Five from Finland
Women’s health
Finns have created a range of innovations for the betterment of women everywhere.
Julia HelminenCheck out these Finnish brands that offer solutions to tackle women’s health, wellness and hygiene concerns.
Did you know that Finland is recognised as one of the best countries in the world to be a woman and a mother? It’s thus only natural that the country is also home to an increasing number of products and services designed for (and often by) women.
Here are five ways Finnish companies are helping women to take better care of themselves and stay healthy.
Popit Sense couples with the medically certified app to help users with their daily pill routine.
Popit/FacebookEver missed a pill? The Espoo-based medtech startup has developed the world’s smartest pill reminder, which alerts users via an app if they’ve forgotten to take their medication. The initial intention was to help women to stay on track with birth control pills.
“Our research shows that over 80 per cent of women on the birth control pill have forgotten to take it at least once during the last year and over 40 per cent rely on their memory alone,” told CEO and founder Teemu Piirainen.
Over the years, Popit has significantly expanded its business focus. Now, the unique sensor platform, which works with a variety of pill sheets and allows automatic tracking of medication consumption, is widely used by those taking medication for a chronic disease such as hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis or type 2 diabetes.
Lunette menstrual cups seek to contribute to increasing equality and supporting women’s good health.
Lunette/FacebookDesigned in the Finnish countryside to be a safe, affordable, and body- and eco-friendly period product, Lunette menstrual cups have quickly grown popular among women in dozens of countries around the globe, including the US, France, Germany and China.
The brand’s mission, however, doesn’t stop at providing women with the most comfortable and ecological period product. Through various charitable projects, Lunette is contributing to empowering underprivileged girls worldwide and battling to end period stigma.
“Before Lunette, I didn’t understand what a huge effect periods have on women and equality,” confessed founder Heli Kurjanen. “Now that we have a product that can make a difference, it would be utterly stupid not to take the opportunity.”
Founded by Laura McGrath (left) and Kati Hovikari (right), Lola&Lykke aims to provide mothers worldwide with new innovative ways to take control of their individual motherhood experience.
Lola&LykkeBecoming a mother is a life-transforming experience for most women, and Finland’s Laura McGrath and Kati Hovikari were no exception. The challenges the two friends faced during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period, paired with their passion for supporting other women, led to the establishment of Lola&Lykke in 2018.
On a mission to change motherhood for the better, Lola&Lykke provides women around the world the right tools to look after themselves. These include various health and wellness products for new mothers and mums-to-be, as well as much-needed educational content, such as online antenatal and postnatal courses.
Some of the company’s most celebrated products are ergonomic support bands and a smart electric breast pump, which was recognised as the best breast pump at the Mother&Baby Awards 2021, beating such market leaders as Medela and Philips Avent in the much-contested category.
Last year, the startup received 460 000 euros in pre-seed funding and is planning to use the capital injection to develop an application for its innovative breast pump, allowing nursing mothers to conveniently track their milk volume and pumping schedules.
“Innovation and new technology are of key importance to us,” commented McGrath. “[I]t’s imperative that we innovate products and services to cater to the modern mum.”
Apart from mothers, Nordic Fit Mama has expanded its service to also focus on menopausal women.
Nordic Fit MamaLooking like her pre-baby self again is something nearly every new mum is wishing for. Nordic Fit Mama offers a professional, safe and efficient way to deal with post-pregnancy issues in women’s bodies.
The award-winning and medically recommended online core training programme aims to provide women with practical information on changes in their bodies, recovery and safe exercise after pregnancy. Moreover, the service has become an online community.
“There are so many topics new mothers talk about with their peers,” noted founder and CEO Riina Laaksonen. “Receiving fact-based guidance from trustworthy sources will make the phase much smoother. Having a baby is about as life-changing as things get.”
Delipap produces feminine hygiene products under the Vuokkoset label.
Vuokkoset/FacebookWith sustainability and eco-friendliness at its core, this family-owned company produces a range of feminine hygiene products.
In 2017, Delipap’s pantyliners and sanitary napkins became the first feminine hygiene products in Europe to be awarded the EU Ecolabel. Not only are they made of organic cotton and chlorine-free cellulose, but their packaging is also biodegradable and compostable.
“Delipap is committed to sustainable development, and we’re proud to be able to offer women hygiene products that are safe for both the users and the environment,” said sales and marketing director Katarina Hanell.