Introducing &SISTERS, the UK's first certified organic cotton customisable period care subscription box

80% of women believe that mainstream products are made from cotton. They’re not. Periods are natural. &SISTERS believes feminine care should be too.

Periods are natural. &SISTERS believes that feminine care should be too. &SISTERS has just launched a range of 100% natural and ultra-reliable organic cotton products that are better for our bodies and better for our environment. And what’s more you can buy any combination you like. Customers customise their period pack online from a selection of different products and absorbencies and have them delivered to their door (or desk!). &SISTERS is a company with a conscience and is donating 10% of profits to help tackle period poverty around the globe.


Claire Lettice, founder of &SISTERS, thinks it’s time to change the way we think about feminine care...
A lover of all things natural, she set out to discover why there was no ingredients list on her box of tampons. She asked lots of questions and got some murky answers. She read all the research she could find and commissioned some of her own. She discovered that:

- We’re in the dark: 80% of women believe that mainstream products are made from cotton. They’re not.*

- Manufacturers are happy for things to stay that way: If they were obliged to list their ingredients we’d find out about the processed synthetic fibres, non-biodegradable superabsorbent polymers and plastic that most products are made with. And the chemical-bleaching too.

- Women want things to change: The current trend is for clean beauty and women are increasingly looking for natural and gentle products, scrutinising the labels on toiletries as intently as those on food.

- Customisation is key: Only 24% just use pads, and only 15% just use tampons. Most women use a combination and want packs with a mix of product types and absorbencies. What’s currently for sale lags behind what women want.

&SISTERS gives women a choice of products that are better for their body, better for the planet and better for womankind.

- Better for the body: Natural and ultra-reliable tampons, pads and liners made with 100% certified organic cotton.** Free from chlorine, perfumes, viscose, superabsorbent polymers and other nasties. Hypoallergenic and pH neutral so ideal for sensitive skin.

- Better for the planet: Sustainable and biodegradable, organic cotton feminine care is kinder on our oceans and water systems. Organic cotton uses 91% less water and 62% less energy than conventional cotton.***

- Better for womankind: ‘Period poverty’ is a global issue: UNICEF estimates that at least 1 in 10 girls in Africa and India miss or drop out of school because of their periods. This is significant because for every year a girl stays in school her future income increases by 10%-20%. &SISTERS has pledged to donate 10% of profits to Binti in India and AFRIpads in Africa – charities committed to ensuring no woman is held back by her periods.†

Using a subscription model, &SISTERS enables women to buy feminine care the way that works best for them:

- Pick-and-mix products: Women can customise their packs with the ideal combination of products (tampons with or without biodegradable cardboard applicators, pads and liners) and absorbencies (very light, light, medium and heavy) to suit their period.

- Sit back and relax: &SISTERS eco-friendly letterbox packs are delivered direct to doors (or desks!) as often as every month, every two months or whenever customers ask them to. Products arrive in a stylish, cotton bag.

For more information please:

- call Claire on 07870 598049
- email claire@andsisters.co.uk
- visit www.andsisters.co.uk
- follow us on Instagram @and.sisters


BACKGROUND NOTES FOR EDITORS

As a start-up, we're very open to reader offers, free samples, competitions, product reviews, blogger outreach campaigns etc. We have some super sample packs and bags, so please do get in touch if you have a primarily female audience and you think your readers would like these.

About the feminine care market:

Data from Mintel†† shows the feminine care market in the UK is worth GBP280m, with 68% of (18.5m women) using period products and/or liners on a monthly basis. Pads account for 52% of the UK market by value, tampons 29% and liners 19%.

Target customers:

The &SISTERS’ core audience is women aged 18-39 (9.2 million women) who like to take care of themselves and care about their bodies. This group is focused on the health benefits of products, spending more on natural and organic beauty products. However, the sweet spot is the 18-25 year old age group (3.2 million). This group are most concerned about environmental impact and familiar with clean beauty and clean living. Sustainability is increasingly on every millennial female’s agenda.

Looking at this audience attitudinally, we know 7.5 million (41%) are prepared to pay more for environmentally-friendly products (rising to 45% amongst 15-24 year olds) and 8 million (44%) are keen on buying products from companies who give something back to society (rising to 52% amongst 15-24’s and 46% amongst 25-34’s)†††

About &SISTERS:

Launched in: February 2018

HQ address: 47 Deodar Road, London SW15 2NU

&SISTERS certified organic products are sourced in Europe and packed in London.

In summary:
80% of women believe that mainstream products are made from cotton. They’re not. Periods are natural. &SISTERS believes feminine care should be too.
&SISTERS offer women a choice of 100% natural and ultra-reliable organic cotton products that are better for their bodies and better for our environment. Customers choose their own period products to match their needs and &SISTERS delivers direct to their door or desk! And, because no woman should be held back by having periods, we give 10% of our profits to tackling 'period poverty' around the globe. Feminine care with a conscience.
&SISTERS Better for your body, the planet and womankind.

SOURCES:
* &SISTERS online consumer research, 2017

** All products are made from cotton certified organic to the Global Organic Textile Standard, the gold standard for organic cotton, by Soil Association certification no. DK14305

*** http://cottonconnect.org/planting-seed-organic-cotton

† Just GBP5 pays for an annual supply of period products

†† Mintel, Feminine Hygiene and Sanitary Protection Products, UK, March 2016

††† 2015 Nielsen Global Corporate Sustainability Report