June 1, 2015

"Can These Panties Disrupt the $15 Billion Feminine Hygiene Market?"

THINX panties have "antimicrobial, leak-resistant fibers in the crotch that promise to absorb as much menstrual blood as up to two tampons or a pad — without the wearer feeling it — and promise to leave the wearer feeling dry."
The business is built on a buy-one-give-one model, by which every pair of THINX sold generates a donation to Uganda based AFRIPads, which trains women in developing countries to make and sell reusable pads, which are sold at affordable prices to local women.

On the environmental front, Agrawal says THINX panties can eliminate the landfill waste generated by traditional feminine products. The National Women’s Health Network reports that each year 12 billion pads and 7 million tampons are dumped into U.S. landfills. Agrawal says that by using only THINX during her period, she has made zero carbon impact for the past year.

35 comments:

alan markus said...

Why isn't this one tagged "I am Laslo"?

MadisonMan said...

Filed under: something the Government should pay for.

RAH said...

I would guess the panties are meant to be disposable. Otherwise the laundering would be an issue

Bruce Hayden said...

Filed under: something the Government should pay for.

This Administration esp is good at that. The Dem majority at the FCC has just announced that they plan to extend the "lifeline" program to cover free broadband Internet. A month or so after announcing "Net Neutrality", which means socialized Internet access. Everyone gets equal Internet bandwidth, regardless of how much they pay a month, or with this Lifeline service, whether they pay anything at all.

Lifeline is a good example of why even good govt programs eventually bloat beyond all recognition. Initially, it was for people who needed a phone to call 911. Then, with land lines disappearing, it was extended to limited cell phone minutes. And, then, Obama didn't think that was fair, so we now have a charge on our cell phone bills to cover service for those who voluntarily or involuntarily don't work. And, we will shortly have the same for Internet broadband.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Bad link.

Uh... so it's a disposable diaper? That's what it is, right? It seems to me this technology has existed for some time.

NTTIAWWT

rhhardin said...

This is bad news for maxipad bike helmet forehead pad users.

Bruce Hayden said...

Yeh - every time I start feeling sorry for guys thanks to progressives' War on Men, I think of feminine hygiene products, and am thankful that I am a guy.

rhhardin said...

Evidently you're expected to reuse them for a couple of years, which implies washing I'd suppose. Drying might take a while if they hold moisture. Don't mix with whites.

Anonymous said...

rhhardin said...
Evidently you're expected to reuse them for a couple of years, which implies washing I'd suppose. Drying might take a while if they hold moisture. Don't mix with whites.


perhaps the model is 7 panties, labeled Monday thru Sunday. Each used once, collected and washed, then set to dry for 21 days....

Bob Boyd said...

"I would guess the panties are meant to be disposable."

Yup.
They have an extra strong elastic waist band. You can hook it on your thumb and shoot them out of sight. The idea is to make them fun as well as absorbent.

Laurel said...

Laundering - per the FAQ at shethinx.com.

Humperdink said...

This is "tailor made" for the Clinton Foundation/ Global Initiative. He'll be all over it.

Laslo Spatula said...

The side effect is moss.

I am Laslo.

Wince said...

How many uses before THINX are called STINX?

Freeman Hunt said...

Is there a face mask you can wear to absorb the vomit generated by the idea of this?

Jane the Actuary said...

Sorry but: two tampons' worth is all these hold?

Freeman Hunt said...

I don't think marketing these as a replacement for tampons is going to work. "Replace your tampons with washable pad pants!"

Ann Althouse said...

If women can be talked into using cloth diapers instead of disposables, why can't this work?

Jane the Actuary said...

Looked at the site some more: it's not really a replacement for tampons, just for pantyliners and maybe as a back-up for the days you're expecting your period.

Bob Boyd said...

My girlfriend has an elegant black box....um....let me rephrase that....she uses a product that comes in an elegant black box called Kotex Sleek.
Sleek.
Its a tampon that's like a super-absorbent jungle cat or something.

Bob Boyd said...

Wasn't there a movie about these panties starring Leonardo DiCaprio?
Yeah, it was called 'Blood Diaper' I think. It was about a mercenary with a heart of gold helping smuggle conflict AFRIpads or something. Pretty good show, I thought.

n.n said...

Zero carbon impact? THINX panties are not the product of spontaneous conception and they will not be disposed through spontaneous reclamation. Even products grown on trees are carbon contributors. It's an inevitable outcome of carbon-based lifeforms. And for man-made things, the cycle is from recovery to reclamation, which means that there are no green human activities, other than through displacement, obfuscation, and equivocation.

