Lil-lets is a brand providing

feminine hygiene Feminine hygiene products are personal care products used for women's hygiene during menstruation, vaginal discharge, or other bodily functions related to the vulva and vagina. Products that are used during menstruation may also be called menstru ...

products that operates principally in the UK,

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Since 2000, the company has restructured through two

management buyout A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...

s (MBO) to become a business crossing all sectors of the feminine hygiene market, including

tampons A tampon is a menstrual product designed to absorb blood and vaginal secretions by insertion into the vagina during menstruation. Unlike a pad, it is placed internally, inside of the vaginal canal. Once inserted correctly, a tampon is held ...

sanitary napkin A menstrual pad is an absorbent item worn in the underwear when menstruating, bleeding after giving birth, recovering from gynecologic surgery, experiencing a miscarriage or abortion, or in any other situation where it is necessary to absorb ...

pantyliner A pantyliner (also pantiliner, panty liner or panty shield, vaginal cover) is an absorbent piece of material used for feminine hygiene. It is worn in the gusset of a woman's panties. Some uses include: absorbency for daily vaginal discharge, lig ...

s and intimate care. They also do programmes for schools that teach young girls the changes that occur when they begin to menstruate.

History

The company was founded in 1954 and launched by Southalls of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. They were based on a design created with Dr. Judith Esser-Mittag, a female gynaecologist and expand widthways for improved comfort and better protection. Initially two absorbencies were available, Regular and Super, for differing menstrual flows. In 1958, Southalls was acquired by

Smith & Nephew Smith & Nephew plc, also known as Smith+Nephew, is a British multinational medical equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Watford, England. It is an international producer of advanced wound management products, arthroscopy products, ...

(S&N) and incorporated into their Sanitary Protection Division, alongside Arthur Berton Ltd, another S&N acquisition. These acquisitions positioned S&N as the UK market leaders in sanitary towels, with the Dr. White's and Lilia brands second with Lil-lets. In 1994, Lil-lets applicator tampons were launched. In 2000, a

(MBO) by Accantia (now

Simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by John ...

) took ownership of the Lil-lets brand. In 2001, Lil-lets launched the Super plus Extra, a high absorbency product (classified as 5 droplets by AHPMA, compared to Regular at 2 droplets, Super at 3 and Super Plus at 4). This was a UK first, offering consumers with a heavy flow a specialist product. In 2002, Lil-lets launch "Mixed Packs", with a range of absorbencies in each pack, allowing consumers to buy one pack in order to use a different absorbency for the differing flow rates within a period (often lighter at the start and finish of the period). Solutions, a range of intimate care products is also launched, featuring wipes, a cleansing mousse and a heat soother patch to warm the tummy to help with period pain. In 2005, Lil-lets launched

s. 20 December 2006, Lil-lets was sold to

Electra Private Equity Unbound Group, formerly Electra Private Equity, is a British-based online company specialising in clothing and specialist footwear. It was listed on the Alternative Investment Market until going into administration in July 2023. History The com ...

, and the Lil-lets Group of companies was formed, creating a standalone Feminine Hygiene business. In 2007, Lil-lets launched a range of Sanitary Pads, making Lil-lets the only brand to cross all sectors of the feminine hygiene market – tampons, pads, pantyliners and intimate care. In 2008, Lil-lets launched a compact applicator range in direct competition to the market leader

Tampax Tampax (a portmanteau of tampon and packs) is a brand of tampons currently owned by Procter & Gamble. It was based in White Plains, New York, US until its sale to Procter & Gamble in 1997. It is a subsidiary of P&G's Always brand and is sold ...

, followed in 2009 by a video advertising campaign that showed the key difference between the two brands. Lil-lets tampons expand widthways, with Tampax tampons expanding along their length. In 2012, Electra invested another £7 million equity.Electra Equity
/ref> In November 2013, Electra sold Lil-lets to Premier FMCG (Pty) Limited, a South African company.

List of products

* Non-applicator

* Applicator

Sanitary napkin A menstrual pad is an absorbent item worn in the underwear when menstruating, bleeding after giving birth, recovering from gynecologic surgery, experiencing a miscarriage or abortion, or in any other situation where it is necessary to absorb ...

s *

Pantyliner A pantyliner (also pantiliner, panty liner or panty shield, vaginal cover) is an absorbent piece of material used for feminine hygiene. It is worn in the gusset of a woman's panties. Some uses include: absorbency for daily vaginal discharge, lig ...

s * Specialist hygiene products

References

External links

Lil-lets.com

Lil-lets UK

Lil-lets RSA

Microsite helping girls understand about puberty

Premier Foods (Pty) Limited
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lil-Lets Feminine hygiene brands