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Valentina's story
However, long before she knew about such inequities, Valentina had experienced a very personal trigger, an event to which she considers Daye’s origins stretch all the way back: a trip to the emergency room, aged nine. She says, ‘When I told the nurse about my shameful disease, she found the whole ordeal hilarious and exclaimed: ‘It’s just your period!’. Which was great, except I didn’t know what a period was!’
That early experience of having no one to turn to about women and girls’ reproductive health proved formative, chiefly fostering a habit of taking the initiative by reading research papers into health issues affecting women, from PCOS to endometriosis.
Lightbulb moment
But the real lightbulb moment came when Valentina discovered the existence of environmentally sustainable, super absorbent industrial hemp and connected the dots: she says, ‘I asked myself ‘if we know the same plant produces absorbent fibres and analgesic oils, why don't we make tampons from it?’ It seemed like such an obvious solution to a problem that seemed so overlooked.’
CBD tampon
Since it launched in 2018, her B-Corp and certified climate-neutral company Daye has already garnered the trust of some 75,000 women for whom the experience of using Daye’s CBD tampon is proving game-changing. For more information on CBD and managing period pain, click here.
Available both to shop and via subscription, the product demonstrably reduces period cramping, while also being fully sustainable and organic, featuring a ‘no-shed’ protective sleeve. One hundred per cent plastic free, Daye’s tampon wrappers are made from recycled wood pulp and are therefore safe to flush, while its applicators are made from fully compostable sugar cane.
Bamboo menstrual pads
Now, Daye is adding to its stable with two new products. The first is its Bamboo Menstrual Pads, which are made from highly absorbent bamboo sheets with a corn-based compostable base that degrades fully in under 200 days. The pad itself, meanwhile, has a quicker decomposition rate than orange peel, degrading in just 192 days. Ethically manufactured, the bamboo fibres are also shown to suppress the growth of pathogens, keeping everything fresh, clean and natural – and all without a scrap of plastic in sight. Like the tampons, they are available to shop and via subscription alike.
The diagnostic tampon
The second of the new additions is even more ambitious than the first. Not only is Daye bringing to market pain-reducing and sustainable period care; it has also developed a diagnostic tampon for vaginal screening. Just like our much-discussed gut microbiome, the vagina has its own delicately balanced microbiota too. Daye’s Vaginal Microbiome Screen is the world’s first to collect vaginal fluid samples to help users understand their risk of a range of conditions, including thrush or BV, STIs, fertility implications and other gynae health complications. Non-invasive, this boundary pushing product will also save many women trips to a clinic for a speculum and swab examination.
Results from these tests give you all the information you need to get a proper medical diagnosis. You can easily schedule virtual and real-life appointments with specialists. Plus Daye will recommend clinically-approved interventions for your symptoms.
With this new innovation, women will be able to take control of routine gynae concerns and their health from the comfort of their own homes.
Valentina's TED Talks
To find out more about Valentina’s mission, do watch her TED Talks here.
Explore the Daye range
Explore the full range of Daye products here and don't forget to enjoy the 20% discount sitewide, quoting code GWG20.
June 2023
By Nancy Alsop
