can make informed decisions about what they’re putting inside themselves. This means working with organizations like Period Equity and Women’s Voices for the Earth, to create a future that ensures menstrual equity.
SG: What’s the next step forward in improving access and products for women’s health? What do you hope to see happen in the future?
MH: The most important thing I hope for in the near future is that Congresswoman Meng’s bill gets passed which will force the FDA to require that all tampon and pad manufacturers disclose their ingredients. It’s unacceptable to me that in 2017, women still don’t always have access to this information.
The future is a world in which women are educated about what they are putting inside their bodies, because it’s their body and they deserve the right to this information.
You can find out more about Sustain Natural on their website. Thank you, Meika, for inspiring us to not only take control of our health but to get educated.
