It’s another win for a female-founded menstrual brand. Like recent success stories in the space including Lola, which secured a $11.1 million in investment from multiple sources like Lena Dunham; and Kensington-based Cora, which has generated $6 million in the three years since its founding. Now, one-year-old California-based feminine product brand, Rael, which has made a name for itself on Amazon, has reeled in $2.1 million from technology-based firm SoftBank Ventures.

“We’re excited to partner with investors like SoftBank Ventures Korea and Thrive Market, whose visions align with ours-offering innovative and healthy products at approachable price points while providing the resources women need to make safe and educated decisions for their bodies,” states brand co-founder Yanghee Paik, about the recent deal.

Clearly, as women become more and more aware of the secret toxins and chemicals hiding within their tampons and pads, they are seeking female-founded brands that utilize organic ingredients and sustainable packaging. To wit, these brands are more and more so getting on investors’ radar, as more funding continues rolling in for their in-demand product.Rael, which was founded in 2017 by former journalist and author of Lady, You Deserve It, Aness An; former studio distributor Yanghee Paik, and architect and artist Binna Won, aims to provide comfort and functionality with organic cotton pads and tampons.

With the help of its new investors SoftBank, a company focusing on technology and services, and Thrive, an organic product provider, the pre-series A funding round is meant to enable the company to continue to do what they do best; benefiting females with the best feminine care as possible.

Sourced from Texas, Rael’s cotton is packaged and shipped to the company’s laboratory in South Korea. There, within one of the safest and sterile labs in the world, the cotton is transformed into products that range from pantyliners, period underwear, facial sheet masks, cleansing wipes, and also biodegradable tampons, all made from 100 percent organic cotton. Once created, the products are shipped back to California where the distribution process begins. With the goal of reaching new consumers, Paik and Won took their product to Amazon, expecting it to not receive much feedback. However, the brand became an instant hit after just a few months.

“Despite knowing what types of products we personally wanted in our own lives, we weren’t certain if there was an actual need for this new type of feminine care,” says Paik, Co-Founder and CEO at Rael. “So, after months of research and development, we conducted an initial test on Amazon. The response was overwhelming. We became an Amazon Best seller within a few months. Women started writing in, sharing their stories, thanking us for creating organic pads that actually worked. In that moment, or vision for Rael was affirmed.”

With the help of its new investor, Rael is looking to further expand its company in all aspects, including research and development and distribution. According to the investment firm, the move is to continue the expansion of their products, but also create a more stable team that could possibly move their company overseas.

Rael 100% Organic Cotton Pads

Rael Cleansing Face Mask

WRITTEN BY

Amy Corcoran