the unwash review
The gen-z geared brand, August, took the internet by storm with their mission of destigmatizing periods. The brand’s panty liners, pads, and tampons are completely biodegradable – making a stark change from traditional period products that take years to decompose. Nadya Okamoto, founder of August, says the brand is focused on lifestyle all around not just selling period products. The brand is focused on transparency, sustainability, affordability, and destigmatization which has attracted a lot of Gen-Z buyers. August offers a wide range of menstrual products all made from organic cotton and focused on functionality with designs that are far more comfortable for the user. Periods are a much larger issue to tackle than just reconceptualizing a product – August is committed to helping those with periods feel more confident, comfortable, and educated in their experience.
Founded by Nadya Okamoto, author of Period Power, August aims to reimagine period care. After graduating from Harvard, Nadya has been leading the period positivity movement alongside other period activists and has been working to destigmatize menstrual care. A large part of Nadya’s inspiration for August came from when she was introduced to period poverty. Two-thirds of people that menstruate in the United States struggle with affording period products. This results in unsanitary practices, missing school, and increased exposure risk to toxic shock syndrome. August has donated over a million-period products to underserved schools to ensure that young people have adequate access to menstruation products.
“Let’s be real, periods can be a hassle, but they’re powerful, and we should have a period community, culture, and product that reaffirms that.” Co-Founder of August, Nadya Okamoto
The brand breaks away from traditional period care brands with its 100% cotton pads and tampons. These products are biodegradable as they are 100% cotton also coming with biodegradable liners and wrappers. To help consumers sort through large amounts of green-washing in the industry, August provides a quarterly report on their sustainability practices and is transparent about their sourcing. The brand notes that many young consumers want to be aware of everything from the conception of a product to the disposal process of their purchases.
August is a truly gender-inclusive menstruation care brand that is changing the narrative on how we think about periods. Along with combating period shame and stigma the brand is also actively working to create period equality. August’s donation commitments and activism for removing the tampon tax are helping make access to menstruation care more in reach for millions of people. By making a conscious decision to purchase sustainable period care products you’re also allowing your dollar to go the extra mile and support communities in need which is what conscious consumerism is all about.
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Everist
Everist is the ultimate hair care essential. With a focus on reducing waste in haircare – this is the perfect problem solver. Everist gives you a traditional shampoo and conditioner feel without additional waste. These concentrates are revolutionizing a notably wasteful industry and are a force for positive change.
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Uni
Uni makes purchasing refillable body care products as simple and streamlined as possible. This new brand focuses on having a closed-loop system and keeping its products as circular as possible. Uni is a design-driven refillable system for body wash, haircare, hand wash, and body serum. Focused on providing a sleek and elevated product, Uni makes choosing more sustainable options a streamlined process.
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Freestyle
Freestyle is an up-and-coming diaper brand that wants to revolutionize personal care for children. When it comes to making more earth-focused purchases, we shouldn’t let these values fall to the wayside when supporting child-based brands. Made from a hyper absorbent planet-based BambooTek, these diapers provide up to 12 hours of leak protection and are almost 100% biodegradable. Freestyle is working to give parents peace of mind when choosing the best diapers.
