SEE other
lubricated tampons: Dale
(1930s-1940s, U.S.A.) and Pursettes
(1950s-1970s, U.S.A.)
More ads for teens (see also introductory page for
teenage advertising): Are
you in the know?
(Kotex napkins and Quest napkin powder, 1948,
U.S.A.), Are
you in the know?
(Kotex napkins and belts, 1949, U.S.A.)Are you in the know? (Kotex napkins, 1953, U.S.A.),
Are you in the know? (Kotex napkins and belts,
1964, U.S.A.), Freedom
(1990, Germany), Kotex (1992, U.S.A.), Pursettes (1974, U.S.A.), Pursettes (1974, U.S.A.), Saba (1975, Denmark)
See early tampons
and a list of tampon
on this site - at least the ones I've cataloged.
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Gynotex wet and dry menstrual
tampons (2005, The Netherlands)
Introduction and
box
Women have inserted commercial "wet"
- lubricated - tampons since at least
the 1930s in America (see Dale and Pursettes)
and have used sponges (more here) probably
for thousands of years. Gynotex comes
from Europe and is probably not
available in the U.S.A. I don't know
how expensive it is.
The instruction leaflet (here) says
this wet tampon sponge (with no string
or applicator) contains CHG
(chlorhexidine gluconate), a chemical
sometimes used as a germicidal
mouthwash, among other things; it
kills bacteria in the mouth and
presumably in the vagina. Women
douched for decades with Lysol, Zonite and
similar stuff, and some women swore by
them (a 79-year-old woman wrote a testimonial
to MUM), but read an essay
discouraging the practice and the
chemicals used.
Mark Dujardin of the company sent
this when I asked him about the
substances used in the tampon:
"Gynotex-dry is made of toxic free
polyether foam. Gynotex-wet
is made of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol)
sponge, which is mainly used for
chirurgical [surgical] tampons. The
lubricant is on water basis,
antiseptically for keeping the quality
for 3 years."
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No, it's not really THIS big! The
wet sponge, white, (above) measures 2"
in diameter and is 13/16" thick. The
dry sponge (not pictured) is about 1
13/16" wide and 1" thick and pink.
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The wet sponge. The weight of the
sponge on my scanner caused the dent
-the straight edge - on the right side
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Each tampon comes wrapped in foil,
above; the dry tampon has blue
lettering, the wet one red.
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NEXT: Instructions,
box
Cardboard
American sponge can with sponge.
Orange-design can
with sponge. Black can
and sponge.
Beautiful (Australian?)
sponge can with sponge lacking a net.
Anna Health Sponge
(U.S.A., 1940s?)
The contemporary Sea
Pearls (from the U.S.A.) menstrual
sponge
The contemporary Gynotex
(from the Netherlands) menstrual sponge
Main sponge page
SEE lubricated
tampons: Dale
(1930s-1940s, U.S.A.) and Pursettes
(1950s-1970s, U.S.A.)
© 2005 Harry Finley. It is illegal to
reproduce or distribute any of the work on this
Web site in any manner
or medium without written permission of the
author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org
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