HI FROM AUGUST IN AUGUST!
Can you tell that we’re so excited to kickstart our namesake month?!
We knooowwww that this month is essentially owned by Taylor Swift after her song ‘August’ became THE Tiktok montage song this time last year.
But, we’re here to shake things up for Blondie and make our brand KNOWN. We’re on a mission: to reimagine period care and destigmatize periods for ALL.
Read on to learn about August’s origins: our name, our products, and where we see this brand going in a few years time.
Where does the name August come from?
At its root, ‘August’ means dignity & majestic.
As a period care brand, we want to reimagine the menstrual cycle to be more dignified and majestic for ALL menstruators.
What does it mean to have a dignified period experience?
- Unapologetic about being someone with a period – get rid of the stigma, shame, guilt, and any other attitudes that society may have taught you to have about periods.
- Shame-free – don’t stick that August tampon up your sleeve, hold it proudly in your hand as you march your way down the halls.
- There’s a sense of power when thinking about periods. Afterall, they literally make human life possible.
- End period poverty – Nobody should have to choose between food or a period product
Who named the company?
Listen to Nick & Nadya’s episode of The Period Feels podcast here!
Nick and Nadya shared the full August Origin Story in their co-founder interview, but here’s a summary:
‘August’ was first suggested as a name by one of our first investors, Bobby Hundreds.
As soon as he suggested the name, Nadya got really excited about it because it’s gender neutral and translates to mean majestic dignity.
And dignity – aka self-worth – is exactly what we stand for, and hope for all menstruators to feel.
Plus August is a month and guess what else comes monthly…😉🩸
You Asked August some of your most Burning Qs about our brand...
As we geared up for the month of August, we collected some of your Qs from Instagram and it turns out you mostly want to know about our sustainability efforts and our product plans...
SUSTAINABILITY
We believe that it shouldn’t be a scary dark secret how our products are made.
Why use so much packaging? Putting 4-8 items in a box? Why not more bulk?
First of all – happy birthday!
Secondly, the reason we initially launched with 4-8 products per box was for the customizable aspect of our ordering process. Strategically, we thought about how many of each product someone actually would use in their monthly flow, therefore, how many they would order for their monthly package.
That being said, we realized people love the “Order per three months” option at our checkout and, particularly for our disposable pads, order more than the 4-in-a-box. So, we modified our pad packaging to have an option of holding 12 pads instead of 4.
In addition to our happy customers, our sustainable packaging efforts have seen a BIG difference!
We’re always learning and growing and evolving. We hope you understand that and are willing to come along for the journey of reimaging period care for ALL.
What happened to the fun colors on the pad packaging?
So many questions about the “fun colors” of pad packaging! Let us tell you – we miss them too.
Basically, in order to upgrade to BPI-certified compostable wrappers, (read here for more info) we had to lose the quirky colors.
All in all, the color change is better for the environment.
What’s the full ingredient list in your tampons/pads in general?
You can find this info if you scroll down on our product page and go to the interactive diagrams for each product or check out the materials tab.
Do you have any goals or steps to being climate neutral?
- Actually…we already ARE carbon-neutral — all emissions generated from the production and distribution of our products are offset through trusted partners. Click here to learn more!
PRODUCT
It’s easy to forget about our period products when all you see are our destigmatizing Tiktoks. But remember, our mission to reimagine periods is partly being done as we reimagine period care!
Can y’all make period panties, menstrual cups & pads without wings for people like me who don’t like them?
We take our Community feedback very seriously so the answer is: one day, yes! We hope to provide more options for period care as our community shows need.
That’s actually why we launched with standard (yet modified) pads, tampons and liners. We had done research within our community of menstruators to see what they actually wanted from period care and the answer was: *They preferred tampons, pads and liners (specifically the first-time and younger menstruators) but that they wanted a more sustainable option. *
We wanted to launch our period care line with products that:
- Our community would actually use
- Had an environmental focus
- And still prioritized comfort, quality and accessibility
Where are your products made?
- Our organic cotton is sourced from suppliers in Turkey from farms in Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that ensure pesticide-free, harmful chemical-free, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, and ethically sourced cotton
- The cotton is then divided between Germany (to be turned into tampons) and to China (to be turned into pads)
- Our trusted pad manufacturing partner is based in Jiangmen, Guangdong City, China who gets yearly audits to make sure your products are top quality and their employees are happy!
- You’ll find our trusted tampon manufacturing partner in Saxony, Germany who we love for their enforced code of ethics, annual sustainability reports and commitment to the UK 2015 Modern Slavery Act.
Read more about our product materials and production on the Traceability Page!
What stores can I find August in?
Currently, August is primarily online (so you can customize your period care subscription box that comes right to your door before your monthly flow!) but if you happen to be in Washington, DC, Chicago, check out Foxtrot Grocery Stores for in-store August purchases.
THE FUTURE OF AUGUST…
The future of August is bright – bright red 😉🩸🤩
And a lot of you are wondering: “What is the future of August?” Nadya, our CEO, says:
“In the next 5 years, I want to have August be available wherever menstruators are shopping for their products – whether that be online, or on store shelves.
I hope that in 5 years, there is no more tampon tax in the US, and that we do see meaningful change to achieving the sort of things that are laid out in the menstrual equity for all act – which makes period products free and accessible in schools, shelters, and prisons.”
And the final, arguably most commonly asked question we get is: “Are you hiring?”
You can stay up-to-date about all of our Team growth HERE!
(TLDR: At the moment we have 1 position open for hiring).
Thank you so much for sticking by us as we evolve and provide more sustainable period care for ALL.
We can’t wait to celebrate our Namesake month with you and continue to create this ever-growing community of unapologetic menstruators and non-menstruators.
We’re here for you <3 and would love for you to join our #InnerCycle Community to take part in exclusive yet FREE events this month!
