A Deep Dive on Daye Tampons

How We Set The Gold Standard Of Tampons

There are currently no mandatory manufacturing guidelines in the tampon industry, in fact hand sanitiser and plasters have more stringent manufacturing guidelines and regulatory compliance standards than tampons—which go inside the most absorbent part of your body every month.

The mucous membrane in your vaginal canal is directly linked to your bloodstream, which means anything you place in your vagina has a direct impact on your overall health. Even though we're not required to do so in Europe, we treat our tampons as medical devices, producing them to the highest possible pharma-grade standards and upgrading them in 3 main ways: 

Using toxin-free fibres

We’re not legally required to disclose the ingredients we use in our tampons, nor how we process them, but we do so nonetheless. We even go a step further by being fully transparent with the entirety of our supply chain and costs. Daye tampons are made of 100% plastic-free, certified organic and unbleached cotton, grown without the use of herbicides and pesticides.

To ensure there is no chemical residue, we lab-test every batch of fibres we use and test for heavy metals, pesticides and GMO. We will never use rayon (a plastic that has been linked to TSS), chlorine bleach, dioxin, phthalates and fragrances, all which are commonly found in mainstream tampons. 

Sanitising

We ran microbiological analysis on various mainstream and organic tampons and found they were bacterially contaminated with E. coli (the bacteria that causes UTIs), Staph (the bacteria that causes TSS) and candida albicans (the bacteria that causes thrush).

Tampons are a basic necessity for many people, and they shouldn’t put you at risk of bacterial infections—including potentially lethal ones like TSS—so we independently batch-test for microbial contamination, and produce our tampons in a pharma-grade cleanroom, where we sanitise them with gamma rays.

Adding a protective sleeve

A common issue with tampons is fibre loss, where the tampon sheds inside your vaginal canal and leaves fibres behind. These then become the perfect breeding ground for thrush and BV-causing bacteria.

We devised a permeable cotton protective sleeve that wraps around the body of the tampon and doesn’t budge (unlike most protective sleeves, which are simply pressed on and can move during insertion and removal), eliminating the risk of the tampon unraveling inside your vagina and causing pathogen colonisation.

Meet Our Tampons

We’re launching with Naked and Ultra-Soothing tampons, both which come in regular and super absorbency. 

Our Naked tampons may be plain, but definitely not boring. They’re what we believe every tampon on the market should be: made of traceable organic, toxin-free, sanitised, and sustainable fibre. Basically, a product that is worthy of your body, needs and lifestyle. 

We believe in personalised healthcare, that’s why we’re launching the world’s first ultra-soothing tampon. Even though dysmenorrhea affects 9 in 10 people who menstruate, there’s very little research on what causes it, let alone how to treat it.

Over-the-counter painkillers have never been tested on the female physiology, and carry a plethora of side-effects (like gastrointestinal inflammation), so we spent a lot of time researching and developing a patented formula for safe, effective and localised CBD application.  

Our Ultra-Soothing tampons are like our Naked ones, but with the added benefits of 150mg of high-potency (30%), full-spectrum CBD—and 0% THC. The vaginal mucosa contains the highest concentration of cannabinoid receptors in the human body (well, second only to the brain, but that’s harder to access), making it the perfect place to apply the compound.

We lab test every batch of CBD we use, ensuring the lack of solvents, impurities, heavy metals and microbial contamination. We're also developing a technology that ensures the outer layer of our tampons are coated with CBD, so the compound can be continuously administered, rather than absorbed by the tampon itself. 

Our Science-Backed Approach

Daye is an R&D company first and foremost. We exist out of the need for female-focused medical innovation. We’re the first tampon company to conduct extensive clinical studies (think golden standard: double blinded, crossover, multi-centred) on our tampons.

Our research has been supported largely by the Center for Applied Science and Innovation at the Sofia Medical University, Faculty of Biology, and our clinical trial partner, IMR, as well as the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Women’s Hospital (the UK’s largest hospital, which helps deliver 9,000 babies a year!).

Since day 1 we’ve also worked alongside regulators, such as the FDA, MHRA, EMA, and industry bodies such as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. We’re committed to working with medical experts who are dedicated to raising the standards of female healthcare. 

