Menstruation, menopause, and intimate pleasure. These are just some of the ‘women’s issues’ that have been mired in taboo and misconceptions for years. Although there have been positive strides forward with brands aiming to normalise and celebrate these parts of life with quality products and support that include everyone, taboos still remain.
However, many female entrepreneurs have decided to take a stand and create brands to break down these taboos and open up the conversation. Today, we look at five of these female-founded brands that have become thought leaders in their sectors.
Jude
Jude is a healthcare company created to break down bladder taboos by opening the conversations around incontinence. Founder Peony Li founded Jude with the mission to provide improved bladder care while also caring for the planet.
Working with a team of leading doctors and gynaecologists, Jude is determined to tackle the underlying issues of bladder care. Jude stands out through the foundations it builds on: community and sustainability. Every product is co-created making sure it is sustainable and of the best quality. On top of this, Jude holds weekly discussions with medical specialists to help support women and have an online community to share self-care tips and health hacks.
Hanx
HANX is a sex-positive, planet-friendly and female-founded brand transforming female sexual health. Best friends Dr Sarah Welsh and Farah Kabir created HANX in 2017 following a discussion about their own personal frustrations. Using this frustration and passion, Sarah and Farah created HANX with the determination to challenge the status quo and misconceptions about vaginas and penises, and create products that are sustainable and gynae-backed.
Featured in Women’s Health, Forbes and Vogue, HANX uses a sex-positive approach to the contraception conversation and uses ingredients that are safe and beneficial to the female’s intimate area. HANX have partnered with a range of organisations who excel in inclusive sex education and tackle female-issues, giving them the authority to position themselves as thought leaders in the debate.
Kama
Featured in Forbes, Vogue and The Times, Kama was created to revolutionise sex lives through an immersive app platform that focuses on teaching self-love, sex and intimacy. Chloe Macintosh has been researching intimacy and sexuality for many years by travelling the world to meet experts and practitioners. Breaking down sex taboos, Kama uses science to back the idea that pleasure is health.
What stands out is the way it promotes this idea. Instead of doing the bare minimum, Kama uses ‘The Kama Method’ which is a daily practice designed by experts to recondition ones mind, body and heart to maximise pleasure. This approach combines scientific learnings around neuroplasticity, psychology, somatic awareness and an ancient wisdom.
WUKA
WUKA: Stand Up Kick Ass. This motto embodies the foundations that this company is built on. Ruby Raut created the UK’s first ever reusable and leak-proof period wear. With the belief that periods should not cost the planet, equality and environmental responsibility are at the core of everything WUKA does.
Breaking down body and period taboos, WUKA remains a body positive and sustainable brand through its products, business practices and packaging. WUKA strives to give back anytime it can through donating, promoting campaigns on female-issues and partnering up with charities that focus on supporting women.
Vira
Andrea Berchowitz and Rebecca Love started Vira 2019 as a digital health company focused on improving long term health for women by starting with better menopause care. Vira uses a product called Stella, which is an app that supports women going through menopause. Raising £10.7m in investment so far, the Stella app helps women make a real difference to their quality of life now and in the future.
Vira uses two types of Stella apps – ‘Stella for you’ and ‘Stella for work’. Stella for you is for individual women looking for advice and ways to help them improve their quality of life. Stella for work is for employers to help give women the support they need throughout the menopause. Vira is working towards helping women from both angles by addressing these conditions and improving the collection and use of female data in healthcare.
If you’re a female-founded brand breaking down taboos and wanting to promote your business, why not get in touch today to see how our team of experts can help you achieve these goals?
