RedDrop: The First Feminine Hygiene Brand for School-Aged Girls

By Jemima McEvoy | Thursday, 29 October 2020 | News

Despite it being 2020, female hygiene is not given the attention it needs, particularly for the population that arguably needs it the most: young girls. Studies show that the average girl gets her first period around 12 years old. However, at that age, most are still not equipped with adequate supplies or education. Many girls fear the day of their first period while women vividly remember the terror and confusion of the event.

But it doesn’t need to be like that — and that’s where RedDrop comes in.

RedDrop — launched in 2019 by entrepreneurial trio Dana Roberts, Monica Williams, and Mike Davis — markets itself as the first feminine hygiene brand designed specifically for school-aged girls. The Atlanta-based company aims to empower its young clientele through a combination of information, preparation, and products so they can navigate their first period with confidence.

“RedDrop aims to establish the first period experience as a truly empowering rite of passage and challenge the stigmas of menstruation with products and education,” explains a recent news release from the company.

The idea for RedDrop was shepherded by co-founder Dana Roberts who, as a teacher for over two decades in Georgia, was shocked to learn that half the girls in her fifth-grade class had already begun their periods. Equally shocked by the lack of resources for these young girls, Roberts decided to take things into her own hands. She stitched together a “First Purse” for her students that contained products the girls would need, a prototype of what would later become one of RedDrop’s signature offerings.

“All girls need to be armed with information, with preparation and with products,” Roberts believes. “We have to show them that we’re out here to make sure they’re okay.”

Roberts quickly gained the attention and support of friend Monica Williams, who had recently given birth to a daughter and would soon become a co-collaborator and co-founder. Williams says that she often thought “This is so brilliant, I always wish I had that as a teen,” as Roberts told her about the work she was doing at school, later employing her skills as an experienced physician and entrepreneur to help get RedDrop off the ground.

Today, RedDrop has come a long way from Roberts’s hand-stitched purses for her students. At the beginning of October, RedDrop announced the launch of its new period kit, a patchwork of products tailored specifically to young girls. Each kit, retailed at $29.99, contains fundamental period supplies like pads and personal wipes, in addition to educational materials bolstering an understanding of menstruation, positive reinforcement through a special gift, and access to helpful videos using a QR code — all packaged in a reusable cloth bag designed to be used at school. Furthermore, the product isn’t just beneficial for students. RedDrop encourages school nurses and educators to take advantage of the well-rounded Period Kit to accommodate the many girls who have their first period away from home.

The period kit isn’t RedDrop’s only solution for school-aged girls. The startup also sells its own brands of affordably-priced day and night pads, feminine hygiene wipes, as well as a simple pack of products dubbed a “Code Red Kit” for $9.99. RedDrop’s emphasis on education also extends to its product selection. The company has an interesting “At-Home Puberty Series,” which comprises a card covering one of several topics ranging from “Getting to Know Your Body” to “Do Periods Hurt?” to “When do I need to Call my Doctor?” as well as direct access to videos offering more in-depth discussion on the subject.

What makes RedDrop truly unique is its rare investment in all aspects of its customers’ well-being. Perhaps because both founders are parents and know themselves what it’s like to be a young girl, the company’s comprehensive and thoughtful products represent the start of a new approach to period health.

“Parents know, and research shows, that during puberty girls need more than just a pad, or a drugstore aisle full of widely varied and potentially confusing options,” said Roberts. “Our goal is to simplify and demystify the first period experience for girls and caregivers to instill confidence and comfortability, to help them ultimately see puberty as a beautiful, empowering transition to womanhood.”