Freeman Hunt said...

If women can be talked into using cloth diapers instead of disposables, why can't this work?

They might be able to convince users of pads, but I don't think it's a strong sell to users of tampons. Does not perform the same function.

(Though I think there is some kind of reusable, internally worn cup marketed to replace tampons.)

Aside: Though I had many, many friends who used cloth diapers, I never understood the appeal. Minimal, if any, cost difference, not more environmentally friendly, and much more difficult to deal with.

linsee said...

Those numbers? 12 billion pads and 7 million tampons?
Must be several orders of magnitude wrong. Say, 100 million women of roughly the right age, 12 months a year --

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'll ask the gross question.... How do you wash out all that accumulated blood? Doesn't that require a lot of water? Water is a precious resource. no?

Kyzer SoSay said...

My wife went "Ugh" and quickly left my office/guest room. Methinks these will be a flop. Humans got along before tampons. If you're too poor to afford tampons, why does it take an NGO to keep you clean?

Birches said...

Ewww. Not cool. Not cool at all.

If women can be talked into using cloth diapers instead of disposables, why can't this work?

Thank goodness I'm not one of those women!

the gold digger said...

You go first, Ann.

As for me, they will take my disposable minipads out of my cold, dead hands.

madAsHell said...

THINX? The marketing department insisted that they drop the S from the beginning of the word.

pm317 said...

Been there, done that. Washing laundry loads of that stuff is not pleasant. It being disposable is the biggest convenience factor for which women (who can afford) will pay. Even this third-worlder recognized that fact decades ago when she used to beg her mom to part with Rs.20 (< 50 cents) every month and the mom would grudgingly give her that. If the mom was not menopausal herself, she would probably have been more enthusiastic.

holdfast said...

"Zero carbon impact?"

Right, because these will have to be laundered separately, with the temperature set to "surface of the sun". And of course you're only washing a few at a time.

Julie C said...

Governor Brown would have to outlaw these in California due to all the water that would be needed to wash them.

These would not appeal to the younger generation of women who predominately wear thong underwear and use tampons. Big ole granny panties under slacks or jeans creates VPL and that is a no-no.

But I guess it gives new life to the term "on the rag".

lgv said...

It is amazing what gets funded these days. I used to evaluate these deals in an earlier life. This wouldn't even pass the smell test, so to speak. Even Shark Tankers wouldn't be interested.

1. They have a patent on the absorbent material. No? forget about it, anyone can compete. Yes? Just license the technology to a consumer products company already in the market.

2. Background? Farm to table gluten-free pizza restaurant. Again, red flag.

3. Distribution? Direct? Are you kidding? That's now how the consumer will want to buy the product.

4. Environmental benefit. No one cares. We have plenty of landfill space. Sorry, the landfill scare tactic is worthless.

5. Anti-microbial. I'd like to see the testing on this. Things that kill microbes tend be consumed in the process, which makes them less anti-microbial over time. Which microbes and does it really matter?

6. She's already to take on another hole, even though she hasn't rejuvenated the first one into a money maker. This is a red flag, which has been pointed out numerous times on Shark Tank.

7. The economics only work out if they replace tampons and last a full year in the real world.




eddie willers said...

Why isn't this one tagged "I am Laslo"?
*****************************************
The side effect is moss.

I am Laslo.


He shoots....he scores.

Laura said...

Do feminists ever think in practical terms? Ms. Arawal's entrepreneurial spirit is worthwhile, but squeamishness really? How exactly does her product address this "problem"?

Sticking fingers in a bloody vagina means leaving bloody fingerprints on bathroom stalls, using more toilet paper (trees!!) or remembering to pack hand wipes (trees and plastic!!), and the time it takes to wash hands multiple times and remove said fingerprints from the stall lock, the door, and the faucet. Unless you stay at home.

Sticking dirty fingers in a vagina may lead to fun infections, for which treatment is not astronomically expensive but still money that can be spent elsewhere, eh Ms. Bradshaw? And, wait for it -- the treatments on the market supply plastic applicators in sanitary plastic wrappers!

This entrepreneur, however, is inspired to propose the use of biodegradable, compostible plastics for tampon applicators (copyright Laura). And why not burn used pads and tampons and capture the energy like we do with other "feminine medical waste"? The feminists can argue over the proper color for the collection bins. Sorry gals, closed systems capture more energy and relapse fewer toxins than ritual dancing around bonfires.

As far as fingers go, my husband's are preferable, and he's very considerate about hygiene and I prefer less down time.

Got money for lobbyists, Ms. Agrawal? You're going to have to capture and close that market quickly . . .