Saving Women’s Lives One Condom at a Time
L. condoms are free of glycerin and parabens and use a low-scent latex. (Photo L.)
Some concepts seem like a no brainer — once they’ve been invented, that is. Like using TOMS’ one-for-one model for a dire need like supplying condoms in HIV/AIDS-stricken Africa, for example. But San Francisco’s Talia Frenkel was the one who did it. She started as a photojournalist with organizations including the Red Cross and the UN, documenting disasters as they occurred in the U.S., Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Central America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. “My camera was my passport to places I might otherwise never see and people I might otherwise never meet,” says Frenkel, who was shocked by the effects of HIV/AIDS on women and girls in the latter area. (FYI, 5,000-plus new HIV transmissions occur every day.) “It is the challenge of every photojournalist to channel the anger that arises from witnessing injustice in a productive way.”
The injustice she wanted to help remedy was the extreme lack of protection for girls and women — 90 percent of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa go without condoms for two to three months at a time. “If we really believe girls are our greatest untapped resource we should be providing them with tools they need to survive and thrive—this starts with condoms,” she says. Her solution: L. (which can symbolize lust, life or love), a company using the one-for-one model to sell contraception that provides one condom to a developing country in need (currently Uganda and Swaziland) for every purchase.
Moreover, these are not run-of-the-mill condoms. They’re unquestionably safe and better yet, female-friendly, meaning less irritating ingredients and no glycerin or parabens; better quality, low-scent latex, and 100 percent recycled-paper packaging printed with vegetable-based inks. (Not to mention well-designed, with bold, simple type.) They also don’t use the typical spermicide, Nonoxynol-9, because it may increase the risk of contracting STDs by damaging cell lining, says Frenkel. In the course of her extensive research, the entrepreneur connected with engineers, material scientists, health experts, and women in general. “I began to track recurring complaints about skin irritation, as well as susceptibility to UTIs and yeast infections when using condoms. It was from here that I investigated the source(s) of these issues, and potential solutions.”
A woman benefiting from the L. business model. (Photo: L.)
And she’s taking that same fastidious approach to conceiving other natural products. “We are excited to launch other personal-care items, such as feminine care alternatives, in 2016.” Also a cause to celebrate: the fact L. is on track to donate more than 1 million condoms by the end of 2015. With appealing initiatives like one-hour bicycle delivery in San Francisco, New York City, and Brooklyn, it’s no wonder the brand is taking off, especially among females. “We need to provide women with the tools to be safe, to stay in school, to decide when and how many children they want, to lead healthy, productive lives — not shame them,” says Frenkel, who adds that photojournalism has now taken a backseat. “My primary focus is the growth and success of L. For us, well-designed products create more demand, and more demand means more opportunity for change.”
Visit thisisL.com to purchase.
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