Meaningfully Different - A Q&A with Valentina, Founder and CEO of Daye
We spoke to Valentina Milanova, founder and CEO of organic and sustainable period care brand Daye, about her thoughts on the current state of the female health care market, the importance of organic and clean period care products, and how investing in our health is a form of self care.
What is the current state of the female health-care market, with particular regards to period products?
The women’s health market is a very under-funded space, it’s not considered very interesting or exciting by investors. As a result there’s not much funding for real innovation in the period care space or gynaecological health as a whole. This is an issue seen not just in private funding but also in public funding. In the UK, less than 2.4% of the overall healthcare spending goes on women’s health. There aren’t many innovators in this space, and most of the femtech companies I know exist and build their companies in conditions of extreme scarcity. They don’t have the resources to compensate their teams with market-rate salaries, and don’t have the resources for large advertising campaigns which limits penetration and it also means they’re less able to grow. Its an endless cycle, if we cannot raise investment we cannot grow.
For period care in particular there are two other issues. The first is the lack of regulation in this sector. Tampons are considered personal hygiene products, so in the same category as toilet paper, even though they spend time inside our bodies. We really need more stringent standards when it comes to testing and the validation of period care products before they go on the market. What we do to address this at Daye is hold ourselves accountable to higher, medical device standards. We pride ourselves in our ability to provide high quality period care products.
The other issue in the industry is many products are made of plastic fibres which contribute to environmental pollution, and aren’t great to use against one of the most absorbent membranes in the human body.
Do you try to raise awareness about the lack of accountability from other period care manufacturers?
We speak up about this all the time, but have to be careful about not throwing blame on smaller companies who simply don’t have the funding to set up the manufacturing lines or clinical trials. It is a very expensive effort, and most companies simply don’t have the funding to facilitate this. I don’t think its from a lack of wanting. Larger companies, however, are beholden to their shareholders because they’re public companies. What’s important to them is growth, sometimes over innovation and even product safety. These are all market dynamics. At Daye we publish all our lab results and the lab protocols we follow. We also publish our clinical data and write lots of articles and social media content. This is for anyone who wants to know about our commitment to consumer safety. Increased consumer safety comes at a higher cost, which we take on to ensure the user is getting a better, safer, more sustainable product. We have to invest in increased standards. However, following on from this, consumers don’t always want to, or feel comfortable spending more of their monthly budget on their period care products. We have to think about what we want, and don’t want from an industry.
How are you working to make your company more accessible?
Accessibility is super important to us, we want as many people as possible to benefit from our products. But we are a more expensive brand compared to others in this market. We don’t have a high gross margin, we don’t retain a lot of the revenue we generate. Its a very delicate balance ensuring you business is sustainable and delivering innovation, but also meeting the accessibility needs of consumers.
I was reading about the industry of hemp and how hemp fibres are very absorbent. The extract from hemp flower contains different cannabinoids which can be effective against period pain which is caused by inflammation in the uterus. Through reading various research papers on the vaginal canal as a drug delivery mechanism and reading about the diverse uses of hemp, I had the idea of designing a more absorbent tampon which would also contain benefits.
Could you tell us a bit about your line of CBD infused period care products?
How did you execute the research into the materials that would go into your products and what about this was important to you?
I didn’t want to bring yet another product to market that was a replica of whats already out there. I wanted to be meaningfully different - to have a positive impact on the environment and the way we manage our health. For me, it was always out of the question that we would make compromises on sustainability or safety. A big issue in the period care space today is that manufacturing is very monopolised, so everyone is effectively selling the same product under a different brand name. I wasn’t going to play a part in that.
How would you like to see the women’s health market change and what needs to be done to facilitate this?
We need more funding, which can come from the public or private market, or from consumers. Without the additional funding we cant perform as many clinical trials, create new products, etc. something has to give. We can either dedicate more venture capital funding into women’s health or more taxpayer funding, or be more content payer higher prices for premium products.
How would you convince someone to put aside that extra bit of money to invest in their period care products? What benefits will they see?
We invest a lot in the way we look on the outside. We paint our nails and wax our eyebrows, and spent alot on expensive cosmetic treatments. At the same time, when it comes to looking after our inside, we are less open to paying for our healthcare or premium solutions. Thats a symptom of how society has taught us to think about ourselves. We measure our value and our worth based on whats on the outside rather than what’s on the inside. That’s really at the heart of why we as women and individuals who experience periods don’t invest in our own health as much as we do in the way we look
How much would you say investing in higher quality, non-toxic period care products is an investment in self-love?
All of our products are designed to enable those with periods to look after their vaginal, hormonal and menstrual health. Thats the whole reason for why we exist. Looking after your vaginal health means you’re not set back professionally, or from participating in sports or societal activities because you have unmanaged vaginal issues or UTIs. Looking after your menstrual health means you can fully participate in the economy, you can full live up to your human potential because your female physiology is not holding you back. I think thats an incredible thing. All of us should be more focused on how we can invest in products and solutions that will help fix the gender health gap, here and now - and for the future. If we don’t invest and support this industry now things will just stay the same, the lack of regulation and innovation will always remain the norm.
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Camille is a writer and curator based in London. She specialises in wellness, art and creativity as a means of self-love and expression.
She has worked with a number of wellness brands and art galleries, creating written and social content and helping develop and run events, exhibitions and educational outreach schemes. She is passionate about the power of incorporating self love rituals into your routine to support wellbeing, balance your daily rhythm and find time to let your artistic spirit bloom.
Article written by Camille Leadbeater
Communications Lead @ The Self Love Lab
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