We’ve very proud to work with Dr. Harry Baxter, our Head of Research and resident female health expert, and Dr. Ervin Ivanov, a medical doctor PhD with experience in treating patients with CBD in a clinical setting. Dr. Ivanov is also the inventor of Daye’s patented THC-free CBD extraction technology. 

We also have stellar Medical Advisory Board comprising of: 

Dr. Mike Armour, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Sydney University & Clinical Advisory Committee Member at Endometriosis Australia. His research focus is primary dysmenorrhea, and he has conducted the largest study on period pain globally.

Prof. Louise Kenny, Executive Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Liverpool, key figure in the abortion rights movement in Ireland, former Prof. of Obstetrics and Gyneacology at the University of Cork, special research interest in pre-eclampsia.

Dr. Nicola Tempest, Research Fellow at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, specialising in endometriosis and fertility.

Prof. Dharani Hapangama, Professor of Gynaecology, University of Liverpool, Gynaecology Surgeon, Liverpool Women’s Hospital, with a research interest in gynaecological cancers and endometriosis.

Prof. Iain Buchan, former Director of Healthcare Research at Microsoft, current Clinical Professor in Public Health Informatics at the University of Liverpool, research interest in using big data to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Benjamin Viaris de Lesegno, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, research interest in using CBD for gynaecological pain.

Dr. Becky Lynn, Director of the Center for Sexual Health, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saint Louis University.

Dr. Paul Grant, Endocrinologist.

Dr. Melanie Bone, FACOG, practicing OBGYN with experience in offering CBD suppositories to patients with menstrual cramps and pelvic pain.

Dr. Ann Allworth, MD, with a research specialty in the endocannabinoid system.

Prof. Douglas Kell, Research Chair in Systems Biology at the University of Liverpool.

Dr. Amer Raza, Director of The British Centre for Endometriosis Research.

Eugene Borukhovich, Global Director of Digital Health at Bayer, largest provider of contraception in Europe.

Our Sustainable Packaging

When you’re dealing with cramps, heavy bleeding and leaks, the environment might not be the first thing on your mind during your period—we totally get it. But given that a woman goes through an average of more than 11,000 disposable menstrual products throughout the course of her life, we have a social responsibility to ensure our periods aren’t wreaking havoc on the environment.

The use of tampons, pads and applicators generates 200,000 tonnes of waste per year in the UK, with plastic being a predominant material (97% of tampons on the market are made of plastic). Due to the amount of time that tampons take to break down, they also contribute to the 370,000 sewage blockages throughout the UK every year, to the point where they’re reshaping the banks of the Thames. 

We want to offer products that allow people to shop in sync with their values without compromising on quality, accessibility or effectiveness—but most importantly, we want to leave an impact, not a trace.

At Daye we spent a lot of time conducting material innovation and analysing the life-cycle of our sustainable packaging, which includes bio-based sugarcane applicators, water-soluble paper wrappers, a compostable refill pouch and recycled paper mailers. We’re not just about relieving period pain, we’re about relieving the burden period care places on the environment too.

How We Source Our Tampon Ingredients

At Daye, we believe in implementing radical transparency, and that includes our tampon manufacturing process. Customers should be given the tools to make informed choices based on their values and standards. After all, tampons end up in your vagina, so it’s good to know where they’ve been. 

We have 3-year exclusivity agreements in our supply chain for cotton and CBD, allowing us to maintain long-term relationships with suppliers, who are required to adhere to strict supplier conformity agreements. This ensures are suppliers are incentivised to continuously provide the best product, agreeing to test for microbial contamination before delivering the materials to Daye. 

Our cotton is sourced from a sustainable, certified organic cotton farm in Germany. Our CBD supplier, PBG, is the only one in Europe to own the entirety of their supply chain, from seed to bottle, ensuring unprecedented quality control. They are also the only CBD supplier to own IP for pharma-grade CBD extraction that's 100% THC free.

Want to know more about our tampons? Have unanswered questions? Give us a shout by tapping the chat icon on the bottom right of the screen, email hello@yourdaye.com, or DM us on Instagram.